Remember These Things

When believers disagree, whether it be in a local church, in a group of churches, or in an entire denomination of churches, at least four things must be remembered.  When it is all said and done, Jesus wins.  Re-read the back of the Book. I’m not sure that once in heaven, we will be able to look back, but if we can, I am sure we will wonder why we spent so much time disagreeing and so little time on the second thing to remember, which it our primary task and our great commission, to make disciples, who make more disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).  Third, we must agree to disagree without being disagreeable.  Speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) far exceeds character assassination. Finally, we must remember that the enemy is not our fellow believer but much larger than that.  We must use our energy against the “principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).  The well-known quote is often attributed to Augustine: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”