A Declaration of Dependence
Dear friends, neighbors, and siblings in Christ our Lord,
Greetings, to your beloved ministry. Greetings, to the priests, pastors, elders and deacons who, through obedience to the Father, tirelessly steward us and teach of the joy, love, and never-ending hope that we have gained in Jesus Christ. Greetings, to your congregations, the bodies of believers that walk within our community, spreading the word of God through their testimonies and spirit-filled lives, so that others may also know the joy, love, and hope that we have in Christ. Also, greetings to the youth and children, in whose faces we are reminded daily of the abundant joy, love, and hope we have been entrusted with through Christ our Lord.
We thank you for the courage, devotion, and steadfast love that your ministry sends forth daily into our community, ministry bearing great fruit and serving the kingdom of God. It is from a cheerful yet broken heart, that we also thank you for the gifts and blessings that have been given to, and shared by you. It is from this same heart that we thank God, that through his unyielding mercy, we are first dependent on Christ, and that we, as a community, delight in seeking his kingdom. That is why we, the undersigned, are formally declaring our dependence to you and your ministry.
Brothers and Sisters, we have far too long been a house divided against ourselves. We have far too long been without sweet fellowship amongst each other. Whether it be because of doctrinal differences, or whether it is because of differences in the way we worship, or even differences in what version we accept as the Holy word of God, we have forgotten much. We have forgotten that we have been bought with a price and are therefore sons and daughters of the Most High, through the blood of Christ. We have forgotten that we need each others fellowship desperately and need to learn and experience the gifts that God has uniquely bestowed upon each and every individual within his kingdom. We have forgotten to seek first the kingdom of God and to do so by partnering with each other and therefore become better prepared, through diverse relationships, to seek and save the lost. It is in order to better serve this calling, that we humbly come to you and your ministry as slaves to Christ and offer ourselves as servants to you, in obedience to the word of our Father, who is forever praised.
My friends, as you are well aware of, we are in the midst of spiritual warfare. A battleground in which the enemy is successfully employing the divide and conquer strategy and thus we are losing our community. Yes, even whole generations are being deceived and led away from the true freedom and joy that is found through the love of God, and through faith in his son Jesus Christ. Satan has played a cruel trick on the church in convincing our stubborn hearts that there is no need to be unified in spirit, in fact we have often times been quick to completely detach ourselves from believers across town, or believers across denominational lines, or even believers across the street! How shameful we have been, and how greatly we have squandered that which was entrusted to us. How long will we continue to allow ourselves to be divided and continue to watch and weep as we lose our community in which so much of our work has been invested into.
So, we come before you and ask your church for forgiveness. Forgiveness, for having a hardened heart towards your ministry and people. Forgiveness, for any time you asked of our help and we turned you away in our righteous indignation. Forgiveness, for not heeding the call of the kingdom and setting our sites on the family of Christ, which is eternal and everlasting, but instead focusing on doctrinal disputes which are written on paper and will not remain when we are taken up into him.
Therefore neighbors, let us love each other more than we love ourselves. Let us care for and nurture our brothers and sisters in Christ our Lord. Let us not be stubborn, but be set free in asking forgiveness and giving thanksgiving towards each other. Let us stand as a house united under the banner of Christ. United in the spirit, power, and glory of the one true God. Let us combine our resources, these unique gifts entrusted to us by God, and reach our community in ways never seen before. Let us take up our crosses daily while also lightening the burden of our siblings who have taken up theirs. Whether they be Methodist, Catholic, Baptist, or so on and so forth, let us seek to serve each other and lift each other up. That is love, that is kindness, that is companionship, that my friends is the picture of kingdom values. So let us make a lasting covenant between each other and with God. Let us shephard our communties in very real and powerful ways. Let us act out our faith through action and unity, loving and caring for all, from the least to the great. There is no sweeter time than now, for now is not the time for division, dear friends, for the kingdom of God is indeed at hand.
Do with this what you like... I plan on taking it where the Lord leads me.
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