We Are Brothers And Sisters

JOHN 17:23 NLT
23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such
perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and
that you love them as much as you love me.

Jesus indicates there is something about the unity of believers
that will cause the world to believe. This does not mean we
will ever agree on every doctrine, or that we must all join the
same church denomination.

No! God is a God of diversity who makes every snowflake and
every person unique. God does not expect us all to think and be
alike. But God does expect us to obey His law of love.

We should walk in love and respect one another. Really we
should do that toward all people -- how much more those in
God's own family, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We will never agree on every detail of everything simply
because we are all learning and growing. None of us knows
everything yet. We are like the Apostle Paul and only know in
part.

JOHN 17:21 NKJ
21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I
in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may
believe that You sent Me.

Our unity must be based on being in Christ and our submission
to Him as our Lord, not in all of us thinking and acting the
same. Humans, being unique, will always approach things in
their own individual way. Our unity can never be on the basis
of conformity. Brothers and sisters are not all alike. We have
different giftings, different callings, and different
perspectives.

Maybe you are certain that your doctrine is right and everyone
else is missing it. You may be right! Regardless, your brothers
and sisters have not been kicked out of God's family just
because they have not learned all that you know. So quit trying
to act like the parent and straighten out your siblings. God
will do that.

What we must agree on is that anyone who acknowledges Jesus
Christ as their Lord is our brother or sister in Christ. No
matter how goofy they may act, or how ignorant they may seem,
they belong in our family and we have a responsibility to
protect them and help them. Our Father God did not give us the
responsibility of correcting them or judging them -- He can
handle that task very well by Himself.

A good older brother who has a younger sibling who is mentally
or physically challenged will not join in with hecklers to
torment, but protects his sibling from such attacks. Surely,
when we realize that all who acknowledge Jesus are children of
God, we can do the same for them.

We must quit criticizing and condemning others who belong to
the Lord Jesus Christ. It does not matter what they believe or
don't believe on any other doctrine. If they acknowledge Jesus
Christ is Lord, they are in our family -- we are on the same
team. We should fight the devil and not our own family.

I am not advocating compromise -- but maturity. We should not
act like spoiled two-year-old brats. We are children of the
King!

REVELATION 12:10 NLT
10 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, "It
has come at last -- salvation and power and the Kingdom of our
God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our
brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth -- the one
who accuses them before our God day and night.

Sadly, many Christians have helped the devil accuse our
brothers and sisters in Christ. But we must not do the devil's
dirty work!

It is to be expected that other Christians will fail and do
wrong -- not one of us is fully mature and perfect in Christ
yet. When one of our family falls down, we should help pick
them up instead of kicking them while they are down.

SAY THIS: I will love my brothers and sisters and let my Father
correct them if they need it.