Mistakes & Misunderstandings

MISTAKES.
I have some pretty strong opinions on things & [for better or worse] I'm normally not afraid to voice them. I recently recorded one of these strong opinions on this very BLOG. While it expressed my personal conviction on a particular issue our church was facing, I now understand that as a Pastor, it should not have been shared in the public forum of the internet. I apologize for that. I also apologize if those words hurt anyone. It was intended as merely an emotional release for me. I had a lapse in judgment. I made a mistake. Please forgive me.

MISUNDERSTANDINGS.
Through some insightful conversations with some Godly church members, I have also become aware of some misunderstandings. Unwittingly, my messages and demeanor have apparently been conveying something that I had not intended them to. Some very sincere Christians have shared that they sometimes get the sense that I look down on believers who are affluent, choose to dress their best on Sunday mornings or who prefer traditional music in worship. That idea could not be further from my heart!

My message is that Jesus Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. I believe we can honor God by wearing our best clothes or by choosing to wear our everyday clothes to church. We can connect with God through contemporary or modern or traditional or blended music. We can be financially blessed or in deepest poverty. The point is that none of these things decides where our relationship with God truly stands. Instead,“…whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Joel 2:32

None who are willing – rich, poor, middle-class, blue-collar, white-collar, no collar, turtleneck, v-neck, t-shirt, no shirt, shirt-and-tie… should be hindered from entering the Kingdom. While we all enter through one door – Jesus Christ – we don’t all take the same route leading up to that door. And once we pass through his blood into saving faith, it’s OK that we celebrate, worship, think & serve God in gloriously diverse kinds of ways.

If it hasn’t come through clearly – that’s what I’ve been trying to say all along. We should respect the diversity of how each of us relates to our loving God. There is no one right way to worship as long as we truly worship in spirit and in truth. Is it possible that our greatest unity can be found in acknowledging our rich diversity?