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Finding Common Ground in Divisive Times

Updated: Dec 7, 2018

One of the major causes of disagreements among the religious community is its religious practices and beliefs.

Peoples ingrained religious beliefs and practices drive them to see their own views as preferable and objectively correct. Thus, making the religious views and practices of others less preferable and fundamentally wrong lacking adequate or proper knowledge or information.

This all contradicts the fundamental basis of worshiping God; which is unity.

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (1 Cor. 1:10)

Coming from a world system whose philosophy is that there is no absolute truth when it comes to knowledge and life, has resulted in people establishing their own truth.

This concept makes it impossible to find common ground with people who have conflicting religious beliefs and practices. This is major since finding common ground is an essential aspect of conflict resolution and a key to ending disputes peacefully.

This belief that there is no absolute truth fuels the gross misinterpreting of scripture and a belief that not all scripture is relevant for today. This is in direct contradiction to the very word they say they preach and teach. “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal”. (Psalm 119:160)

This belief undermines true worship of God which requires believers to worship God in spirit and in truth which is characterized by obeying the entire Word of God, the only absolute truth. (John 17: 17; 1 John 5:1-3)

The world’s philosophy concerning truth and life has impacted how the religious community deals with doctrinal misinterpretation that is supported by the majority. This is all influenced by the world’s belief that the majority is right.

The religious community follows this concept to support their religious beliefs and practices.

To unite the religious community, despite the different religious practices and beliefs and the strength with which those convictions are held, common ground must be established. If the religious community’s desire is to be a unified, effective witnessing power in its’ service to God; it must collectively agree on “mutual biblical facts and beliefs that are essential for accurate and effective communication with one another and a lost and dying world.”

This will provide common ground for the evaluation, judgment and validating of the religious community’s life experiences and the standard for what is accepted and what is not in the religious community. (1 Cor. 5:12,13)

Upon what do we establish this common ground?

The one thing that all humanity has in common, whether born-again or not is “we are all spirit created in the image and likeness of God”. This establishes all humanity on equal and common grounds, focusing on our likenesses; the foundation for unity.

Whereas religious practices and beliefs are established on our differences which is what divides us.

All humanity was directly and immediately created by God in His own image and likeness, free from sin, with a rational nature, intelligence, and a free will to choose; yet with a moral responsibility to the God who created him. Genesis 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 11:7; Genesis 2:7, 15-25; James 3:9

Likeness: Man, was created with the unique ability to represent God’s character; so, that when you see man; you are supposed to see a reflection of God through his lifestyle. (1 Corinthians 11:7; Eph. 5:1-20; Gal. 5: 16-18)

Image: In his rational life, man was to be like God through his reasoning, intellect, will and emotion. In the moral sense, he was to practice self-control using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths, while evaluating and understand all things from a spiritual perspective, for we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2: 10-16)

This provides the foundation for a distinct and collective identity for the religious community. This gives the religious community a clear and collective mission and purpose of what to believe and practice.

These biblical truths and perceptions are the fundamentals for spiritual unity, identity and growth characterized by “unconditional love; “which requires no change but inspires change”!

Once the religious community understands who God created it to be before the fall; it will attain clarity in evaluating who and what it has become because of its religious beliefs and practices and why it relates to others as it does.”

This will allow the religious community to see the effects of the world’s philosophy concerning truth and life on its religious beliefs and practices and whether they line up with the written word of God or not.

Only then will the religious community recognize the importance of reprograming the mind to shape its religious beliefs and practices to assure that they line up with God’ mission and purpose for it!

Scripture teaches that we are to no longer be conformed by the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can know the will of God. (Rom. 12:1,2)

God gave all humanity a mind which now must be reprogrammed in the word of righteousness to develop the attitudes, habits, beliefs and ideas essential to carrying out God’s plan for the religious community’s existence. (Heb. 5:11-14; 6:1-3)

Only then will the religious community be able to unite so that the manifold wisdom of God can be made known through the religious community unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places; the real enemy. (Eph. 3:10,11)

However, there is nothing wrong with religious practices or beliefs if they do not become the standard for what is acceptable and what is not and does not undermine or contradict the written Word of God.

Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.

The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. (Romans 14:1-22)

These scriptures are an analogy of all beliefs and practices of the religious community since we are free to do whatever we want in Christ. However, it is our responsibility to determine what will be beneficial to what we are trying to accomplish as God’s servants. (1 Cor. 6: 12-20)

The key is understanding the difference between religious practices and beliefs and God ordained service and worship. It is all in what you promote!

The religious community must stop promoting its religion (Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Holiness, Full Gospel, etc.) and start promoting righteous living through the power of the Holy Spirit characterized by a righteous lifestyle enjoying the promises of God of prosperity, long life and moral purity.

For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all. (Eph. 4:4-6)

Getting back to where God created us should be the universal mission of the religious community, which should be characterized by no longer coping the behavior and customs of this world, but letting God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think and do things.

This is all made possible through Jesus’ death burial and resurrection with all power and authority over every name that can be named, undoing all that Satan had done through man’s deception and fall from grace. This same power and authority has been transferred to the religious community and can only be accessed to by practicing righteousness.

Now, you can choose to be a church or believer that acts religious, but rejects the power that could make you godly, which God has said stay away from people like that!

Or, you can become a church or believer who is empowered, to rule over their own lives and circles of influence. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. What do you desire? (1 Cor. 4:20,21)

This is all in preparation for the next event in the life of the believer after the rapture; the 1000-year millennial reign of Christ and the believers her on earth. (Rev. 20:4-6)

The choice is yours, what will you do?


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