CHURCHES CONVERTED TO JESUS

There is spiritual movement.  I assume it is global.  It surely is encouraging.  The movement is that churches are transitioning from fossilized self-preservation of our biased traits to flexible Christ-centeredness.

Few strains of churches would be exempt from the charge that we have become caught up in defending our self-preferenced faith more than we have yielded to Jesus and his words. 

Jesus is serious stuff.  In many churches he will not bring a handshake; but rather a sword.  His is not just a name we use to endorse our prayers.  He is to be lively person in our midst.

Jesus will use his sword upon our arrogance; and yet, get out his towel to mop our moments of humiliating inadequacy.  He is both tender and wild.  Churches, though, seem to have a bent toward a rather domesticated kind of savior; don't bug us when we take our belligerent stances against others but please show up in the desperation of emergency rooms.

Would it (could it) be that in the midst of our workshop wars and our worship wars and our doctrinal beefs, that the world and its grating culture would be blessed if all churches would convert to Jesus?  Shouldn't it be a new life in the Spirit if we were Christians only? 

Wasn't this the Church of Christ's original clarion call to likes of the Presbyterians and the Baptists and the Methodists?  That we be simply Christians without divisiveness in names? 

It was.

But it wasn't long until our own debates arose contaminated by flaring tempers and ego-centric preachers who turned the well-intentioned Restoration Movement into churches that looked precisely like the very denominations it was assumed to have rejected.  We became one more biased denomination.

We in the Church of Christ have lost our way along with any other group who has elevated stance and status over Jesus.

Should one be confused by my inadequate wording, I believe doctrine is of utmost importance.  I am also convinced we churches have created pet stances God would label tradition while we insist upon calling them doctrines.  These are divisive and need to be shed.  Jesus is our only hope of such major adjustments.

Wouldn't it be something if before we convert another to our church-style and framework, we would see our churches (all churches) converted to Jesus? 

Yes...and I think that is what's happening throughout Christendom.  This is exciting for some and detestable for others.  The sword or the towel: drawn by our hostility or our humility. 

May brand name churches (especially us) allow our fabricated doctrines which would only serve to divide, melt in favor of banding together under the Name, the Lamb, the Savior called Jesus. 

Jesus: the glorious name above all names.  May the world's ears have a shot at hearing that name.  The chances are much better when united by the Light rather than competitive due to Darkness.