UnScriptured

God is a polyglot: He communicates and relates to different people different ways. If, however, we don’t respect how others interact and relate to God differently than us … Then relational participatory church – with ministry by one another to mutually build up each other – will sputter and die. For example: Some primarily interact and relate to the Lord through their heart and feelings; Some analytically through their mind and logic; Some through the dynamics of action; Some through the affection of relationships; and Some through the passion of mercy or justice – among other ways. In fact, we need each other and those differences if we want to stay in balance and grow up in our faith. Problems often arise, however, when we think that our primary way for hearing and relating to God is His only way … Or is superior to other ways He uses with others. If left unchecked, this causes us to be dismissive of others … And of what God wants to do, and say, through them. I see it all too often these days: For example, one of the tragedies of many “churches” is the belief that Christian growth and maturity comes almost exclusively through knowledge. And so “church” gatherings are primarily about expository “sermons” and analytical Bible studies. In contrast, those who relate to God through their feelings think everything should be about heart. The same can happen with those who relate to God through action, or in relationships, or via passion for mercy or justice, or whatever. When we wrongly conclude – whether through ignorance or arrogance – that God’s way of relating to us is the best way, or even the only legitimate way, we box Him in and limit His reach. In so doing, we also put His people in a box and limit how God can minister to us – and balance our own limitations – through them. If we are not careful, our box then becomes legalism – as we insist (or more subtly presume) that everyone must comply with how God interacts and relates to us. When this happens, the new legalism of making God and His church all about “compassion” and “love,” for example, becomes just as oppressive and dismissive … As the old legalism of everything being about “doctrine” and “truth.” In reality, God is about all those qualities … As is the multi-part, multi-gifted, multi-functional Body of Christ. Only as we learn to honor and respect the different ways God communicates and relates to others, can we then truly be the church … One to another.