Almost 40 years ago, as a junior in high school, I began attending the Christian Church in our community after having been raised Catholic. That transition is a boring story of growing discontent with “religion” and an unexpected discovery of a personal relationship with Jesus as my Lord. I say “unexpected” for two reasons. First, I wasn’t looking for Jesus because I never thought there was anything better than religious practice, and I was rejecting that. Second, I didn’t research other churches because I assumed all churches were pretty much the same.
    That’s when the unexpected happened. My excursion into the non-Christian life was both brief and unfulfilling (both for which I give thanks to God). That which looked so good from the outside, because that’s where all the popular kids “lived”, ended up being empty. Second, I started hanging out with a bunch of teens who happened to go to the Christian Church. It was in those friendships that I learned about who Jesus is, what it meant to be in relationship to Him, and that living for Christ was what I really wanted to do. And the rest is history!
    What’s the point? My personal relationship with God through Christ got its start through friendships. I knew nothing of the Christian Church at the time, and didn’t care. What mattered was first being loved and accepted, and then I learned about the Source of that Love and Acceptance! I believe my unspectacular story is typical for most—what we come to believe about Jesus is what saves us, but it’s friendships which helps us come to that belief!
    Doctrine, however, still matters. Cults are very friendly, but still don’t have the Truth about God. Christians may have correct doctrine, but if they are as cold as ice or judgmental, where is the power of their belief? Who we are in Christ is about both our belief and our living.
    Just like me 40 years ago, most people don’t pick a church by what that church believes, but by the love they sense from the people. Worship style and classes and programs are important, but they are nothing without love (see 1 Corinthians 13). Relationship is what gets us started and connected. But then it is doctrine and teaching which brings growth and maturity so that we can live for Christ, which in turn attracts others to Jesus. It matters not how friendly we are if the foundation on which we stand is flimsy.
    That is why during September and October our worship themes will be exploring Who We Are as part of the Body of Christ. There is only one Church, but many subdivisions. One of them is the group of which we are a part—the Christian Church/Church of Christ, otherwise known as the Restoration Movement. (Hopefully you’ve been following the history columns in The Bell this year to learn more about our heritage and origins.) Each Christian “denomination” has its distinct views and ways of putting God’s Word into practice, and we are no different. But maybe you aren’t sure what some of those teachings and perspectives are on various biblical doctrines. You may not think this is important, but it is, for what we believe determines who we are and how we live! The Apostle Paul implored Timothy to “watch [his] life and doctrine” and to persevere in them both (see 1 Timothy 4:16). We would do well to do the same.
    So let us in the next two months explore together some basic Bible themes such as Communion, Baptism, who Jesus is, how we come to salvation and how we are to be His Church. We will also examine the Name we wear, the Book we study, how we worship and how we apply God’s Word to daily living. Let us better understand who we are in Christ so that we can live for Him and help others find new life in Him just as we have!
 

Denis Whittet