Is the goal of being likeminded with other Christians even realistic? If we think about all the church denominations and all the various doctrines and theologies and practices which are out there, is it even possible that we could all be of one mind, united in spirit?
In the flesh alone, it is not realistic, but in the Spirit it certainly is:
"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27
Yes, walking along with the best of intentions we will still miss the mark of the high calling in Jesus [see Phil 3:14] for which we should be pressing. Yes, we are to press, but without the Holy Spirit in us we will fail. We will fall short. But, the good thing is that we do not have to press alone toward that goal:
I mean, there are those who believe water baptism is essential for salvation, and there are those who believe not in this. There are those who believe in OSAS, and there are those who are certain this is not true. And, there are those who believe tongues is THE evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and there are those who think not. And, the list goes on and on.
Yes, and some will insist that it must be in effect, "my way of the highway". In other words if you don't go the way I am going and/or the way I am pointing, you will not make it to the end with Jesus. That is a lie. The trying to go alone is what will cause anyone to miss out. Remember the verse quoted above says, "for with God all things are possible".
So, who is right and who is wrong? Which way of thinking are we all supposed to be like? Who sets the standard of what is right theology?
The Lord Jesus led me to read
Philippians 2:1-8 (NASB).
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Vv. 1-2
Well, the obvious answer to the question posed above this scripture is God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. His is the mind we are to be like. He is the one after which we are to pattern our beliefs, doctrines, theologies and practices. And, yes, I know, we all have differing ideas of what that looks like, which is why we have all these divisions in the church. So, what do we do?
We work as hard as we can but we also surrender to God. Our work alone will fail, but if we are surrendered to God and work with Him, we will accomplish His purpose. Did Jesus come for nothing? He came to bring Life [John 10:10] to us. We simply must choose that Life. When we really do then we are choosing to follow Him wherever and however the path leads us:
"O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Jerem 10:23
"O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!" Psalm 119:5
"Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105
And the
Word is Jesus, is it not?
"And the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14
And so then where does the Holy Ghost come into it? Jesus tells us specifically:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26
When I was a young woman in my 20’s, I had a pastor who was a great expositor of the scriptures. He was a godly man who taught holiness and righteousness and the fear of the Lord. I learned so much from his teaching, but one of the most profound things he taught me was to go into the Word of God fresh, with my heart willing to hear from the Lord whatever he wanted to teach me, and to not go into the Word with preconceived notions about what it said or with my mind already made up. I was just to let God speak to my heart, and He did! Boy, did he!
As I took this approach to scripture, I had to unlearn so many things I was taught by other humans who had taken scriptures out of context to make them say what they wanted them to say, but not in the context in which they were written. This is how we get so many varied doctrines, because people take scriptures out of the context in which they were written and they build entire theologies around them, which fit with the way they want to believe. But, this is not to say that I have everything right, either.
Amen! This was God leading you first through the Holy Ghost filled man of God and then by the Holy Ghost directly as you "unlearned" things and then "learned" them again as you were led.
So, we need to take this approach to scripture, and we need to pray to the Lord to speak God’s truths to our hearts. If we are challenged in our faith, then we should search the scriptures and pray that God will lead us to truth. And, then, we must obey the truth we know. We also must test everything we read, hear or see in prayer, asking God to reveal to us what is truth and what is lies, and test, too, all teachings against the scriptures to make certain that what is being taught is God’s truth, and not man’s truth.
I believe we also have so many differences in beliefs, because so many people are followers of man - which includes following denominations - more than they are followers of God/Christ. And, so they end up following a denomination rather than Christ, who is the head of his body. And, so they have the mind of men, and not of Christ, or a mixture of both, and this makes it very difficult, then, for all of us who follow Christ to be likeminded.
So, we do really have to be diligent in making certain that what we are being taught is truth according to Jesus Christ and his Word, remembering that, as followers of Christ, we are to follow after the teachings of the New Covenant.
As the Apostle Paul put it:
"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." I Cor 11:1
He expressed himself that way because he knew that at times he might for a moment or longer quench the Holy Spirit in him [I Thess 5:19], and in that period of time, lead others astray.
It is this, I believe, quenching of the Spirit that has resulted in the literally thousands of denomination would are supposedly based on the Bible yet holding onto at times contradictory doctrines. God is never wrong, but sometimes people follow Him imperfectly because they jump to fast or too slow in response to the Holy Spirit in them. We want to lead because we think we know, or we fall behind and miss a turn in direction we did not anticipate. The Holy Spirit does not mislead, but sometimes people fail to follow closely.
So, this is what we should all be like. We should have the same attitude, mind, and thinking of Jesus Christ. Even though he was God the Son, he left his throne in heaven, came to earth, humbled himself, took on the likeness of man, and became obedient to death on a cross for you and for me.
So, why did he do this? Because we were all born into sin, with sin natures, separate from God, and unable to attain God’s acceptance, i.e. his divine approval, in our own flesh. Thus, we were destined to live our lives on this earth without hope and without the life of God in us, and without the promise of eternal life with God.
So, Jesus gave his life up for us so that we could be saved from our sins, be delivered from our bondage (slavery, addiction) to sin, and be set free to now walk in his holiness and righteousness. He didn’t come just to free us from sin, but to give us new life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. He came to give us abundant life in the Spirit of God, that we might walk in his ways and in his truth all of our days.
So, when we are Christ-like in mind, in heart, and in attitude and actions, we will empty ourselves of what is selfish (deny self), and we will consider the legitimate needs of others above our own. And, we will reach out to meet those needs in the power of the Spirit living within us, and as directed by the Holy Spirit. Our lives will be committed to Christ and his kingdom work, and we won’t be focused on just doing what brings pleasure to ourselves.
Amen! God had a plan and it was to be implemented by the sacrifice of His and be led by the Holy Spirit in us. Jesus opened the Way and then the necessary tools were provided for us to enter in and partake of the Tree of Life.
Give God the glory!
