I’m realizing there are such different personalities and gifts and talents — that even in a group of people trying to do right, only certain ones have the right talents and abilities to handle certain issues. So for any given situation, there is maybe 20% of the people who are really capable of handling that particular situation/circumstance well.
If we throw the whole 100% away because 80% of them weren’t helpful in a particular situation or didn’t meet our expectations” — we will miss out on the 20% who could actually be helpful. Instead of looking for and expecting a house full of perfect people — we need to see the bride as a house full of imperfect people — but when working together as a whole supporting, forgiving, encouraging and preparing each other — what we need can be found.
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NLT
Yes, I’m not blind to the horrors and atrocities committed by organized religion throughout history — so I’m not advocating that. In fact, those types of injustice and oppression are the very things that I stand most firmly against! But there is something more, something greater below the plastic, outwardly visible costume of “religion” that actually is authentic, genuine and real.
As they might say in the music of my day, “Real recognizes real”. So if we are going to be prepared to accept “their” failures and shortcomings even while recognizing “their” value — we truly must be able to humbly and honestly look at ourselves and admit the same things.
Thank you Jesus, and God bless!
Harold J. Ballinger 