Some time ago I came upon a fellow on a trip who was carrying a bible.

"Are you a believer?" I asked him. "Yes", he said excitedly.

I'v learned you can't be too careful.

"Virgin birth?" "I accept it." "Deity of Jesus?" "No doubt." "Death of Christ on the cross." "He died for all people."

Could it be that I was face to face with a Christian? Perhaps. Nonetheless, I continued my checklist.

"Status of man." "Sinner in need of grace." "Definition of grace." "God doing for man what man can't do." "Return of Christ?" "Imminent." "Bible?" "Inspired." "The Church"? "The body of Christ".

I started gettin excited. "Conservative or liberal"? He was getting interested too. "Conservative."

My heart began to beat faster.

"Heritage"? "Southern Congregationalist Holy Son of God Dispensationalist Triune Convention">

That was mine!

"Branch"?. "Pre-millennial, post-trib, noncharismatic, King James, one-cup, communion".

My eyes misted. I had only one other question.

"Is your pulpit wooden or fiberglass?" "Fiberglass," he responded.

I withdrew my hand and stiffened my neck. "Heretic!" I said and walked away.

Far fetched? If so, only a little....

Around the table the siblings squabble, and the Father sighs.

*************************** BORROWED FROM: MAX LUCADO -- A GENTLE THUNDER. copyright 1995 GOD BLESS,

-- john placette (jplacette@catholic.org), July 03, 2003

Answers

I had heard that read on the radio. What a hoot!

Gail

P.S. (Max Lucado is one of the best!! My dad just finished reading his "No wonder they call Him Savior."

-- Gail (rothfarms@socket.net), July 03, 2003.

THE UNRECOGNIZED UNITY By W. Carl Ketcherside

Did it ever occur to you that the unity for which Jesus prayed might come and we would not recognize it? “The wind blows where it wills; you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from, or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Could this also be true of that unity which is born of the Spirit? “You cannot tell by observation when the Kingdom of God comes. There will be no saying, ‘look, here it is!’ or ‘there it is!’ for in fact the kingdom of God is among you”. Is it possible that the unity of the kingdom will be like the kingdom itself? Will it be in us and swell among us in a very real sense but free from show and overt demonstration? In the midst of the maelstrom of activity with the hum of party machinery and the buzz of political maneuvering, I seem to hear the whisper of a still small voice from the bygone centuries, warning as of yore. “If they tell you, ‘He is there in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or if they say, ‘He is there in the inner room,’ do not believe it.” The unity for which Jesus prayed is not a project of conventions nor a product of councils. It cannot be drafted, dictated or documented. It cannot be voted in, voted out, or even voted on. There will come no hour when men can affix their signatures to a declaration and say, “This is it!” externally; it must be enjoyed internally. It is a fruit of the Spirit and fruit grows naturally from the substance absorbed by deep roots. It is not explosive or exhaustive. Unity will never come by legislation. It is not the child of conventions nor the seed of synods. It is not sired by sessions nor born of boards. Unity cannot be enforced. When hearts yearn for each other with a deep and abiding affection, when brotherhood is conditioned upon common Fatherhood and fellowship is recognized as the result of mutual sonship, unity will flow forth as a broad and tranquil stream whose crystal waters are furnished by the bubbling springs of thousands of quiet hearts. Then we will not need to argue every action of every faction, nor debate every minor deviation of every dissident party, but love will triumph over trouble and we shall be tied with the scarlet line that flowed from his lacerated side. This is unity of the Spirit! Such unity will continue to grow, although unrecognized by factional proponents who dogmatically insist that it much come only by surrender to them instead of Jesus. It is a unity in depth and will not be attained by shallow compromise. It is a unity of maturity in vision which will offset the childishness of division. It is a unity which will call with compelling voice to the scattered sheep grazing upon the barren slopes of a sterile sectarianism, and they will lift up their heads and listen and hear, and move toward the Shepherd, realizing as they draw closer that “there is one flock and one Shepherd,” and there can never be more than one. It is the natural unity which belongs to a divine organization. It is the spirit of unity produced by the unity of the Spirit – and these can never be reversed!

ONE BODY, February 1984 Brother Ketcherside died May 25, 1989

-- Bill Black (onebraveheart@msn.com), July 04, 2003.

And in Matthew 16:18, Jesus was addressing the "scattered sheep grazing upon the barren slopes of a sterile sectarianism"?

-- Catherine Ann (catfishbird@yahoo.ca), July 04, 2003.

Is there a shepherd in the world, today, Mr. Black? Our Lord Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of the father Almighty until His return. Will he find the sheep in the care of ten thousand autonomous shepherds, and all claiming the Holy Spirit for Advocate; or has there always been a shepherd over Christ's flock, as the sign of unity?

-- eugene c. chavez (loschavez@pacbell.net), July 04, 2003.