“Can’t We All Just Get Along”
If you were paying attention in the spring of 1992, you probably remember this quote coming from the mouth of Rodney King. His broadcast appeal to the violent masses was made half-way through the six-day-long rioting in Los Angeles.
This is the same question I feel that needs to be asked the Church community.
I am the youngest of five siblings. And to tell you we never had any disagreements would be an out-and-out lie. We fussed and fought with each other all the time, but God help anyone else who tried to attack any of us with the others around.
My brothers and sister have a different last name as mine, Their father was a motorcycle officer in the City of Atlanta in the late 50s and was killed in the line of duty. Mother later married again and her fifth and final child was me.
I never had anyone else to call my brothers or sister except them, but they had a choice. They had each other and me, but they always called me their brother.
Someone once told my sister that I wasn’t her brother. I was her half-brother, so she asked which half was her brother so she would know which half to hit. She said she didn’t understand how I could only be halfway her brother.
One day my Father came into my study and ask if I would take him riding somewhere? (He loved to go out riding anywhere). I was on Facebook at the time, and he saw DeWayne Home on the computer screen, and he asked who was DeWayne? I thought at first, he was playing with me but then I saw in his face and realized he had no idea who I was. I said, “I’m your son.” With that said he said, “DeWayne Busby?” He remembered his kids being Busby. I said “No, and I am not taking you anywhere because you don’t need to be going anywhere with people you don’t know.” About an hour later he came back into the study and said, “Are you not taking me anywhere?” I ask him then “who am I?” and his reply was “you are Elvin DeWayne Swann, you’re my boy. Aren’t you going to take me riding somewhere?” I said, “where do you want to go?” as I got up and took him riding for a while.
We were all raised in the same house, by the same parents. We are a Family. Just because our last names are different doesn’t mean that we are not family.
Everyone has extended family, I am a Swann, my brothers and sister are Busby’s. I have aunts and uncles and cousins that are Swann’s, Martin’s, Harper’s, Busby’s, Jarrells’, Sims’, Mabry’s, Yarbrough’s, Long’s, Evans’ and on and on. They may not carry the same last name as I do, but they are still part of my family.
Now as I look at the Church Family, I don’t understand why can’t we all just get along?
Some think just because they are Baptist, they are better than the other denominations. Let’s go a little further. If you are not an Independent Baptist, or let’s take it even further Independent Fundamental Baptist, then you are WRONG!
Really? (I don’t mean to attack the Baptist, but I know them because I am one).
Can I be honest, I really have heard that very statement, and not that long ago. I have heard preachers in their pulpit say that very thing and what gets me is the people that amen that statement, and they wonder why visitors don’t come back.
I hear preachers in small churches putting down the preachers in the larger churches, saying things like “they can’t be preaching anything convicting because all those people are there for is to hear only feel-good sermons”
Again Really? And what’s wrong with a sermon that makes you feel good when you leave the church? It’s better than feeling like you were held over the coals, and verbally beat to death.
Yea, boy, I want to go back to that kind of church, nothing like being beat down and never measuring up to what God wants.
So, they put the other Church down.
My question is have you ever been to one of their services? Have you ever tried to listen to them online? How on earth do you know what’s being preached?
They say, “I won’t go to one of those churches, it’s too crowded, the music is to loud, they let people dress any way that they want, I heard that they take up the offering in buckets, and they are a non-domination church” and on and on and on.
Well, I went to one of those churches, and sure enough, there was a crowd, the music was loud, they let people dress any way that they wanted, and when the time came to take up the offering here came a bucket, I really was hoping that chicken was in it, but it wasn’t, it was for the offering. (See I am still a Baptist)
Then much to my surprise the preacher came out and believe this or not he wasn’t wearing a suit, he didn’t even have a tie on and here’s the kicker his shirttail wasn’t even tucked in his pants. Heresy, I thought, how could he desecrate the pulpit in such a fashion? This was my honest thought and then much to my surprise?
As I sat in that service, I began to look around at the kind of people that would put up with that sort of thing.
I was invited to that church by some dear friends that I love and respect very much. I didn’t think that they would intentionally bring me somewhere that was bad. And so, I sat it out to see where we were going.
As the Lead Pastor began his sermon, I was ready to pick him apart, but he was spot on with his sermon, and as he continued, I saw a man in a pair of Liberty overhauls, and they have been worn more than on this occasion, his hair was on his shoulders, his beard was like something from Duck Dynasty, and as the preacher was preaching, he was wiping tears, and holding his hands up praising God.
As I looked at him, I thought you couldn’t tie him up and throw him in the church I had been attending. He wouldn’t have been welcome. But here, he was right at home.
AND SO WAS I!
The sermon was convicting, people were accepting Jesus as their Savior.
After spending a few years attending that church, it freed me up of so much stuff.
I never not once heard them put the little churches down, if anything they lifted them up. And they even allow me to teach one of their small groups.
What makes one so special, so sanctimonious, so much more spiritual, just because it says Baptist or Methodist or Assembly of God, Church of God or whatever on the sign outside the Church that they attend?
Why are you, or why do you think you are better than someone else because of the church that you are a member of?
I hate to break it to you but you’re not.
I have friends that go to nondenominational churches, one of my friends and a man I admire greatly is a Pastor of a Congregational Methodist Church. Also, I have friends that attend a Church of God, and Church of Christ, I had a lady that came regularly to a Church I served as Interim Pastor for a while that was a Catholic. After I spoke with her one day, and she assured me she was Saved through the blood of Jesus. But I had to know!
I went to the Full Gospel Businessman Association Meeting a few times with my Church of God friend Rodney Dobins. He calls me a combination of Baptist and Pentecostal a “Baptacostal”.
As I was there, I had a chance to meet with a Preacher that I love to hear preach and have a number of his books. (and even more after that day)
His name is Dr. Mark Rutland. I leaned over the table in which he was behind signing his books, and I carefully looked both ways so no one could hear us and I said “I am a Baptist Preacher.” He then carefully looked both ways and leaned up and said “Brother Pastor, you are in the wrong place”, and we both laughed. I heard some great sermons and testimony’s that day.
I live in a little city named Powder Springs, in Cobb County Georgia. While I was growing up, I attended McEachern High School. We would make jokes about the other schools in our county. Just because we went to McEachern it was the best. Then since I lived in Cobb County, it was the best county to live in, we then made jokes about Paulding County and the other counties around us. The same is said about the state of Georgia, we would make jokes about Alabama, and the other surrounding states. Nothing is any better than where I am.
I believe it’s the same for you too, right?
That seems to be the same way with Churches too, only the one I go to is right.
And again REALLY?
My Mother said when she was growing up in North West Alabama if the Baptist Church was having a Revival meeting, that the Holiness Church and the Methodist and the other Baptist Church’s in the area would all show up to the meetings.
The same was if the others were having their Camp Meetings that every church around no matter the denomination showed up and supported each other’s services.
But even then, there were some prejudice, My Mother shared a story that her Mother told; The Baptist Church was on one side of the road, and a Methodist Church on the other. They say you could stand out near the road and hear the choirs singing from both Churches. She said the Methodist Church was singing “Will there be a star in my Crown?” and on the other side of the street the Baptist Church was singing, “No Not One, … No Not One”.
So, this is nothing new.
One of my favorite Authors, Max Lucado, deals with this subject in one of his books better than I ever could.
The book is “In the Grip of Grace” Chapter 16 — Life Aboard the Fellowship.
Max Lucado shared this chapter at the 1996 Promise Keepers Clergy Conference in Atlanta which I had the pleasure of attending. It’s called:
“Rocking the Boat” He likened the Church to a Ship and said,
“God has enlisted us in his navy and placed us on his ship. The boat has one purpose—to carry us safely to the other shore. This is no cruise ship; it’s a battleship. We aren’t called to a life of leisure; we are called to a life of service. Each of us has a different task. Some, concerned with those who are drowning, are snatching people from the water. Others are occupied with the enemy, so they man the cannons of prayer and worship. Still, others devote themselves to the crew, feeding and training the crew members. Though different, we are the same… Some wear uniforms whenever seen, sporting styles we’ve never witnessed. “Why do you look the way you do?” we ask them. “Funny,” they reply. “We were about to ask the same of you.” The variety of dress is not nearly as disturbing as the plethora of opinions…””
Then he said things on how different the dominations were, but we all are in the same ship and then how we argue and put each other down, and he then said:
“And, oh, how we tend to cluster. The consequence is a rocky boat. There is trouble on deck. Fights have broken out. Sailors have refused to speak to each other. There have even been times when one group refused to acknowledge the presence of others on the ship. Most tragically, some adrift at sea have chosen not to board the boat because of the quarreling of the sailors. “What do we do?” we’d like to ask the captain. “How can there be harmony on the ship?” We don’t have to go far to find the answer. On the last night of his life Jesus prayed a prayer that stands as a citadel for all Christians: I pray for these followers, but I am also praying for all those who will believe in me because of their teaching. Father, I pray that they can be one. As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can also be one in us. Then the world will believe that you sent me. (John 17:20) How precious are these words? Jesus, knowing the end is near, prays one final time for his followers. Striking, isn’t it, that he prayed not for their success, their safety, or their happiness? He prayed for their unity. He prayed that they would love each other. As he prayed for them, he also prayed for “those who will believe because of their teaching.” That means us! In his last prayer Jesus prayed that you and I be one.”
Now back to me. As I have said I have a lot of family and we don’t share the same last name, but we are family by blood. I even claim people as part of my family that has no blood ties at all, but are family because of Love. We are all in the Family of God.
For the life of me why are we fighting and fussing over things that matters very little when it comes to one, just one soul accepting Christ as their savior.
Try to look at what we say, and how we treat other Brothers and Sisters in Christ and guard that mouth of yours.
Did not James say:
James 1:19So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. NKJV
So why can’t we all just get along?
