I appreciate that reading the Bible is not about slavishly following everything said there. I know the church I read about in the New Testament is not to be seen as perfection. If it was, there would be no need for the apostolic letters.
It still baffles me, however, that clear indications of how church should be, what life in Christ should look like and what Jesus found important is not acknowledged in practice. Not only is it not practised but other things take priority that has little or nothing to do with Christ and His Kingdom come to the forefront.
I could merely highlight the discrepancies and bemoan the gap. What I found works much better is to read scripture in community, note what it says and then work towards its application. That’s not always easy, especially when a cooperative community is essential for a lot of its application. It’s not easy, but it’s certainly preferable to either ignoring the implications or explaining them away to reinforce the status quo.
When you read the gaps between what the Spirit says to the church in His Word and our practice, a similar challenge rests with you.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 