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I came across this quote this evening and it greatly challenged me. We indeed have neither a new church nor any new laws. We only want to remain in simplicity and true faith in the original church which Jesus founded through His blood. We wish to obey the commandment [of love] which was in the beginning. No doubt many, many men have made similar such statements throughout the years, but this one in particular challenges me because of the source. The man whom I quoted is now referred to as the founder/father/former of a plethora of differing denominations, but he, himself, said he wasn't interested in a 'new church'. The host of denominations who all point to him as their source each have their own litany of latitudinal laws, yet he said he only wanted to obey the first commandment not have any new laws. This mans vision has simply been lost. I firmly believe that Alexander Mack would be appalled at what has happened in his name. I was once told that if I follow Christ and I teach my son to follow me, my son is not actually following me. If, however, I teach my son to follow Christ, then he's truly following me. Too many people have followed Alexander Mack...............
However, none of that is the main reason the quote bothered me. It is the reason only in that I can see that the modern Brethren movement with all it's division, sectarianism, legalism, brethrenism and any other 'ism' is not the vision of the original visionary. That leaves me with this pressing question....must history repeat itself?
Many of you know that our family has become part of a new church plant. We have heard this above quote stated in one form or another many times. But when I read it tonite I realized that just saying it doesn't really accomplish anything. Somehow we've got to learn how to pass our passion to our posterity. We must, otherwise we've created a new church with new laws and that is neither simple nor true to the faith the Jesus founded through His blood.
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- brother_barabbas
- Eldorado, Ohio, United States
- Who am I? It has nothing to do with who I am! I am the one in whom dwells no good thing. I am as the grass of the field, here one day and ground into flour the next. I am the disciple who Jesus loved! Why, not because of who I am, but because of what HE's done! It has everything to do with what HE's done! He sealed my pardon with His blood! He bought me back from the slave auction, by giving His life. He's done it all! He continually intercedes on my behalf to the Father!
Brains I Pick
3 comments:
so all the brethren churches you visited before greenville fellowship were a betrayal of the 1708 group?
Compliance with the 1708 vision is not the issue, as a matter of fact, it is the problem. But to answer your very straight forward question, Yes, every 'brethren' church I visited pre-Greenville Fellowship betray that vision, and I've visited several several (Hebrew method of emphasis) in my short 33 1/2 yrs. However, Greenville Fellowship ALSO betrays that vision. This does NOT alarm me. My alarm comes in realizing that we, as Mack descendants, have lost his vision (compliance to the law of love) and have over-focused on attempting to imitate him. I pray that Greenville Fellowship (notice the intentional dropping of the term 'brethren' from the name?), FGBC, CGBC, OGBBC, CoB, DB, Brethren Reformed Church, along with all the other 'brethren' assemblies can return to the initial 1708 vision, which was nothing more than the original 33AD vision! But not only do I pray that we all return, but that we teach our progeny to STAY there!
Any further questions? Good, I do too....let's go together!
i'm available today...if you call soon.
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