A few days ago, my wife and I had a conversation with an elder and his wife. It was a great conversation and very enjoyable...and enlightening (as is usually the case when talking to someone that has an open mind). Something came up that I want to share.
Sometimes those of us that are looking, praying and asking for Christ's Church to update itself forget that those we may be knocking heads with did the same thing. We forget to thank them for the great work they have done to give us things that we take completely for granted now, but were divisive issues in the past. So, you don't believe that the same person that is arguing with you about clapping in worship service may have had a hand in updating the Chruch of the past? Let's look at a few examples of things that are relatively new in the Churches of Christ, but that we take completely for granted.
Bible classes. Yep, there is nothing in the Bible mandating that a Church provide bible study classes as part of it's mission, yet it's a staple of any Church today.
Youth Groups. What we do with our youth today is a far cry from "...unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3) It's great, powerful, and wonderful work, but somewhat new.
Fellowship Halls. Here's a biggie. This is a topic that is still on the hearts of some of our older people. Years ago, the idea of having a kitchen in a Church building was just wasteful. They take the idea of stewardship very seriously (as they should) and spending God's money on a place to eat just didn't make sense at first. Now we are spending it on projectors, digital cameras, computers, networks.... Get the point?
We should thank those that have fought for what is right before us, we should thank them for having courage in the face of blinding ignorance, and we should remember that we are where they have been.
Thank you.
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