Let me introduce myself, I'm David. Brian came to me with this idea of a team blog approach. I said great. This is a place for thinking, spurring and loving. As our first blog we each decided to talk about an event or person that affecting our faith by causing us to think and spur towards love.
For me, an event occurred in my life a few years ago that changed me. I was laid off from a church I was serving. I had been over small groups and education for about 4 1/2 years. One of the small group leaders at that church knew of another church that was looking for a preaching minister and it was only a few blocks away from my house. She said there was only one problem, it was a Baptist church. This is a problem because I'm not Baptist.
I begin to think about unity in the Body. In Heaven there will be no "non-denominalists" there will also be no "denominationalists" there will only be Children of God. Jesus, in John 17, prayed that we, His followers, would be one as He and the Father are one. Unity is what Christ wants for His followers and what He wants from His followers. God began to teach me it is essential to the Body of believers. I decided to look at them as Children of God.
I preached and was invited back again and again there. Over the next couple of months I had a few interviews at other churches but they had me back several times. I learned a lot about unity and the Body as a whole. Unity has been a lesson that has stuck with me today. It impacts my ministry in the community I currently serve in.
I wish I could say they never had a problem with me not being a Baptist, but the truth is, I got "fired" from that church because I wasn't Baptist. One person raised a stink about me not being Baptist. So I was asked to no longer preach on Sunday mornings but was asked to keep coming back on Sunday nights (because apparently Sunday nights were optional attendance).
In the end, I realized I had to think about unity and reverse some of my theological issues (not stances) for the sake of unity in the Body. The process of thinking on it, spurred me to action, to love for other believers. Today, I have the privilege of being involved with 3 different multi-denominational community ministries, 2 of which I lead. I don't always like the way God teaches, but I love the lessons I learn in His class.
all about Christ,
David
The people @ Milford Christian Church knew those three words well. I went there as a sophomore in college first job ever in youth/student ministry. I was their part time/ weekend youth minister. But I learned so very much in the two years and some change that I was there…