Nov 11 2007
Be United
What am I personally doing to protect unity in my church family right now?
The Purpose Driven Life, p. 167
I am in a warm and loving church because everyone cares about Christ, the community, and others. Saddleback Church has been the forefront in caring for the homeless in Orange County, honours the civil servants such as fire fighters and police force, and preach the word of God actively to the world. The church also takes care of its congregation by providing me with convenient time to attend a service, over 500 ministries to try, over 5000 small groups to join up, and many support groups to help anyone in trouble. Pastor Rick and his pastoral staff teach practical bible-based ways to equip my life.
However, I belong to an imperfect church. Why? Because I am not perfect. I had been to churches where gossip was rampant. I was in a church where the pastoral staff was removed because “he sinned”, but the congregation never knew about it directly (too many secrets). I had been to a church that was too methodic and strict. I had also been to a church where the leaders worry about how the church would look from the outside, and everyone acted superficial. No church is perfect because the people are not perfect.
But, I must try to get along. I must try to give my best effort to help my brothers and sisters. I must give my time to nurture relationship and fellowship. I must try to be like Jesus, because Jesus loves His church. I must love other believers, as Jesus has paid with His blood to save us.
So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
Romans 14:19 (NLT)
