God loves variety!

As I was driving this morning, for some reason I was paying particularly close attention to the varieties of trees. My travels around the world have helped me to appreciate God’s creation so much more. I have tried all kinds of varieties of fruit, for example in Peru alone there are at least 15 different types of bananas. God is extremely creative no two snowflakes, leaves or even stones are exactly alike. All are unique and special.

People are a unique variety of colors, temperaments, sizes and shapes. No two people are exactly identical. Added to that is the fact that we are all unique in our gifts, skills, talents and calling. This uniqueness causes our expressions of life, faith, and focus all to be different.

When it comes to faith and our practice of our faith, styles and most traditions just don’t matter they are merely an expression of taste. The disciples wrestled with this problem even in Jesus’ early ministry

Luke 9:49,50

Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”
50But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”

Someone wasn’t casting out demons the same way they were, Jesus response is classic, “if they are not against me they are for me!”

On the essentials of the Gospel we must all agree but on the nonessentials like style and tradition, things that are not necessary to receive salvation or have a relationship with God we can give grace.

Here are some of the basic essentials on which we all must agree. They are non-negotiable!

1) God is a trinity – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
2) Jesus is and was God come in the flesh, fully man and fully God.
3) The only way to salvation is by God’s grace through faith
4) We are only saved through Christ completed work for us on the Cross
5) Christ rose from the dead and He reigns and rules at the right hand of God the Father
6) The Bible is God’s holy, inerrant, infallible, Word.
7) There is an actual heaven and an actual hell.
8) Christ will return again one day
9) The Holy Spirit is active today, leading and guiding us into all truth and drawing all Christians to a deeper walk with God.
This is a simple sample of some of the basics. This is not an exhaustive list but is intended to give you a basic understanding of what a true Christ follower believes. If we agree on these, most other things are simply a matter of taste, style, or tradition.