Perspective
Have you seen the picture of two different people looking from opposite sides of a number and the one says “it is a 6, you are wrong”, and the other says “it is a 9, you are wrong”. I feel like we do this all too often in the Christian faith. The truth is, neither are wrong, but both are right. God has both standing where he wants them, and he wants the one to see a 6, to see a 6, and to be loving, and gentle, and the same goes for the one who sees a nine. Mark 9:38 ““Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”” The black shirt could say, Teacher, we saw someone proclaiming this number is a 9, when it is clearly a 6, so we told him to stop. Mark 9:39-41 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40for whoever is not against us is for us. 41Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.” “Whomever is not against us is for us” We must remember this. If someone is speaking about the love of our (collective) Creator, preaching that all things we have belong to Him, all glory belongs to Him, and they want to share the blessing God gave them with others, giving God the glory in that, they are for “us”, they are for God. I feel we get too tied up in doctrine and take out of context instances where Paul or someone in the NT would attempt to squash a lie, that Satan takes advantage of this, and brings out the pride and hate deep inside our flesh. Who is to say that God approved of Paul’s correction? The Bible just says that Paul corrected them, it never says God told Him to or that God approved. Much like David (a man after God’s own heart), he had 8 named wives and who knows how many others. Was this good? Was it part of God’s design, or what God wanted for us or him? I don’t think so. But did God immediately approve of disapprove of any of them? (Other than obviously Bathsheba, but that was not condemnation for a multitude of wives, rather adultery and murder). So if we know God does not approve of the number of wives that David had, is it possible that God does not approve of the “correcting” of doctrine? 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” Though the NT didn’t exist when this was spoken/written, I was talking about the OT. Though some say God was speaking through Him and knew the NT would exist as it does and this is futuristically speaking about the NT too. That may be true, or might not be, but either way, it doesn’t say “all scripture is a command of God”. I feel as though many Christians treat it as such, and some use it out of context as if it was a command of God, or if it is done in the Bible, God must be commanding us to follow. It says Scripture are useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training. Maybe we are to learn that as much of a saint and a great man of God that Paul was, even he was subject to faults. Maybe one of those faults was pride? Paul clearly loved God (his Creator, the God of Abraham) so much so that as Saul, he would go to lengths of approving killing others who he believed opposed God. When Jesus revealed to Him that Paul was opposing God, he changed his tune, was saved, and received the Holy Spirit. Now Paul was just as zealous for God as he was before receiving the Holy Spirit. Though he no longer killed others for believing different than he did, he clearly wanted all to believe what he believed, just as he did as Saul. This is not to say that the Bible has no obvious truth and that we can sway it to mean anything we want it to. But I also don’t believe there is a single human (other than Jesus) who knew and had the one and only truth of God. It can, and is interpreted in many different ways. The eye may see a nail as a neat shiny object, but the foot wants to be far from it, yet the hand wants to use it to build. Neither are wrong, but it can be detrimental if the foot stepped on it, the hand can use it to build a house for the poor, and the eye can enjoy how shiny it is. But I but if the foot wanted to get rid of it, for fear of it, should the eye do as it pleases? It could inadvertently end up robbing the hand of using it for God. Some might consider the resurrection of Jesus to be a non-negotiable doctrinal belief and might have anger and malice towards one who didn’t believe that. Paul even goes as far to say our faith is pointless if that never happened. I do believe in it as well, but I would not care if there was one who didn’t believe in it, if this was a person whom preached the good news of God. The good news that God created us, He loves us, He wants to have a relationship with us and help us to serve Him, and that we can boast of nothing of our own might/strength/knowledge/wisdom. I would gladly serve God along side such a person. I can show them from scripture why I believe what I believe, and let that person who is clearly seeking God and has the Holy Spirit of God in them to correct that person if that is what the Holy Spirit wants. But if the Spirit is guiding them to see a 6, who am I to tell them it is a 9? Do I know more than the Spirit? Do I have more authority than the Spirit? I do know that God doesn’t like the haughty, and honors the humble, and I am humble enough to admit I don’t have the ultimate truth of God in my head, nor would I have anger toward those who don’t see what I see. Maybe I am the one who is wrong? Maybe I should in humility sharing what I know with them, hear what they have to say. Maybe the Spirit is using them to reveal a truth of God to me. But if I am too prideful and arrogant to think I have the only correct interpretation of the Bible, I will never be able to hear God correcting me. This is why I am not worried to ‘challenge’ the status quo or and doctrine. I don’t believe that “if one domino falls, they will all fall”. My faith is not scared, my faith is not in Scripture or mans interpretation of it, my faith is in God, our Creator and Provider, our Savior and Heavenly Father. I serve God with others who want to serve God. It pains me that we even have such a thing as a “denomination” in the church. I don’t care if you want to baptize with immersion or with sprinkling or at birth or if you want to dance and if you want to stand there during song. I want to serve and glorify our Creator with you, and show the world the love of God, the light in the darkness, give hope to the hopeless. I can still do that with you, even if you believe the resurrection never happened. Let’s show the world how we can respect what the other believes is right, be humble and not assume we have all the answers, and in love, not pride, show them the God inside us!
Seeking God 
