Archive for November 9th, 2007
Tearing Down or Building Up
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Let’s see. We build each other up by instituting a hierarchical leadership structure within our churches and congregations. Then we let pride get in the way and “the leaders” create a bunch of man-made rules for the proper functioning of said church or congregation. Then, of course, there can be no change unless it is approved by said leadership. This of course, is inevitably followed by the chastisement and alienation of those who openly disagree with or don’t elect to follow these rules. Nope, I don’t think that’s it.
OK. What about this? Is it encouraging to one another when the entire evangelistic goal of one “religion” is to prove another wrong? Let’s see. The Baptists do it to the Mormons, who do it to the Pentecostals, who do it to the Catholics, who pretty much do it to everyone else. That must be how we are supposed to build each other up. I can’t think of a better way to create unity within the body! Nope, that’s not it either.
Oh wait, I’ve got it. We build each other up by creating cliques and then closing them to people who don’t think or act like we do. Then, as an extra bonus for being a member of the clique, we get to openly show disdain for anybody different than us. You know the ones who are not dressed well or who are not bathed or who wear black lipstick, a purple spiked Mohawk and have like nine piercings in and around their face. Nope! That doesn’t quite get it either.
There is something occurring in the blogosphere which I find quite appealing. It is an open exchange of ideas and theology. We talk about loves, hates and fears. We discuss our successes and our failures. Mostly, I find that we allow each other to share our journey in a spirit of acceptance, not judgment. Initially, it was very scary to put myself out there on the Internet. It was very humbling. What I found was that the Spirit leads us there the same as he does outside of the computer. For every experience we write about, there is always one person who comes across a post, or the discussion that results, who needs to hear what is being said. That’s a “God Thing”.
So how is it that we are building each other up? These blog discussions speak to the importance of everybody’s viewpoint in the big picture. I believe that were it not for open dialogue, growth would be stunted. It is that same type of dialogue that is required of us outside of cyberspace. We have to be open, loving, accepting and most of all, genuine. Genuine, in my mind, is the most important attribute; for if we are not genuine, people can smell that a mile away. Then what good are we doing?
Wait just one minute!!! That sounds an awful like “we’re supposed to have relationships with people that we don’t know as well as the ones that we do”. Sometimes, all that is necessary is a kind word to a stranger. That’s how we build each other up.
