We look at leaves in many ways ...

We look at them as shade ...

We hear the leaves as a soothing & rustling sound of a gentle breeze ...

The breeze carries the fragrance from the blossoms among the leaves ...

We look at them as a shelter for birds, and welcome the songbird's melody in the early morning ...

We may look at leaves as a bother, in the autumn, when we have to rake them ...

Or we can welcome the autumn with its colorful display ...

And yes, we do know that certain leaves like lettuce are good to eat, and others used as spices or for medicinal purposes ...

But, let's first explore another kind of leave.

Why do we leave church ...or leave one for another??

A country with a Constitution may leave us with many freedoms.

One of these cherished freedoms is the freedom to worship as we see fit ...or so desire to do so.

If a religion seeks to eliminate all those who do not agree with its particular beliefs ...then that is not doing what Jesus has commissioned us to do.

What are we to do??

I guess that depends upon our beliefs, but if we believe in Jesus, we are to tell others about Him, as He is presented to us in the Bible ...with the accounts written of His life here on earth and the many accounts written by his disciples, who had walked with Him.

So, there are many churches, and many unchurched people ...some of which who don't believe in God. At this point, I am only going to speak of those who believe in Jesus, as He is described in the Bible.

For those of us who believe in Jesus as described in the Bible, how are we to treat all those who don't agree with that statement??  How should we respond to those we encounter?? Is our response different from the approach we use as missionaries traveling abroad?? Our main focus should be not to be offended, but to reach others with the truth ...so they too can eventually embrace it.

That being said, I want to say something to all those who do believe in Jesus as we read of Him in the Bible. There are real divisions among some of the believers that should not be causing so much strife.

One church has members saying that another church is not quite right, and that church in turn has members saying that the other church is not quite right.

I hope this is not too shocking, but no person and no organized church is quite right.  And if a person is saying a church is not quite right, they are not quite right ...and if a church is saying people are not quite right, then they are not quite right.  Yet, both are quite right in saying this ...just not in the sense that another is not quite right, but that they are.

The only right there is ...is the Bible's representation of Jesus. 

And none of us are quite discerning enough to know everything we read, so we should stick to the basics ...instead of dividing on particulars. Yet, there are some things written in the Bible which should be clear to all of us....and that should primarily include who Jesus is, and what He has done for us by allowing Himself to be crucified for our sins.

Many verses come to mind ...

Yet, I am going to list two here:

In Matthew 12: 30, we read what Jesus said ..."He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathers not with Me scatters abroad."

And in Mark 9:40, we read that Jesus also said, "For he that is not against us is for us."

Churches should not be in a competitive nature, for the message should not be based on eloquence of our worship ...nor should the church strive so hard to relate to the down-to-earth that it accepts baseness. The foundation is our base, and we should build our own character to reflect Jesus as much as possible.  

Many tribal people from nations around the world have accepted the teachings of Jesus. Many of them had known deep inside for a long time that their ways were wrong ...they just didn't know a way to make it right.

And they had an advantage over many of us, because they felt they couldn't make it right, and their guilt prevented them from believing they could.  The advantage was that, in fact, they couldn't make it right ...yet, they rejoiced that Jesus did make it so things could be made right.  And their guilt which beforehand had given them no motivation to live each day any different than a condemned people, now gives them new life ...knowing they've been forgiven. Yes, that too ...is an additional reason to celebrate.

He who is not with Jesus ...is against Jesus. That appears rather clear. Yet, when He addressed His disciples, Jesus appeared to be including the future furthering of the Gospel message and what hinders it ..."he that is not against us is for us."

Those who were not actively against Jesus and His disciples ...were not hindering their desire to tell everyone who Jesus is. And certainly, we should not hinder nor focus on faults of those churches which hold fast to the same teachings of Jesus ...irregardless of whether we agree with other styles, practices, or teachings aside from Him.  Salvation is through Jesus ...and we should not add our own expectations, nor attempt to meter out tolerances as we conclude in our own heart how much grace should be dispensed.

That being said, we certainly are not to compromise God's Word, and assign meaning of our own liking.

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Yes, considering all the conflicts of feelings and divisions of peoples ...it is easy to see how a citizen of one country might find it difficult to readily accept a neighbor who sends out many recruits on missions of destruction. It might even be difficult for a Democrat to get along with a Republican ...or a Catholic to get along with a Protestant. In view of the first example, the latter differences seem to get progressively more petty. The value of life is paramount, and neighbors should be able to have a sense of security. The differences of political preferences may have much to do with how we value life ...or Pro-life issues. Yet, when we look to eternal life ...it is not a political choice, nor is it defined by how we look to worship. If we were to take an honest look at it, most of our different choices of worship are of more importance to us humans than they are to God. 

It's not so much how we worship ...but, who we worship. And God sees how we have such a mixed bag of adoration, of our love and respect not only of people, but things...yet, He wants us to mature and realize how futile it is to cling onto anything that does not have eternal value.

Recognition and a feeling of importance does have substantial value. We get excited if we meet someone who grew up from our hometown ...and we feel we have so much in common as we mention people and events common to both of our memories. We may both own a rare vintage car ...and feel our ride is a cut above the rest, experiencing something we tell others is a feeling we can't describe and they can't truly imagine. A shared feeling or a sense of belonging is something we all long for. But, this is not the whole feeling behind faith.

Our faith needs to be in Christ Jesus ...and it should not be like a celebrity encounter, nor a rare honor bestowed upon us. The blessing is for all of us ...but, do not minimize its significance. It is the greatest thing that could ever happen to anyone.

Yet, we are people who need to change ...and most of what we should change has much to do with our attitudes. The process of change is both a responsibility and a privilege. We must be willing to change ...and willing to allow Him to change us. But, He does it through our willingness, it is each of us who must see it through. He doesn't make the change ...He makes it possible, through Him.

The Book of Revelation, Chapter 22, reads, " ...a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the Tree of Life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

That is a vision of a future event ...after the old has passed away, not because of our negligence to the environment, but to create an environment of no negligence of Him.

Yes, the nations here must be referring to peoples ...of like beliefs, like emotions, and like problems. And God desires that we become overcomers ...and overcome those wrong and hurtful attitudes. I used to think that none of that would be evident in heaven, yet there is a thought of a gentle breeze passing through the leaves of the Tree of Life...giving new life & not only a peaceful perspective, but the healing necessary as we arrive at the place He has promised to prepare for us ...for our eternal life with Him.


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