Hello Great Family,

The sky is dark and dreary. The weather is damp and dank. This mirrors what I am feeling right now when I consider the divisiveness in Christ's church. There has been a long history of division in Christianity over doctrine, practice and preference. I grew up in a tradition that was strong in theology but caught up in preference issues. It is dangerous when leaders proclaim that God demands what the leader personally prefers. This would logically mean that God agrees with them that all people should only do what the leader prefers.

I recently was scrolling through social media when I came across a video of a preacher who was ranting about not making his sermons interesting. He made it clear that no preacher should tell stories or use visual illustrations when preaching. He then said these words and I quote, "If you are bored in my church, you will be miserable in heaven". Now I do not typically insert myself on social media due to the toxic environment but this, I deemed, was not typical and needed to be questioned. I simply posted this response, "miserable in heaven...really?" Does he really believe that there will be a group of people miserable to be in heaven because they disagree with him here on earth? At least he didn't go as far as to condemn them to hell for a contrary opinion.

This is exactly what concerns me when it comes to Christ's church. We are people with preferences for lots of things...music, preaching, food, entertainment, people, etc. However, we must be careful not to assume that my preferences are God's demands for all people.

As for preaching, I made a promise to God decades ago to not preach a sermon unless I was excited to share His Word with energy and enthusiasm. In short, I try not to be boring! Now I might fail from time to time on this goal and you might drift off in thought or sleep but it is not for lack of concern or effort. To hear leaders say, "never tell stories when preaching" is contrary to how Jesus spoke. Jesus was a master teacher and used stories often when preaching. A woman with a lost coin; a shepherd with lost sheep; a father with a lost son; a man with a plank in his eye; a farmer planting seeds... the list goes on and on. I choose to follow Jesus' example for communicating God's Word. Hopefully the leaders who disagree with me won't curse my future experience in heaven or banish me to hell over a difference in opinions.

2 Timothy 2:23 reminds us, "Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." I am sure this dreary day will go away and the sun will shine again. I'm also confident that God's church will survive divisiveness. It certainly has for centuries past. Until He comes, make unity your goal and to live at peace. Also, I'm confident you won't ever be miserable in heaven (Revelation 21:4)!

God Bless,
P.D. (Psalm 139)