“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” – Ephesians 4:4-5
I am part of a denominational church. There’s no problem with denominations. They are simply different regiments of Christ’s army doing the work of the church here on earth. Denominationalism, however, is a huge problem.
What is “denominationalism?” It’s when people make an idol of their denomination. It’s when people begin to rely more on rituals, traditions and the customs of their particular denomination than on Biblical revelation. It’s when a person or church is asked about their faith and their first response is – “I’m a Baptist, or Catholic, or Methodist,” rather than “I’m a Christian.”
For the Christian, the first answer when asked about your faith should be always be – “I’m a Christian.” We are called to be people of the kingdom of God. We’re called to let people know that we are followers of Jesus, not followers of a specific branch of Christianity. Therefore, our goal as Christians is to build up that kingdom, not our denomination. For that reason, our church supports kingdom vision no matter the denominational label. Why? Because Christ did not come to begin denominations. Christ came to begin the kingdom of God.
So what about you? Are you Kingdom focused? Don’t let non-believers stereotype you by a specific branch of Christianity. Instead, put Christ first and become known as a kingdom minded follower of Christ – a Christ-ian more than a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Pentecostal or non-denominational. Be known as a devoted follower of Jesus!
