Behind “Enemy” Lines
By Dr. Barry L. Davis
An elder approached me one day with a plan: “Let’s send our most mature believers (translated “most legalistic” members) to denominational churches in the area to sit in on their classes. Whenever they teach false doctrine our people will be there to point them to the truth.” I stood there aghast. “Instead of sending them to correct these Christians,” I replied, “perhaps we should send them there to learn something and then come back and teach it to us?” Of course, he didn’t appreciate my suggestion and returned to his Sunday School class to teach his 30th lesson on baptism that year to his already immersed class members.
Through God’s wonderful grace I soon found a wonderful church fellowship to serve, but my suggestion to the sectarian elder kept running through my mind. God was clearly leading me to walk out of my own comfort zone and begin fellowshipping with believers from congregations outside of the Restoration Movement that I was raised in.
Since I preached on Sunday mornings I began attending churches that had either Saturday or Sunday evening services. A whole new world opened up to me! I worshipped at churches representing a wide variety of polity and practice: Assembly of God, Southern Baptist, Baptist General Conference, Evangelical Free, United Baptist, United Methodist, Lutheran, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Independent Pentecostal and Charismatic, Presbyterian, Church of God, and a score of others.
Was I comfortable with everything I found in these churches? No way! I witnessed an infant baptism for the first time, had a woman pray for me in tongues, was asked to raise my hand and repeat the “sinner’s prayer,” and had to get out of the way of some energetic praise dancers before they knocked me to the floor. Am I glad I went? You bet! I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything, and I’m just getting started. I have discovered that while I don’t agree with every activity practiced or every doctrine taught, I have learned much about the Christian faith and worship that was previously foreign to me.
The vast majority of churches that I have worshipped with are focused on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And it is in His Lordship that we find unity, not uniformity. When we allow Christ to be the focus and object of our worship, the peripheral issues that we have put so much effort into become insignificant. This was brought home to me so clearly two years ago. Our church leadership team traveled to the northern suburbs of Chicago to attend the Church Leadership Conference at the Willow Creek Community Church. The highlight of the conference was partaking of the Lord’s Supper together before we all returned home to our respective congregations. Four thousand people representing 68 denominations from 16 different countries partook of the cup and bread in unison. Our group was overcome with emotion and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. With tears running down our faces we were beginning to see true restoration of the body – it is not found in wearing the same brand name, or agreement on every single issue, or in the chanting of a familiar creed – restoration takes place as we place our focus on the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
My challenge to you is to walk out of your comfort zone, and worship with some people outside of your own denominational background. You will find that much of what you have been taught concerning other groups is either downright false, or highly exaggerated. You will find some practices that are not to your liking. But most importantly, you will discover many brothers and sisters in Christ that you might not even realize you have.