One Body Lots of Parts
There is one thing that is a very real hindrance to many of us in our spiritual growth. I think Paul put it in very clear terms in 1 Corinthians 3:4.
For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollo’s,” are you not mere men?
The question we all have to ask is; “Am I a mere man?” The question isn’t what church you go to. The question is; what is my attitude toward these other churches? Do I look up to them? Do I look down on them? Some of them are very different in their music, in their expression of praise and worship. Some of them put a lot of emphasis on the bible, while others put a lot of emphasis on ritual and tradition and still others on the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
God has blessed Pauline and I. He has given us the opportunity to experience many of the parts of the body of Christ. We have come to appreciate the bible and the ritual and traditions as well as the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Don’t listen to negative stuff about other churches. There are some in the body of Christ that spread dissension, they need healing. Don’t let their poison infect you. Go around the stumbling stones that other mere men have placed in your way. Don’t be afraid to check these other churches. I am not telling you to leave your church. You would be wrong to cut yourself of from friends and neighbors. Go with an open mind and heart and experience some new things and let God bless you.
We have been greatly enlarged by other parts of the body with various labels like Pentecostal, Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, and too many others to list. We have friends all over the country and they all belong to different parts of the one body of Christ and their faith is anchored in Jesus Christ. Become something more then just a follower of Paul or Apollo’s!