When people in your presence push their politics

 

(Yes, alliteration intended.)

Are you weary of hearing heated debates over politics? If so, try turning disputes into a truce with these Bible tips.

• All Christians have a duty to tell the truth of God’s Word: “There is no authority except from God,” Romans 13.
• All lands are placed under God-given authority (Jeremiah 27:6.) 
• All of the people in the crowd recognized Jesus’ authority as He taught them (Matthew 7:29.)
• All authority to forgive has been given to Jesus (Matthew 9:6.)
• All ill spirits must submit to Jesus’ authority (Luke 4:36.)
• All followers of Jesus have His authority and power to use for good (Luke 9:1.)
• All powerful people and worldly authorities have immeasurably less power and influence than the church Body of Christ. As the Bible explains:

^“God’s power was at work in Christ when God raised him from the dead and sat him at God’s right side in the heavens, far above every ruler and authority and power and angelic power, any power that might be named not only now but in the future. God put everything under Christ’s feet and made him head of everything in the church, which is his body. His body, the church, is the fullness of Christ, who fills everything in every way,” Ephesians 1:20-23, Common English Bible (CEB.)

Church, we have work to do! Let’s start by stopping arguments among ourselves! Let’s unite in prayer to discern the tasks the Lord has given each of us to do as the Body of Christ and His Ambassadors to the world.

 

©2022, Mary Sayler

 (Above scriptures came from searching Bible Gateway.)

…

 

 

 

 

You, The Chosen Race

No race but the human race in God’s eyes, but the Lord has much more in mind! Regardless of our skin color or cultural background, God has ordained us to be one: a Holy Nation, a Royal Priesthood, the people of God.

This hope – this prayer of the Almighty God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus – goes back thousands of years as these verses show:

“For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth,” Deuteronomy14:2, King James Version (KJV.)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,” 1 Peter 2:9, Revised Standard Version (RSV.)

If you’ll click on the highlighted chapters and verses above, those hotlinks will take you to many, many translations of the same passages as shown on the Bible Gateway website, but, throughout the Bible, the same idea appears.

Maybe this time we’ll get it right! Maybe this time we’ll have ears to hear.

Maybe this time we’ll respond – not with excuses or emotions or bad memories or experiences but with our own choice to be chosen.

No longer are we to be “us” versus “them.” As Galatians 3:28 says: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” English Standard Version (ESV.)

What a colorfully diverse peoples God’s chosen race is meant to be!

Sometimes those differences may clash, but if we’re all praying for God’s guidance and prepared to let Him work for our good – the good of All of His Chosen Race and Peculiar People – we’ll see God orchestrate even our worse memories into melody and bring harmony from discord.

Praying and following biblical guidelines for good make us more receptive to God’s love and the love of others. As 1 John 4:7 says:

“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God,” Christian Standard Bible (CSB.)

What power we’ve been given to reveal God’s love to the world!

Born of God! No longer are we born into the DNA of racial tension or elitism over which we had no control, but – by our own choice – we can choose God’s Way over our own.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise,” Philippians 4:8, New Living Translation (NLT.)

 

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2021

 

…

Must we be divided?

This quote often attributed to Abraham Lincoln is actually a word from Jesus:

"And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand," Mark3:24-25, King James Version (KJV.)

Regardless of our political preferences and despite our worse fears, may God's people come together as one Body of Christ!

Until the Lord comes again, the Family of God is the hope and the hands-on instrument of healing unity for individuals, the church, our country, and, indeed, the world.

Pray for wisdom!

Pray for the Lord's power to flow through us - mightily.

Pray for the Kingdom of God!

Mary Harwell Sayler

...

Jesus Christ is Risen indeed!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Christ our Lord
is risen
in each of us each day,
and neither gravity
nor a cruel grave
can keep us down.

by Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2017, from her book of prayers, poems, and contemporary psalms, PRAISE! published by Cladach Publishing
…

Writing to heal the Body of Christ

Are you concerned about the decline in church attendance in almost every denomination? Are you as distressed as I am about the divisions among Christians? Do you wish you could do something. As communicators for Christ, we can! For example:

• We can write honest, accurate, uplifting poems, devotionals, books, and stories to strengthen the faith of our readers.
• We can visit the websites of each denomination and study their statements of beliefs then write to overcome assumptions, errors, or misunderstanding.
• We can write about what we love in the Christian community and encourage forgiveness, acceptance, and respect for one another.
• We can research what the Bible says about fellowship in Christ and write about what draws us together and makes us One.
• We can investigate areas of dissension and pray to provide a voice of reason, balance, and healing.

If we write fiction, we can do so with a healing theme and purpose. For example, we might set a novel in another era where people dealt with similar concerns or write a Romeo and Juliette story between two lovers from opposing backgrounds, say, during the Reformation.

Most importantly, we can pray for discernment, expecting God to answer, and we can examine our minds and motives as we ask ourselves:

• Does my writing stir up debates or stir and quicken readers to consider differences from a spiritual perspective?

• Will my words help readers from diverse cultures to accept the forgiveness, redemption, and salvation of Jesus Christ, perhaps by showing that love and those blessings through story people, personal experiences, biblical truths, and practical suggestions?

• Does my writing speak ill of others or speak peace? In what ways can my poems, stories, devotionals, articles, and books bring reconciliation and healing to denominational or other church factions?

• The Bible gives us the wonderful analogy of One Body with many parts. Where do we see ourselves in the Body of Christ? Are any parts missing?

• Obviously, an elbow is not a toe, nor an ear a shinbone! But each part is vital to the whole. Can our writings show this? Can you think of another analogy that might speak to people today to show the need Christ has for each one of us to be One in Him?


©2015, Mary Harwell Sayler

For general help with your writing, revising, and more, order the Christian Writers’ Guide e-book.

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Revelations about the church in Revelation

We’ve been talking about the church – where we’ve come from, where we are now, and where we’re going as the Body of Christ. These conversations came about because of concerns we have as Christians who see church membership declining and people openly maligning Christianity.

Since I believe communicators for Christ can do something about this through our writings, I’ve been searching and praying for inspired ideas that might help us to minister healing and strength to the church – 1, 2, 3 steps we can do – with the grace of God. So, when a member of my Bible study group asked if we could please study Revelation, I sighed, thinking I really didn’t want to get into end-time expectations or personal interpretations about what this symbol or that might mean. I wanted to focus on the needs, concerns, and direction of the church now.

I’ve read the book several times, but actually studying Revelation brings all sorts of revelations about the church. For example:

The letters to seven churches in chapters one through three of Revelation reveal and reflect the very problems we’re having in and with the church today. Consider, for instance:

Sometimes our love needs rekindling in the Holy Spirit

Sometimes we’re so caught up in doing good, we have no time to soak up God’s goodness.

Sometimes we’re so politically correct, we let society dictate, rather than God’s word.

Sometimes we need to admit we’re wrong, repent, and intercede for others.

Sometimes we need to remember how to live in Christ and not just for Him.

Sometimes we need to encourage and strengthen one another in the faith.

Sometimes we need to prayerfully consider how we might fuel our gifts and stoke our passions for Christ.

After the letters to the churches, the next few chapters remind us of Christ’s Passion for us: Who Christ was, Who Christ is, and Who Christ will be in the church, in our lives, and throughout eternity.

Maybe we’ll be excused from terrible sufferings in the future, and maybe we won’t. Regardless, here’s the 100% sure revelation in Revelation.

We are marked as Christ’s own.

Through Jesus Christ, we have God’s Seal of Approval – the exact opposite of the “mark of the beast.” Most of us have heard and heard about 666, but have we heard – really heard – that we have no need to worry about this, because God’s seal is and will be on us.

God’s seal cannot be broken! God’s seal was, is, and will be on the church. And, this seal shows we have God’s authority, God’s ownership, and God’s protection because we wear and bear God’s seal through our belief in the redemption of Christ.

As we are the church, the church is us – you and me. May we all have ears to hear what God says to the churches and reveals to us in Jesus’ Name.


©2014, Mary Harwell Sayler is an ecumenical Christian poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church in all its parts.

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The church: where we're going, why, and with whom

In the last post, we looked at “The church: where we’re coming from and where we’ve been” as individual and denominational parts of the Body of Christ. This time we’ll consider where we’re going, why, and with whom.

Fortunately, we don’t have to rely on our own assumptions and opinions. For the last couple of decades, the Barna Group has interviewed thousands of men and women with no church affiliation or ties. Editors George Barna and David Kinnaman then presented their findings in the book, Churchless: Understanding Today’s Unchurched and How to Connect with Them, published by Tyndale Momentum, an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers.

As a highly ecumenical Christian who has loved Christ and the church in all of its parts since my early childhood, I welcomed the complimentary review copy of Churchless from Tyndale Blog Network. For one thing, I cannot imagine a world without the church, but more importantly, I cannot imagine – nor do I want to! – a life without Christ.

When I was growing up almost everyone “went to church.” In recent years though, Christians have begun to see and say, “We ARE the church.” So, I’m wondering: Are people falling away from Christ or from us?

In requesting this review copy, I wanted to see how other people see Christ. I wanted to know why church doors are closing and why Christian fellowship isn’t being sought. I wanted to find out if statistics can help us to assess and address relevant issues in our churches and/or our writing lives. But mostly, I just wanted to know what we can do!

Although the book did not answer all of my questions, the editors immediately laid out a statement that, typographically, slows down our reading and summarizes the situation:

“If we perceive the gap
between ‘us’ and ‘them’
as W I D E and
essentially uncrossable,
we are less likely
to get close enough
to offer ourselves
in real relationships.”

To that summation, the editors later added, “We hear again and again, both from the unchurched and from local churches that are deeply engaged with the unchurched in their communities, that loving, genuine relationships are the only remaining currency readily exchanged between the churched and the churchless.”

Thinking of ourselves as poets, writers, publishers, or other communicators for Christ, we might ask:

With whom will I get up close and purposeful?

To whom will I offer my poems, books, or other manuscripts?

How might my writing help draw others to Christ and the church?

To find out what we’re up against, I appreciated the quick overview of stats at the beginning of the book that offered this information:

• The Minimally Churched (8%) Attend church infrequently and unpredictably

• The Actively Churched (49%) Attend church at least once a month

• The De-Churched (33%) Were once active in church but are no longer

• The Purely Unchurched (10%) Do not currently and have never attended a church

And so, right away, we find out that 57% of the 20,000+ American adults interviewed do go to church, while 43% do not or never have. To put those present statistics into perspective with the past, only 30% of the people were churchless in the 1990s.

In those earlier years, of course, the Internet did not provide social outlets that meet or, perhaps, mask our need for fellowship. Not only that, but the “digital shift” shifted “the expectation, especially among young people, that they can and should contribute, not just consume. Online technologies… enable any connected person to add his or her image, idea, or opinion to the digital mix. If you consider how most churches deliver content – appointing one person as the authority and encouraging everyone else to sit (consume) quietly while he or she speaks – it is easy to see how that delivery system may come into conflict with changing cultural expectations.”

That same digital connectedness, however, gives poets, writers, and other communicators for Christ direct, instantaneous access to people from the proverbial four corners of the earth!

Nevertheless, we have gaps to fill and negative views to overcome. For example:

“Of those who could identify one way Christians contribute to the common good, the unchurched appreciate their influence when it comes to serving the poor and disadvantaged (22 percent), bolstering morals and values (10 percent), and helping people believe in God (8 percent)./ Among those who had a complaint about Christians in society, the unchurched were least favorably disposed toward violence in the name of Christ (18 percent), the church’s stand against gay marriage (15 percent), sexual abuse scandals (13 percent), and being involved in politics (10 percent).”

With “one out of every five young adults… an exile who feels lost between church culture and the wider culture he or she feels called to inhabit and influence,” we can help by coming together as one Body ready to love, serve, forgive, and heal cultural differences, perhaps through communal outings or community concerts or concerted efforts to reach the underprivileged in our local areas.

We can help by forgiving one another and encouraging others to forgive.

We can help by counseling and educating people about the work of the church throughout history, for example, in establishing some of the finest universities in the world and establishing – throughout the world – orphanages, hospitals, and other missions that meet needs.

As Christians come together, our primary purpose is to worship and fellowship with God, which gives us fellowship, too, with one another. This connection makes us one in spirit and one part of the larger Body of Christ, where we then have the strength, power, and purpose – as a church – to educate, influence, and evangelize others in Jesus’ Name.


©2014, Mary Harwell Sayler, reviewer, is an ecumenical Christian poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church in all its parts.


Churchless: Understanding Today’s Unchurched and How to Connect with Them, hardback



…

Witnessing Jesus’ Signature

In the Christian community, important words or phrases get tossed around one denomination or another – spiritually healing words, spiritually vital words such as “Savior,” “resurrection,” “redemption,” but sometimes the significance passes over us without registering the full impact such words can have.

Take “witness,” for example. Does the thought of a witness testifying in court come to mind? When we need to make a case for Christ, that’s exactly the kind of witness we most likely need to be.

A witness testifies or gives a testimony that's often based on a personal experience other people can relate to – or not! In other words, a witness gives evidence that might not be evident to everyone until we explain.

For the growth of the church and the encouragement of other Christians, we need to be witnesses, who spread the Good News by word-of-mouth. If we also happen to be Christian poets or writers, we have the opportunity and unique privilege of putting our witness into writing and signing our names.

But what about the Name of Jesus? We pray in His Name, but how does He sign His name?

In sign after sign, the Bible records Jesus’ miracles, teachings, parables, prayers, love, healing, and sacrifice.

Jesus is Himself the sign of God’s forgiveness and redemption.
Jesus is the sign of God’s mercy and love.
Jesus is God’s signature in the world and in our lives.

As we speak to others about Christ or give our testimonies or write in any genre, may we remain alert and eager to let our witness become a witness to Jesus’ signature.


© 2014 Mary Harwell Sayler - poet-author
…

Ways to promote church unity

Almost a month ago, I posed a question, which began a lively discussion that needs to be more than just highlighted on the Christian Poets & Writers blog. The insightful comments of many members of our Christian Poets & Writers group on Facebook need to be retained for future recollection and ongoing inspiration and also passed on to Bible teachers, pastors, clerics, and other leaders in the church Body of Christ. May these words continue to be a blessing in Jesus’ Name.

QUESTION: In what ways can we promote church unity? To clarify: Unity does NOT mean uniform! We're not meant to be exactly alike, but to be part of the one Body of Christ. So, maybe the real question is: How can we help each other and our readers to see this Oneness and the power it brings to bear in Jesus' Name?

Brian: Meeting other Christians, working together on a project, forming natural relationships is a start. Reaching out may be needed, and we all need prayer support from friends.

Tracy: Yes! Coming to the understanding that, like our physical bodies, the body of Christ consists of many members with different functions. All serve an important purpose. And all rely on each other's gifts and purpose in order to function at the fullness of God's Will for His body! (1 Cor. 12)

Christine: As one pastor I had said, "Keep the main thing the main thing." Don't major on the minors.

Valerie: I see it as God is a God of unity and regular prayer taps us into the heartbeat of encouragement and exhortation Christ exemplified when on earth. We set aside TIME for prayer so we can better reflect His nature. We are often too busy to do this and as a result a critical spirit can wedge into our outlook.

Susan: Oneness is shown by patience (for difficult ones or seekers), acceptance (for those with a different viewpoint), joy in the success of others, sorrow in their pain, and gentle words at all times.

Mary: What wonderful responses! Christine, your comment would make a good motto. Valerie and Susan, you describe being a Christian! Yes! If we would BE like Christ, we wouldn't need to focus on coming together as one Body. It would just happen.

Nellie: It all comes back to love. That is the greatest command. The denomination doesn't matter; through love we recognize the spirit in others. Tolerance is necessary if we are to pull together in the name of Jesus Christ. We all believe in the resurrection and that God loved us first. Everything else is minor.

Dawn: Respecting each other's right to share a point of view, whether we agree with it or not.... We come together as the body of Christ with different gifts, talents, backgrounds, and cultures. Instead of dismissing someone who doesn't believe exactly the way we believe, (we can) be willing and open to hear them out. They might have something valuable to share that we never thought of; diversity is healthy.

Jean: We have a monthly meeting here with up to 12 church bodies represented. It's great to listen to different speakers share their testimonies, have ministry time, and then eat together!

Kathy: I find the three circles help. In the innermost circle are those tenets that are absolutely essential to Christianity. Without them, there can be no true unity because without them we are not one in Christ. In the second circle are traditions that are not essential to salvation but are sufficiently disparate that folks from one tradition would be uncomfortable with folks of another. And then there are the things in the third circle, which ironically often cause the greatest disputes among believers but have no bearing whatsoever on the essentials of the faith such as music styles or the color of the carpet. The things of the first circle I must insist on for fellowship (not for friendship or acquaintance - those are different.) All the rest I can let go.

David: While each of us is different, we should pray and allow the Holy Spirit to use those unique gifts and talents in such a way that when people see us or read our words, they see Jesus. Getting people to agree with me is unimportant. Getting people to become my brothers and sisters, that is important (1 John 4:7,8.)

Mary: Amen, amen, and amen to all of your responses!

Linda: Have an artists’ showcase and invite all to sing, play, dance, read, and show their art work!

David: Lack of love can destroy this in the church. Yet it's more than what we call love that's central. It's how God created us and being obedient to that. There are lots of theological things I could say, but even they aren't worth as much as (the fact that) God made each of us in a particular manner. To snub someone who isn't like us is snubbing Jesus, because they really don't get it. God is love (1 John 4:8.) How can any person be like Him perfectly, even though we are commanded to? We can't. We can only approach that as each of us allows God to manifest Himself in us in our uniqueness. Sure there are certain absolutes, but that's only part of it.

Michele: Simplest way to keep unity in Christ: emulate Jesus in humility, yet be bold in faith in Him. We can encourage unity by reaching out and letting others into our comfortable circle. I think some are afraid or uncomfortable with our differences and don't know how to be peaceable and kind to all brothers and sisters in the faith. Paul exhorts us to embrace and support others' spiritual gifts. What are yours? (1 Corinthians 12) A spiritual gift will always glorify the Lord, never ourselves.

David: Michele, I agree. What I have a problem with is when some people say they are emulating Jesus and are not.

Christopher: Weekly community-wide prayer groups with local pastors is a great way to start. If the pastors become united, it gives their people an easy doorway to walk through for greater unity.

Mary: Excellent ideas! Christopher, your response reminds us to ask our pastors their thoughts on this and pray for all pastors too.

Matt: We must stop the "other churches" mentality. We are all the church and ought to spend time with each other and support one another… uplift each other, not tear down or pick apart doctrine.

Mary: Matt, when you put it like that, I realize, there are no other churches! WE ARE the church, and each of us is part of the Body of Christ. The more I take that metaphor literally, the more I get the larger picture. (Eph. 3:6)

Brian: But are we all "the ekklesia"? I wish we all were, but some sects/ groups deny the fundamentals of our faith. Do we need some clear thinking to avoid unity at any cost?

Mary: Brian, the point is not agreeing any more than I need my right hand to agree with my left. The idea is to realize we all have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, so we're all part of the Body of Christ. Taking that literally helped me to understand how we can be together and work together even though we have very different perspectives.

David: The apostle Paul stated, "We preach Christ, and Christ crucified," (1 Cor. 1:23.) He later went on to explain that he preached that because Jesus rose from the dead. I'm fairly certain if you stick to this and leave your heart open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit there will be unity.

Mary: Yes! My devotional reading this morning focused on Romans 8:1, "Therefore, there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." So if we're IN Christ Jesus, we have Who and what's most important in common. Now to get that message across in our poems and other writings! May God heal and guide.

Jaime: I agree. That is also my thought. Sometimes we look at minor doctrinal differences and forget that Jesus is still Jesus, and if churches and people are preaching the gospel all the rest is our personal interpretations, and we as humans are not inerrant. What matters is Jesus.

Gerald: AMEN!

David: Jaime, you understood what I meant, but I guess that's the point. You DO NOT have to get what I mean, but we should all strive to understand what God means, and often that's different for all of us.

Jaime: To be honest David I didn't even read your comment. What I do know is the Bible is a living word, which means that certain scriptures speak to our hearts at one point in our lives (but) may speak something different later.

Laura: The fruits of the spirit and the definition of love develop us in a way that allows us to make allowances for others. (Gal. 5:22-23)

Mary: Amen! May God fill us with love until we spill it everywhere!

John: The stronger our relationship is with the Lord the more we become like him and the more we walk in the unity of the Spirit. We become one – One body, One spirit, One mind.

Mary: Yes, true, and amen! Thanks, John.

Stony: The Holy Spirit initiated this. This is exactly what I was pondering deeply on before coming on Facebook to see this!

David: Welcome, Stony. Jamie, isn't that neat that you could reply to my message before even reading it? This is the Holy Spirit working through us – making us ONE. And you are absolutely correct. You can read a passage of Scripture, and it says one thing to us, but when we read it later on it says something different. It is the LIVING Word of God, not something stagnant with only one understanding. (Heb. 4:12)

Lillian: I think we all need to be more accepting of others. More mercy – less judgment!

Stony: You are right, Lillian. We are so quick to call other preachers false teachers and heretics even when our theologies are not so far off. I have a dream for the unity of the body of Christ for only then will we have another awakening.

Mary: Oh, I'm so glad to see your comments, Lillian and Stony. May the love and mercy of Christ abound in us and bring unity in Jesus' Name.

Jeannie: I think my latest post is going in that direction, Mary. Being a people without division, we LOVE! If we are IN Christ, our denomination is not important. It is the choice we make to love the Lord and our neighbor!

David: In Matthew 25 Jesus is the one who separates, and He does so on this premise, "For whatsoever you do to the least of these My brethren, you do so unto Me." If that brother or sister needs your help, would you help them? If Jesus asked to stay at your home, would you let Him? If a brother or sister has asked, and you are able, then Jesus has already asked.

TR: Not having this all worked out, I am supposing Ephesians 4:3-6 would give us an outline of what is needed or helpful for unity: “(Be) eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Some of the difficult parts are identified in the phrase, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." These three are where many differences exist. Christendom has many different ideas of who the Lord Jesus is, many different confessions of the faith, and a handful of different baptisms. Lacking unity in those three areas, general unity becomes something of a challenge. This suggests that to advance towards unity, we need conversations about these three things.

Linda: The lyrics (of “The Church’s One Foundation”) started playing in my head: "her charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth; one holy name she blesses…." Indeed we are all part of the body of Christ, we are not eyelashes all or fingernails or the heart. Each of these parts works together in unison with the others and usually doesn't war with the other parts (although there are exceptions on occasion.) Often it is too easy to look at another part and not appreciate its role in the body, but if we acknowledge the Head, it becomes an easier task. So, when I encounter a body part I don't understand, I try to take a step back, and appreciate the function, but more importantly who that part works for: Jesus Christ our Lord. (Col. 1:18)

Mary: I love these responses! Are any of you blogging on what we can do to heal the Body of Christ? If so, let me know. Those posts will certainly need highlighting on the Christian Poets & Writers blog.

Jean: In the words of Jesus: LOVE. Live a life of loving Christ foremost, then loving each other. Genuine, Christ-like love is the answer. (John 13:34-35)

Patti: Love one another as Jesus loves us. (John 15:12) And be ye kind ‘cause it's just not all about YOU or ME! And now, let's all go out for ice cream and share!

Mary: Actually, Patti, that might be the place to start! Eating together brings us together, and I'm sure Jesus enjoys the laughter and levity that usually accompanies ice cream.

Mamie: We all have different gifts and talents, and of course, we all can't be alike. So, I have to say what the Word says concerning oneness: "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” (1 Cor. 12)

David: Instead of denominations I think of the church as family. At my boyhood home I would always use the side door to come in. I still do when I visit my parents. Why? Because I'm family. There have been a few churches that I felt the same way when I walked in. Yeah, praise God, it's family.

Cherrilynn: Promote Unity by agreeing to disagree on the non-essentials. Hold fast to the unchangeable truth that Jesus is God, was born of a virgin, died on the cross for sin, and now sits at the right hand of God. Salvation by Grace alone…. I am not a Theologian, but I believe you understand what I am saying. Maybe someone else could word it better.

Mary: Actually, Cherrilynn, you not only said it just fine, you came to the same conclusions the major denominations have voiced!

David: If you want to find out what Jesus' will for us is, read His prayer in John 17. We've been settling for scraps when God has a 7-course meal prepared for us.

Cherrilynn: David, I love that passage: "Sanctify us with the Truth; the Word is Truth," (John 17:17.)

David: Yes, and Jesus is that Living Word. He is that Truth. I also like what Paul wrote in Ephesians 2. The Jews were a people of the promise, but we were separated by the written Law. In Christ's death God broke down the wall of separation and made the two one. Isn't this what we're talking about?

Bill: I had forgotten you had posed this question and just happened to write about the same issue just this morning. I think we often forget that, without love, our opinions on other matters are annoying at best.

Anne: Church unity is promoted by us working through the very things that could divide. It is seeing Him (Christ) bigger than the differences that pepper our lives. (Ephesians 4) Church unity is accomplished when Christ is bigger than everything else. When our eyes are on the Master, the wind and waves are irrelevant as He reminds us He is over even them.

Mary: Oh, I pray each one of you lets your response flow into a poem, an article, a book, a Post-A-Note…! Also, I want to thank you and praise God for letting these good words on unity in Christ flow into this blog post. May the blessing continue in Jesus’ Name.


© 2014 Mary Harwell Sayler, poet, author of the Christian Writer's Guide e-book, and founder of the Christian Poets & Writers group on Facebook

[Note: Bible references were researched and cited through Bible Gateway.]

…

Praying for the Body of Christ

When I heard of your faith
in Jesus the LORD
and your love for one another
in the family of God,
I just had to thank God for you
constantly in my prayers.

I pray for you all the time,
asking God,
the glorious Father
of our LORD Jesus Christ,
to give you the spirit of wisdom
and the discernment to know Him.

Then the eyes of your heart
will open to the light
of knowing
the hope to which God has called you,
the riches of all the LORD has given
to you, His children.

I pray, too, for you to know
the power of God’s greatness
at work in those who believe.

This is the same power God
put to work in Christ when He arose
from the dead and rose to the realm
of heavenly places far above
every ruler,
every authority,
every power,
every kingdom, and
every name you can name,
not only now
but in all times to come.

For God has put all things
under the feet of Christ
and given Him the full authority and power of God
and made Him the head of all things in the church –

the full church Body of Christ,
which is being filled with Christ
and completed in Christ,
Who will fully fill all in All.

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of today's Daily Bible Reading in the NT Epistle, Ephesians 1:15-23

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Chatting with Paul about the church

Me: Paul, recently I heard you say there’s only one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, and yet we children of God don’t always act like that’s true. How can this change? What do we do?

The Apostle Paul: Each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Me: Yes, we’re different and have different ways of doing things, but sometimes that seems to make misunderstandings and ill feelings get in our way.

Paul: That’s why the Bible says Jesus ascended into heaven and captured captivity.

Me: Wow! Jesus imprisoned prisons. He bound up whatever binds us. He confined whatever confines us. He….

Paul: He gave gifts to His people. So some of us are apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.

Me: It’s wonderful how God gives each of us exactly what we need to do the work God gave us to do! Now, if we’d just respect those differences and appreciate one another more.

Paul, nodding: Each gift equips each saint for a unique work of ministry to build up the Body of Christ (the Church) so we can all be united in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God as we grow and mature into the full standing of Christ.

Me: Hmm. Sounds like God wants us to grow up! And grow into the Spirit of Christ.

Paul, nodding his head again: We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro or blown about by every wind of doctrine or by people's trickery or by craftiness and deceitful schemes.

Me: But, oh, sometimes it’s hard to know what's what! So I pray for God to help us become more discerning and loving too.

Paul: As we speak the truth in love, we grow up in every way into Christ, Who is the head of the whole body, joined and knitted together by each ligament, so each part is equipped to work properly, promote body growth, and build up the whole Church Body of Christ in love.

Me: Amen! And may God keep on reminding us to keep on praying for spiritual growth, discernment, love, and unity in the Body of Christ in Jesus’ Name.

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrased conversation with the Apostle Paul drawn from today’s Bible reading in Ephesians 4:7-8, 4:11-16

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Christ our Passover: the lasting sacrifice

Christ our Lasting Sacrifice
by Mary Harwell Sayler

I have come to do Your Will, O God
for the blood of animals cannot take away
sin forever.
Short-lived sacrifices, short-term offerings
do not cover sin forever,
and so You have prepared for Me
a Body
ready to be sacrificed –
the First to Last –
ready to do Your Will.

I have come to do Your Will, O God
as Holy Scriptures said I would
for You can no longer tolerate
temporary fixes:
interim sacrifices, itinerant offerings, burnt
offerings, sin offerings once accorded by Law.

You Will, O God, I have come to do to
fulfill the first way and establish the second
to sanctify All by offering
Myself –
the Body of Christ
arising – First and Last –
to do Your Will, O God.
I have come to do Your Will.



© Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved; prayer-a-phrase poem from today’s Bible reading in Hebrews 10:4-10

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Re-Membering The Body Of Christ

As members of a large, diverse Christian family, we’re a unique part of One Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism in the One Body of Christ. So let’s pray together and get together to do something to offset the bad press and negative comments that Christianity and the church often receive.

Let's pray to do something accurate, loving, healing, and courageous.

Let’s find out about each other and ourselves by getting to know the founding principles of each denomination, so we can understand one another better and pass on information correctly.

Let’s verify our own denominational beliefs and check out the beliefs of other churches by researching instructional documents (sometimes called the “catechism”) and mission statements that most churches provide on their websites or in prayer books, church manuals, and hymnals.

Let's put ourselves in each other's sandals with even flip-flops allowed.

When a subject interests us enough to write about it, let’s look in a Bible index to see exactly what the Bible has to say about that particular topic.

Let’s be sure we quote a text accurately and cite the source or translation.

Let’s keep the biblical text in context.

To research a topic thoroughly, let’s use a Bible dictionary or encyclopedia to find and explore related scriptures and relevant information, for example, about the times, place, culture, political scene, or general circumstances encountered by God’s people, then ask how we might relate.

Let’s encourage each other and our readers to appreciate the godly standards and Judeo-Christian values we must never take for granted.

Let's remember Christ.

Let's Re-Member The Body of Christ.


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(c) 2010, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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