One Brotherhood

All of us who attended a vacation Bible school program remember reciting a series of three pledges, one each to the American flag, the Christian flag, and the Bible. The pledge of allegiance to the Christian flag mentions is stands for "one brotherhood uniting all Christians in service and love." And it's true: our family of faith extends to all baptized believers, not just the ones sitting in the pews of our local congregations. This means we should recognize we worship the same God, are saved by the same Christ, and do ministry through the same Spirit.

One of the things I love about my job is the number of opportunities I have to work with the other churches around Russell Springs. Over ten congregations came together with our school system to provide school supplies for over 800 students this past July. Now we're gearing up for a Harvest Walk, with at least four churches giving out candy, hot dogs, and hay rides to shuttle trick-or-treating families between our buildings. It's a joy to set aside our typically minor doctrinal differences to unite to serve our community.

We should all be able to do that. One of my beefs with denominations is how they can foster an us-vs-them mentality, even though we play for the same team -- God's team. After all, God doesn't grant salvation only to Restorationists, or Baptists, or Methodists, or Orthodox. Salvation is given to all who believe, regardless of what name is above the door. We are all tasked with the Great Commission. We should all work together as one brotherhood united in service and love, doing ministry for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God on earth.