Pastors are exhorted
to “contend for the faith” (which usually amounts to contending with other
pastors, and damning all who disagree with them), and “the faith” is taken to
be a set of timeless “doctrines” rather than any distinctive Christian way of
living.~Vinoth Ramachandra
All too often doctrine becomes the enemy of witness. It’s not
doctrines fault, it’s just the wrong place for it. Doctrine is a function of the mind, not the
language of the heart. It’s how we live out our doctrine that changes hearts,
not the doctrine itself.
So if you must contend for the faith, contend with your Christian
way of living. Does my life reflect the love of Jesus or the doctrine? Am I
caring for the disadvantaged or just preaching at them? Does my life mirror the
gentleness and humility of Jesus found in Mathew 11:29 or am I arrogant in my
Christian superiority?
Unbelievers prone to tuning out the cacophony of 30,000
denominational doctrines, can “hear” the heart of a simple follower of Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment