Spiritual GiftsSýnishorn

Same But Different

Some followers of Jesus only feel safe and secure if surrounded by fellow believers who tick all the same boxes and think, speak, and act just like they do. It’s a form of tribalism. We identify ourselves by the tribe to which we belong. And these tribes can become our primary loyalty. Not content to be merely Christians, we identify as a certain subset of Christianity.

This ignores the wonderful diversity of God’s church. As Paul states here, God delights in equipping His very different people to serve Him and others in very different ways. Whenever we start to think that our group of Christians is really the only ones serving God, we have succumbed to fear and pride.

God loves to work through the diversity of His people. He has chosen not to make us all clones of one another. So why not make it a habitual practice to pray a blessing on those churches and groups we choose not to attend? God loves His whole church: we can scarcely do otherwise.

Written by DAVID REAY

Want more? Check out the Real Hope Conversations Podcast and delve deeper into the topic of Spiritual Gifts with Dwayne Jeffries. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.