He Wept

           One of my favorite apologists is Oswald Chambers. I've read all that I've found of his discourses. During his ministry he was supported by a number of different denominations. That fact alone has always intrigued me because his allegiance was never aligned, first of all, to anyone but God on which his devotion was centered, so I was intrigued by an excerpt from a letter of his to Biddy, his soon to be wife and partner in his ministry. 

      "The great hunger more than ever for Him and His work. O how few love and how feeble is my most passionate love. I scarcely know anyone who is consumed for Him. It is all for creeds and phrases and belief, but for Him how few! To know Him ----- that is it. How I fear and hate the pattern and print of the age." This was written in 1908. I regrettably believe he would be even more dismayed today.

     "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.  Acts 11:26"

     After attending many many churches, I regrettably would have to say, the focus is mainly centered on creed. The word denomination is nowhere to be found in the Bible. The word that is used and more appropriate is sect, as in the sect of the sadducees, or pharisees, or nazarenes. Sect would be a much more appropriate word for what we call denominations, biblically speaking, delineating a difference of belief. Yet, we all take the name of Christ, which causes me to question how well do I really know Him or better yet, what is it that I propagate? In the past I mainly presented myself as a fundamentalist, focusing on the basic tenants of the faith that should have unified the church. I don't see this happening. We're dug in, and entrenched in an identification quandary that sets us apart that I believe leaves us dispiriting, and defeating, waddling in our creedal gymnastics, and I wonder if Jesus weeps for us. He wept for Lazarus. He held the power over life and death and yet He still wept. Death, I believe, is repugnant in and of it's self to our Creator simply because He's the author of life.  For us, choice will have left us behind while judgement awaits. The chance to embrace and touch the hand of creation grieves for the loss of relationship and Jesus weeps.

      What makes us cling knowingly more to creed than to Jesus? When we set ourselves apart, does Jesus weep? Can we disagree without being disagreeable. From my earliest days in Sunday school I always new that He was real and what He said, if I applied it, really worked. I'm as bad as anyone at times in clinging to creed, but belief in creeds doesn't get me into heaven, Jesus does. There's only one Judge, and one way; belief, and knowing where salvation comes from. It's faith in Jesus that moves mountains, not opinion. I want to weep the same as Jesus does; not because He doesn't empower us, but because people are dying in sin every day and we're more worried about them getting indoctrinated to a creed than in them finding a loving God who weeps over us. Time slips away and leaves us not with the purpose of loving fulfillment, but only the companionship of regret and loss.