1. ROAD MAP FOR THIS DOCUMENT

1. The array of items in the chart reminds us that the church of our Lord is filled with people with diversity of ideas, mind-sets, judgments and yes…even doctrines.
2. It is the purpose of this document to explore some of the things we can do to reduce the tension by information and exercises that will help us look beyond the diversity in view of understanding "where people are coming from" when they don’t see things as "I" see them.
3. I do believe we will find that most of the tension, separation and outright division is not now, never was, and should never be necessary.
4. A chart is included in this document for YOU to decide whether or not the items and statements are of a doctrinal or cultural nature.

1. You can fill this out and make your own decision on what YOU KNOW to be doctrinal or cultural.
2. There will be a document for you to observe FOUR (4) Mind-Sets found in most any congregation of God’s people anywhere in the world.
3. I will supply a sample "cultural" item that brings tension in some congregation(s) in our fellowship and let you see how Paul instructed us to deal with this item from Romans 14: and I Corinthians 8: and 10:.

2. I would like you to consider ACCEPTANCE even when there is diversity as we travel on the path and goal set by Jesus to accomplish ONENESS (John 17:20-21). Certainly some questions we must ask are:

1. Do we have to remain separate, concerning fellowship, while we are seeking UNITY IN CHRIST?
2. Do we have to refuse to have fellowship in our fellowship until we see and believe everything exactly the same?
3. Have I ever held a "position" that I no longer hold?
4. Have I ever believed anything different to what I believe now…on any subject?
5. Is there any one of us who believes that they understand everything exactly right on every Bible subject/topic/text and they will never change?
6. Does it have to be that "every new thought on any subject is equal to apostasy"?
7. Did Jesus condemn Thomas for his doubting or (implied) commend him for his searching for truth and accepting that truth?

3. This begins to start the list of questions that I believe must be asked and answered in our Christian homes, Bible Classes, private discussions, open forums, Christian schools (Colleges, Schools of Preaching, Institutes, Universities) etc.
1. Will you please read/study these things and help me come to a better understanding of the reality that we can be unified even with our diversity.

DOCTRINAL, GENERATIONAL, AND CULTURAL CONFUSION

1. All churches who claim to follow Jesus Christ do have some generational and cultural practices. By saying that; I am not condemning or condoning…its just a matter of fact.
2. Sometimes our generational and cultural practices serve us well and sometimes they impede our progress.
3. We are going to look at a chart that I have devised to be used to help each of us in understanding what WE believe to be Doctrinal, Cultural and/or Generational.

1. Please take time to fill this out.
2. You will find it very revealing and conversationally stimulating if you do this with others in a Bible class, retreat, family meeting of the church etc.

1. For illustration; I want to share with you a far out example of an abusive cultural tradition. This is still practiced by some churches in Christendom in Europe (according to _________)in spite of this statement from God in Ezekiel 16:12 ("And I will put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.") where God is telling Israel what He will do with and for her if she will repent. In some churches women with pierced ears are never allowed to take part in communion. This viewpoint is clearly cultural and not biblical. Should we accept this cultural viewpoint as the norm for the church at large in order to have fellowship with these people (assuming this is the only barrier to fellowship), ignore it, or try to change the minds of the people who hold and bind this view? As we contemplate an answer to the above options: Visualize with me for a moment as I try to "break" this news to a new child of God who has pierced ears. Won’t she rejoice to learn that she is a member of the body of Christ, she has been washed with the blood of Jesus, BUT she can NEVER participate in a communion service…ever!!! Can you imagine the "desire" that she will have to go to her dearly beloved friend and neighbor who is "equally pierced" and share with her that she too will be unacceptable for communion because of something that her parents did for her when she was a young child?

4. Some of the greatest barriers to worship, service, and evangelism are not biblical but cultural.

1. I have helped lead over 1,000 souls to Jesus in my personal ministry.
2. I have found that many of the barriers that these precious new souls have had to overcome in order to be socially acceptable in the family of God had nothing to do with biblical issues but generational, cultural and traditional "positions" held on to as tightly and in some cases even more tightly than the "positions" found in the word of God.

1. Joe was informed by one sister who had been a church member for more than 40 years, when he chosen to wear a suit and tie instead of his less casual attire, "I am so glad that you choose to dress like Jesus wants you to dress when you come to church".
2. There have been occasions when new Christians (and in some cases visitors) have been informed that they were seated in a pew/chair of one who has set there for ______years. I could spend the rest of this document telling of incidents like this.

1. Is it possible that some of our traditional, cultural "ideas" are and have actually been road blocks and stumbling blocks which have discouraged and frustrated new Christians?
1. It is a reality that some of the following items (in the questionnaire below) have been sources, of discomfort, discouragement and perhaps even division in the body of Christ.

You look at the list. Please put a check mark beside each of these statements that you believe to be Biblical and do the same beside the ones you believe to be Cultural or Traditional or Parochial . For example: Should you believe that the Bible requires/commands that wives should not work outside the home; you would place a check on the line that corresponds with "Biblical" on question 9:

BIBLICAL CULTURAL

________ ________ 1. Christians should meet together on the first day of the week for instruction, edification, and worship.

________ ________ 2. Christians should meet on Sunday before noon.

________ ________ 3. Christians should not have close friends who are non-Christians.

________ ________ 4. Christians must meet Sunday nights and Wednesday nights.

________ ________ 5. Christians should never go into bars or "such like".

________ ________ 6. Christians must study their Bible daily.

________ ________ 7. The preacher is the authority leader in a church without elders.

________ ________ 8. The preacher’s interpretation of "Bible" should be followed as the most logical explanation.

________ ________ 9. Wives should not work outside the home.

________ ________ 10.Majority rule is the pattern for church decision making.

________ ________ 11.Women should never attend or give input at a business meeting.

________ ________ 12.Women should never serve on congregational committees.

________ ________ 13.Communion should only be served in the church building.

________ ________ 14.Communion has to be made available for those on Sunday night who missed earlier.

________ ________ 15.Communion in a separate room on Sunday night is dividing the assembly.

________ ________ 16.When taking communion to a "shut-in"; all 5 "acts" of worship should be done.

________ ________ 17.Women should wear a "covering" in the assembly.

________ ________ 18.A Sunday School is a must for a local church.

________ ________ 19.Faithful Christians attend "church" every time there is a worship assembly or Bible class.

________ ________ 20.An invitation must be presented after each sermon preached.

________ ________ 21.The "plan of salvation" must be presented with each invitation.

________ ________ 22.Faithful Christians do not smoke.

________ ________ 23.Christians should not be involved socially with non-Christians.

________ ________ 24.You should never eat at a restaurant where liquor is being served.

________ ________ 25.Christians should avoid anything that could be construed evil by anyone.

________ ________ 26.Christians should not attend movies unless they are rated "G".

________ ________ 27.Ashtrays should never be available for guests in a true Christian’s home.

________ ________ 28.One must wear the best they have when they come to worship God.

________ ________ 29.Preachers should wear a suit and tie each time they speak to the church.

________ ________ 30.Preachers should wear a suit and tie each time they represent the church.

________ ________ 31.All Christians should wear conservative clothing.

________ ________ 32.Its all right to express emotions through clapping of hands during worship.

________ ________ 33.Christians who lift their hands during prayer, singing etc. are more spiritual in their behavior

________ ________ 34.There should be no singing, scripture reading etc. during communion.

________ ________ 35.Christians who are more expressive in singing, preaching, praying etc. are more spiritual

________ ________ 36.Songs sung in four part harmony are more pleasing to God.

________ ________ 37.We should always use our most "dynamic" song leader in worship.

________ ________ 38.Services where there is a lot of clapping, "right-ons", amens are more spiritual and

________ ________ 39.There should no buildings owned by the church.

________ ________ 40.One church cannot cooperate with another church in doing good works such as

________ ________ 41.The church must use only one cup in communion.

________ ________ 42.The church must use more than one cup in communion.

________ ________ 43.The church must send money directly to orphan homes.

________ ________ 44.Individual members of the church can only send money directly to people in need.

________ ________ 45.Christians should never go swimming with people other than their immediate family.

________ ________ 46.Christians should never eat in the church building.

TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT (I Corinthians 8:1-13)….THAT’S THE QUESTION IN MATTERS OF JUDGMENT

1. In matters of judgment there are at least four (4) Mind-Sets in most/all congregations of God’s people.
2. Here are the acronyms with their words.

1. The explanation is given after the listing of three passages where these are mentioned time after time.
2. As in other matters before you; could you please help me come up with more descriptive terms for our fellowship.
3. We are a unique "sub-cultural" in a larger "sub-cultural" called Christianity and an even larger culture called the World.
4. You can extract from these passages, thoughts that will help develop this concept for discovering, understanding, explaining and accepting those we need to accept and helping those who are unacceptable in God’s Word…i.e. P.W.C

• AWC = AUTHENTIC WEAK CHRISTIANS
• PWC = PROFESSING WEAK CHRISTANS
• NPMC = NON-PARTICIPATING MATURE CHRISTIANS
• PMC = PARTICIPATING MATURE CHRISTIANS

Three of these mind-sets are clearly identified in the New Testament (one is implied often…PWC). Please take time to read the following passages.

ROMANS 14:1-15:7 Receive one(AWC) who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one(PMC & NPMC) believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak(AWC) eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats(PMC) despise him who does not eat(NPMC or AWC), and let not him who does not eat(NPMC or AWC) judge him who eats(PMC); for God has received him. Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day(PMC), observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day(NPMC), to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats(PMC), eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat(NPMC or AWC), to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you(AWC,PWC,PMC,NPMC) judge your brother? Or why do you (AWC,PWC,PMC,NPMC) show contempt for your brother? For we (AWC,PWC,PMC,NPMC) shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God. So then each of us ( AWC,PWC,PMC,NPMC) shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us (AWC,PWC,PMC,NPMC) not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean(AWC or NPMC), to him it is unclean. Yet if your( AWC,PMC) brother(AWC) is grieved because of your food, you (PMC) are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your ( PMC) food the one(AWC) for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your (PMC) good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us (AWC,PWC,PMC,NPMC) pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense(AWC). It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your (PMC) brother (AWC) stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Do you (PMC) have faith? Have it to yourself (PMC) before God. Happy is he(PMC) who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts(AWC) is condemned if he(AWC) eats, because he(AWC) does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin."