OTHER BELIEVERS

 

OTHER BELIEVERS

John 10:16 “I have other sheep too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.” NLT

Let’s be perfectly clear about this; not everyone who is a child of God is going to fit into your comfort zone. There are children of God all over the world who do not think like you do or act like you act. There are believers in nearly every church on earth. Some churches are ultra- conservative and some are ultra-liberal. We must be careful not to assume that people who are not like us are not or cannot be saved.

Only the Lord knows the heart of man. He will accept all who truly are righteous in heart, regardless of what church they are in or where they are at in their spiritual journey. Do not judge others just because they are different than you. Let the Lord determine the genuineness of the heart before Him. We must faithfully live by our convictions, but so must everyone else. Only the Lord knows who is for real and who isn’t.

Also, do not assume that all who are in your church circle is saved. Many people go to church for reasons other than their relationship with God. Head belief does not always translate into heart belief. We need to focus more on what is going on amongst us rather than what is happening in the Church around the world or even across the street. I am not saying we shouldn’t be preaching and teaching the truth outside our church walls, but I am saying that we need to be preaching at ourselves more than we do the rest of the church body.

There is only one Church in Christ. The label on the door does not identify the church. We must never forget this truth. There is one church and only one Shepherd over the Church. Jesus alone is head of the Church. He alone has the authority and right to rule over the Church. We are His and He will not share His lordship over the Church with anyone.