Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: Acts 15:24
There has been fighting in the church from the beginning as we can see in this chapter of Acts. There were those that questioned the salvation of the gentile believers and wished to require them to convert to Judaism before they could become part of the early Christian Church. They sought to control the 'form' in which GOD might be worshipped. The Apostles, however, would not allow this. They made it clear that GOD chose who would serve Him, not men and those sanctified by GOD should not be reviled.
This happens all too often in our modern churches. We are so hung up on the order of worship that we forget the substance of worship. Someone comes in who is lead to worship differently and is thought to be strange or sometimes to not be Christian at all. Each denomination, and even each congregation, has its own style of worship. That does not make it right or wrong. The trouble comes when the congregation begins to believe they are worshipping in the only 'correct' way. This breeds persecution of fellow believers who hear a different call.
This is not to say there is not heresy in the name of Christ and that we should accept all who claim to follow Jesus. That would be a mistake. But we must not automatically assume that if someone has a different style of worship than our own they are wrong. We must look at the fruit of their walk. Are they glorifying GOD in their life? That is the real test.
Many young believers, not in age but in the Spirit, are turned away from the churches because of the lack of love and acceptance. They break some congregational taboo and are pounced upon by the church control freaks [every church has them and they are usually of questionable faith]. This is often a new Christians first experience with persecution and can shatter a young faith. The very people who should be providing shelter and nurture to the babe in Christ turn out to be his or her worse enemies. Stronger souls are hurt but they often move on and find a congregation with whom they can fellowship more comfortably, but those still weak in their faith too often are forever scared and stop attending church altogether.
We must welcome these 'little ones' with open arms. As with children they will make mistakes and step on toes, but that's okay. They are children in Christ, no matter their age, and must be nurtured into a mature faith. As Christians we all share one faith and one salvation in Jesus Christ, we should seek our common ground instead of focusing on our differances.
There is not, nor ever has been, one acceptable way of being a Christian. That was made clear by the Apostles at the very beginnings of the Church. We are each led by the Holy Spirit along salvations path and are each at a different point on that lifelong journey. We are charged to help carry our brothers burdens not to put stumbling blocks in his way. We do not have to become one single, all inclusive, megachurch. There is much strength in the diversity of our many denominations and churches. We must however seek union among our brothers and sisters within the basics of our common faith.
If you feel abandoned by the mainline churches or want to become an instrument of reconciliation among believers please email and join us. You'll recieve our weekly newsletter with the weekly message and comments posted by fellow members as well as chat schedules and announcements of upcoming features.