Hi to my Forum Friends,
When I began the discussion "Should We All Worship The Same Way?" -- I wrote: "Should all Christians worship as we do in the Baptist churches? Should all Christians worship as they do in Pentecostal churches? Should all Christian churches have bishops and priests who wear robes and lead in liturgical rituals? Should all churches sing hymns -- or is it okay to sing praise songs and choruses -- or should all Christian churches ban all music as some do?
I know, you think I am being silly. No, what I am really saying is that HOW we worship God is not as important as -- THAT we worship God. What makes one person feel close to God -- is not necessarily what makes another feel close to God."
And, to this, my Forum Friend, Crusty, responded, "And yet, you repeatedly bash those who DO worship differently than you. Your hypocrisy has no bounds."
My dear Crusty old Friend, I draw the line only when that worship becomes non-Christian -- as in cult churches such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormon church, Sun Myung Moon's Unification church, the Unitarian Universalist church, New Age churches, etc. With these, I will warn people about their teachings.
While I do not hold to, nor practice, many of the doctrines taught and practiced in many of the Liberal Theology churches, i.e., Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, etc. -- I do not say they are not Christian.
In both the Conservative Christian churches and in the Liberal Theology churches -- you will find folks who are saved, born again Christians -- and you will find many folks who are only wearing the "Christian hat" for the day.
Why is this? Well, we often find folks who go to church to be socially acceptable; some to network, farm, for their business enterprises; some just because their life is so boring, they will do anything that is different.
And, there are many who are not yet born again (John 3:3) because their church's doctrines do not teach this. There are Liberal churches which teach that folks are saved only through that church; some which teach that folks are saved or lost only by the frequency of their church attendance and participating in their church's sacraments; and others that will teach that folks are saved only if they give sufficient tithing to that church.
No, my Friend, the Bible tells us, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9).
And, it tells us, "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God'" (John 3:3).
So, if a person is saved, born again, by grace through faith -- that person is my Christian brother or sister. The fact that I may worship in a Conservative Theology church and he/she may worship in a Liberal Theology church -- does not affect our Christian salvation.
However, we in the Conservative Christian faith will have a more comfortable life; since we do KNOW that we have salvation, eternal life, eternal security in Jesus Christ -- we can weather the storms of life looking ahead to the hope we have in Him.
While, on the other hand, our Christian brothers and sisters following the teachings of Liberal Theology -- have no eternal peace, no eternal security -- for they DO NOT KNOW they have eternal life and DO NOT BELIEVE the promise Jesus Christ gave us in John 6:47, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes HAS eternal life."
Crusty, thank you for you comment; for it gave me an opportunity to better explain our Christian faith to our Forum Friends.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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