Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart? It is. If it be, give me your hand. – 2 Kings 10:15 (NKJV)
Nicky Gumbel describing the Church writes, “the church has divided on just about every conceivable issue — in fact, on every inconceivable issue as well.”78 Reflecting on divisions within the Church across history, he laments:
As you look back in the history of the church there’ve been four major sort of breaks. In the fourth and fifth century the lesser Eastern churches separated. In the eleventh century you had the break between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. At the time of the Reformation you had the split between Catholics and Protestants. In the nineteenth century you had the start of denominations — there were no denominations until the nineteenth century. But by 1900 there were 2,000 denominations; by 1980 there were 20,000 denominations; and by the year 2000 there were 34,000 denominations.79
This disunity in the body of Christ has been a major obstacle to people receiving Christ. Wesley “acknowledges that Christian differ in the way they think and live out their Christian life.”80 For Wesley, while there are
some essential doctrines that are non-negotiable for the Christian… Mere opinions must not divide us… Non-essential doctrines, for example, must not divide us. The particular characteristics of worship must not divide us. The particular characteristics of specific congregations to church Christians belong must not divide us.81
As Methodists, Wesley calls us to “union in affection”: to be of one heart with other Christians and to unite “all the children of God.”
“你诚心待我像我诚心待你吗？” “是”。“若是这样，你向我伸手。” 《列王记下》10：15
Nicky Gumbel在描述教会时写道：“教会对几乎所有可以想象到的问题都有分歧 - 事实上，在每一个不可思议的问题上也是如此。“回顾历史上教会内部的分歧，他感叹道：
当你回顾教会的历史时，有四个大的分裂。在第四和第五世纪，较小的东方教会分裂了。在十一世纪，天主教会和东正教之间分裂。在宗教改革时期，天主教徒与新教徒之间分裂。在十九世纪开始有了教派的开始 – 也就是说直到十九世纪才有教派。但到了1900年，有2000个教派; 到1980年，有20,000个教派; 到2000年有34,000个教派。 基督身体的这种不合一是人们接受基督的一个主要障碍。约翰.卫斯理承认，基督徒在思考和活出基督徒的生活方式上各有所不同。对约翰.卫斯理来说，“有一些基本教义对基督徒来说是没有商量的余地......然而也有例外，如个人意见不应该分裂我们，非基本教义不应该分裂我们，敬拜的方式不应该分裂我们，教会会众的特殊喜好不应该分裂我们。” 作为卫理公会信徒，约翰.卫斯理呼吁我们融入感情：与其他基督徒一起同心，团结 上帝的所有的儿女。
反思
阅读《以弗所书》4：1-7; 11-13。我们是否对其他教会会众或教派因为意见分歧、非基本教义不同、崇拜不同而产生负面的情感？
Reflection
Read Ephesians 4:1-7; 11-13. Do you have negative affections towards any other church congregations or denominations because of differences in opinions, non-essential doctrines or worship?
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