The Family of Faith

All Christians are part of one family of faith. If you are Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Messianic, Protestant, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Methodist, Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, Assemblies of God, Charismatic, or simply Christian you are part of the family of God (except for The Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons/The Church of Latter Day Saints: the Jehovah Witnesses or LDS do not believe in the true tenets of Christianity laid out in the Apostolic and Nicene Creeds).

The Church began long before the Cross. It started in Eden, where the Lord intended to build his Family (Church) with two people: Adam and Eve. It failed, because they fell. From there the Lord rose up a man out of Ur named Abraham and took him to a new land to start a new nation of God fearing followers. From there the Israelites (God's Pre-Church) swayed between faith and false belief. Under King David Israel had a new capital named Jerusalem and under King Solomon the first Temple (Second Church Building, the First being the Tabernacle) was raised.

For many millenniums the Almighty endeavored to create his Church family. Through the course of time prophets and priests rose and declared to the coming of the Lord. Then at last, The Lord himself came. Jesus Christ, God incarnate; made flesh arrived and began building his Church (family) throughout Judea. Jesus had his Twelve Disciples, then the four hundred, and then thousands. While many of Christ's followers were Jews, it can easily be inferred that many gentiles decided to follow Him too. Take the Centurion, he had faith that Jesus could heal his servant (Luke 7:1-10) and the Canaanite Woman, there Jesus announced that He was not just for the First Born of Israel, but all mankind. (Matthew 15:21-28). It was here that Root and the Branches of God's Family (Church) was beginning to come together.

Then in 30 A.D. Jesus was crucified. Three days later, he Rose from the Dead and preached for forty days to more than four hundred witnesses, including the remaining Eleven Disciples. But it did not end there, the Lord recruit an enemy of the Church in Jerusalem, a Saul of Tarsus who would become St. Paul and the writer of most of the New Covenant/New Testament. Through St. Paul, God reached to the Greeks. The Apostle established Churches in Crete, Caesarea, Ephesus, Corinth, Macedonia, and many more. Then Paul and his companions reached the Romans and other peoples of India, Ethiopia, and so forth. The other Disciples of Jesus were not idle either, they went to the far ends of the Earth establishing the Word of God everywhere they set foot. St. Peter himself found himself in Rome where he would teach and inevitably die upside-down upon a cross.

It did not stop there. The Church expanded across the world. As the Roman Empire began to decline, Christianity began to thrive. Eventually even the Cesar himself, Constantine the Great, would celebrate Christian Faith and make it the official religion of Rome and thus set the foundation for the Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches. Since those ancient days, Christ has reached people of every culture and creed. From the high and low, the message of the Gospel unfolds and gives people hope. The Church at present is very divided. Rites and rituals, among other reasons separated God's Family. But, even though we may not see eye to eye, we are a family. What family does not have dysfunction? While we should strive to be united, it is understandable that we do not all want to do everything the same. For some of us the Lord is best served and followed through spiritual experiences and supernatural connection. For others it is icons and liturgical ritual that draws us to the Lord. While we should all strive to know Christ deeply, how we connect and see Him is bound to be different.

In Romans it says, "You are grafted in to the original vine." (Romans 11:17). There is a verse that speaks about how there are the Roots (Jews and Early Jewish Christians) and the Branches (All other Believers). We are part of the one Tree, who is Jesus Christ. We are united in our belief in Jesus' Birth, Ministry, Death, Resurrection, Ascension and Return. The truth is that we should feel a deep love for one another. Each of us is a part of God's family and we all have different focuses and talents. I love equally the beauty of an orthodox basilica and the movement of the Holy Spirit in more Charismatic circles. I see wonder and brilliance in all parts of the Body of Christ. The Baptists know the Scriptures, which is what all things must be measured by. The Catholics care deeply for the sick and connect with their fellow congregants. The Assemblies of God members move strongly in the Holy Spirit and have a intimate connection with Christ. Each part of the Church offers something to cherish. Ideally one would be a Assemblies Baptist Catholic who could benefit from all the fruit of God's family. Alas, we gravitate to one over the other. However, some of us can operate in many of the circles of our complex Church Family. We can enjoy more than the holidays together.

Let us love each other. We are a family, and this is the only family we've got. Its dysfunctional, but at least we have the Lord to lean on. We may disagree on many things, but let us remember, a family can have its different opinions & views, but still love each other. I do not ask for a utopian Church where we bury our diverse ways of seeing things. No, instead I would say hold on to your convictions, but remember to love and be kind to your fellow Christians. We all have this in common, we all believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Let us unite at least on that and then let the Lord guide us regarding the points of contention and controversial differences.