by Jesse Steele
can’t go to the others.
Jesus: What others?
Carl: The other Churches.
Jesus: I only have one Church.
Carl: That’s not what I mean.
Jesus: Do you even know what you mean?
Carl: I mean if I don’t go to the same worship service every week, then my tithe money won’t be given to my congregation and they may have financial trouble.
Jesus: So, you don’t make friends in other parts of my Church because of money?
Carl: When You say it like that it sounds bad.
Jesus: But that’s how you said it. You were the one who mentioned money as a reason for not visiting my Church.
Carl: But I love my pastor and I don’t want him to worry about money.
Jesus: Worrying about money is a different issue, but, since you care so much, go ahead and give your main congregation your tithe, maybe during the week, or double it the next week, and then go visit your other friends in my Church in their congregations.
Carl: But then I won’t be with my friends in my own congregation.
Jesus: But you aren’t with your friends in the other congregations either.
Carl: I know, so which do I choose?
Jesus: Choose them all. I do. I AM friends with each one of them. They all are a part of my Church.
Carl: Different ones each week? How will I keep a strong relationship with my own smallgroup and pastor?
Jesus: Take initiative. Help people to see other Christians and other congregations as their friends. Then the friendships in your own congregation will also grow deeper.
Carl: And I need to visit other congregations to do that?
Jesus: Yep. You can’t be friends with people you don’t spend time with.
Carl: Yeah… and I can help other congregations know that people in my own congregation family are their friends as well.
Jesus: Now you are thinking of “outreach.”
Carl: Yes, I must “outreach” to people.
Jesus: “Outreach” as a noun is friendly, as a verb it’s more aggressive, like “over-reaching”. You could say, “We will do outreach…” but not, “…outreach to people.”
Carl: Why are we talking about grammar?
Jesus: You “reach out” to others in friendship. That is called “outreach.” When you say, “I want to outreach to people,” non-Christians don’t understand what you mean and they think you are crazy.
Carl: People in my Church say that all the time.
Jesus: People in my Church say that you are crazy?
Carl: No, people in my Church say,” We need to outreach to people,” all the time.
Jesus: You mean people in my Church say that all the time.
Carl: Well, yes. People in Your Church say it all the time. We need to bring new Christians into our congregation.
Jesus: And how many new Christians are you bringing into your congregation?
Carl: Last year we brought in ten new people.
Jesus: How many new Christians? People who didn’t know me before?
Carl: Um… three of them were new Christians, the others joined their old church split.
Jesus: How can my Church split?
Carl: Okay, their congregation split.
Jesus: Three people huh?
Carl: Yeah, isn’t that good?
Jesus: Sure, three is good…
Carl: Don’t You celebrate when You leave the 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep?
Jesus: Yes, but if there are four lost sheep, and I leave the 96 to find one sheep, I AM thrilled, but there are still other lost sheep.
Carl: You don’t want me to get so excited about a few new Christians that I forget all the other people You care about.
Jesus: That’s right and just.
Carl: But how can we reach them all?
Jesus: You can start by not saying confusing things like, “I want to outreach to people.” They don’t want to follow people who use crazy-sounding words. Be understandable.
Carl: But my congregation says it all the time.
Jesus: You already said that.
Carl: So, it’s still true!
Jesus: Are you saying you only know how to talk to people in your own congregation?
Carl: Well… no… not exactly…
Jesus: That’s what it sounds like.
Carl: So… if I want to be understood by non-Christians outside of my congregation I might start by talking to Christians in other congregations?
Jesus: Now you’re onto something. You have no idea how many things they agree with you about. They just use different words.
Carl: Like what?
Jesus: Take Calvinism and Arminianism for instance.
Carl: Like Democrats and Republicans going at it.
Jesus: More like Abbot and Costello. They use the same words to say different things and the misunderstanding makes for a great comedy act! We get all sorts of entertainment out of watching those guys act like they disagree. And they really pretend to hate each other so well… in a “Christian” way of course.
Carl: Blasphemy!
Jesus: I’ve been told that before.
Carl: That debate is about important stuff!
Jesus: The issues are important, but you’re wrong about one thing.
Carl: What’s that?
Jesus: It isn’t a debate. It’s a misunderstanding.
Carl: What’s there to misunderstand? One group believes humans don’t have a free will and the other believes You’ll take away people’s salvation if they step out of line!
Jesus: No, neither side of the comedy act believes either of those. It’s all a show. And they mostly fool themselves.
Carl: Well, if You’re so smart…
Jesus: …I AM…
Carl: …so tell me what they do believe!
Jesus: Calvinists want to believe that I am reliable. Arminianists want people to be held responsible. That isn’t a debate.
Carl: They sure seem to think it is.
Jesus: In a debate, the different debating sides disagree about the same topic or topics… Calvinists and Arminianists aren’t even talking about the same things.
Carl: How are they not the same? So many experts write books about it.
Jesus: I AM the one who wrote The Book and I know that I AM reliable because I AM the one who holds people accountable. And I hold people accountable because I AM reliable.
Carl: Alright, Jesus, if You say so, I’ll at least consider the idea, but this is a hard pill to swallow. Please, help me understand: Why do they disagree so much if it’s all just a misunderstanding as You say?
Jesus: They don’t worship together.
Carl: What!? They all worship You!
Jesus: But not together.
Carl: How does that relate?
Jesus: The Arminianists only think that they agree about Arminianism and disagree with Calvinism because of their beliefs. Actually, Arminianists agree together because they worship me together as a congregation. It’s their unity in worship that is the source of their unity in friendship and they misinterpret it as unity in their beliefs. They need to worship me together.
Carl: If Calvinists and Arminianists worshiped You “together” as You suggest, that wouldn’t solve their doctrinal differences!
Jesus: That would be true, except you’re forgetting that I already told you about your error.
Carl: What’s that?
Jesus: They don’t have a doctrinal disagreement, they have a misunderstanding. From Heaven, their so-called “debate” truly is like watching Abbot and Costello debate “Who’s on First!”
Carl: Then why don’t they know that?
Jesus: They don’t talk together.
Carl: Oh yes they do! They debate all the time.
Jesus: “Debating together” isn’t “talking together.”
Carl: So, when they finally do talk about their differences, it’s in the form of a disagreement and they never actually “talk” with each other?
Jesus: Yep.
Carl: Well how should they talk? There is so much hostility in the air when they meet-up for coffee.
Jesus: Instead of “friendly banter” —which is all good, in its proper place—perhaps they could find “different words” to say what the other guy thinks. One person could say to the other, “Let me see if I understand, you are saying…”
Carl: In my “Intro to Christian Counseling” class we call that “summarizing.”
Jesus: Exactly.
Carl: Wait! That reminds me!
Jesus: Oh. Do tell. [nodding with arms thoughtfully crossed like a counseling therapist]
Carl: I read in a book somewhere that the way to solve disputes between people is to find out why each person wants what they want and thinks what they think.
Jesus: That’s interesting… Go on…
Carl: For instance… let’s see if I can remember… A son might want to go to a community college and a mother wants him to attend to a nice school with a scholarship.
Jesus: And… you’re saying that it only seems like a disagreement?
Carl: Oh, yes.
Jesus: And, how does that make them feel?
Carl: It’s a very big disagreement!
Jesus: So, how does a good counselor help them solve their “big disagreement?”
Carl: In that example from the book, after asking the question, “Why?” to both the mother and son for about an hour, the two of them figured out that both mother and son wanted an affordable way to pay for college.
Jesus: Bingo!
Carl: Wait, You’re the Wonderful Counselor. Isn’t that my line?
Jesus: I was saying it for you. I advocate a lot of things on your behalf.
Carl: Okay, so, staying on topic… The mother and son reconciled their differences by finding common ground on…
Jesus: Yes?
Carl: …their motives.
Jesus: The motivation of the human heart is where we find unity!
Carl: That’s why Calvinists and Arminianists would find unity if they just spent more time worshiping You, in their hearts, together!
Jesus: And, what was the first thing I said about them?
Carl: