People often say that when we remember the past, we remember it better than it actually was. That maybe true, but looking back in my early years as a Christian I have discovered something. Something so valuable that I can’t believe I have never noticed it before. It may not surprise you, because it is so obvious (but isn’t that a formula for a real surprise). What is this discovery?
Well it is not a thing, but I concept. You see, I was born one late October in 1998. Many of you know I’m referring to baptism, but I also referring to something greater than getting wet. I changed.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Many of you have heard this stuff before. Usually at this point an author breaks into stories of how they were the biggest sinner. So, here it is ….I was the biggest sinner. We all know this. That is not the discovery. The discovery is the change! I changed from selfish into teachable. I changed from a wretch into a person of faith.
Looking back I realize the Church raised me. It was in the Church I learned to be a husband. It was in the Church I learned to be a father. It was in the Church I became the person I am. Haters may say I was brainwashed, but the truth is I would have been lost without the guidance of disciples.
So what’s the point?
Is the church is still supporting the growth of the ‘new creations’. Are we shepherding our young husband and husbands to be? Are we teaching what it means to be a Godly household or family?
I still have a lot to learn. My hope is that Godly men will continue to guide me, in challenges of life, until I make it Home. I am now a single father of three; one being a teenager. I still need lots help and I hope someday to look back and realize I made it because the Church was of assistance in my Christian life.
Side note for the haters: Mathew 28:20b And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Why would I question if Jesus was with me?
-Jef Rangel
December 2006
Unity
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NIV
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ; for we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
One of the most admirable things of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement is that all parties (Thomas and Alexander Campbell and Barton Warren Stone) were able to form one movement. Although each Religious Leader of their perspective movement prior to the Restoration Movement did not exactly share the same biblical theology; they were able to put the Christian Concept of Unity first. This is my heritage as a disciple in the International Churches of Christ (ICOC); a heritage that I’m proud of; a heritage that inspires me.
The tragedy is that in later year the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement was unable to maintain its Unity. There are many reasons why unity was not maintained and I feel we could learn from these reasons, but I don’t want to get distracted from the focus of unity. It is important to understand that when this movement split, three churches formed. These are the Christian Churches- Churches of Christ, Disciples of Christ, and Churches of Christ (Mainline). Later ICOC would come out of Churches of Christ.
The sad thing is there are more sub-divisions of these churches. The most current split and most relevant to the ICOC; it is the
So my question is, “What will it take to unify the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement?” Some might think the question should be, “Can it be re-unified?” Call me naïve, but I say it can. There are others who share my optimism; however I’m speaking from the experiences as Disciples of Christ in the ICOC. I draw that distinction because this is where my fight is, not because I want to label. I can not change the minds of congregations outside of mine. I have to start with me, then my family, then friends of my family. And that is a challenge within itself.
This last Sunday (11/12/06) I went to a local church, which could be considered a spin off of the San Diego Church of Christ and a combination of Rick Warren’s ‘Purpose Driven’ Movement. I had heard a lot of great thing about this church and after visiting it, I am jealous. But why another church? One could draw a conclusion that there was a need due to relevant pain experienced as former ICOC members.
Soon there will be a San Diego International Christian Church established locally and many SDCOC members will have nothing to do with them. I however will visit and hopefully establish a kinship with spiritual brothers of my heritage. What else can I do? We are slowly chipping away at ourselves. We divide and split and faction. We label and disown. Many may feel that fellowship with this new movement only supports the idea of disunity, considering its founder was disfellowship for divisiveness. Some of our brothers and sisters in neighboring cities have even been instructed that their members may not have fellowship with
I have a friendship with many Christians outside the ICOC, to include the Mainline, and other Restoration and
Imagine being able to send your children to a college that holds your belief as the foundation of their campus. There are colleges and universities that are of a Restoration Movement background. There are even high schools, elementary schools, and pre-schools of a Restoration Movement background. If this is not slightly inspiring to you, I don’t know what else I can tell you. Many of you just hate the idea in general. But why do you hate it?
I know this is the rambling of a small time disciple, but hopeful these thoughts proved to be thought proving in a positive way. As always, stay faithful and know it is only the Lord’s opinion that matters.
-Jef Rangel
November 2006