Which Brand?
By Mike Rule

Being a car enthusiast and having been involved in the auto industry in one way or another most of my life, I love to banter about which brand is better. I have my preferences and among car people I will stand up for my brand. Not only that, but the majority of the vehicles I own line up with what I preach. After all I would not want to be a hypocrite!

I would never tell any of my auto buddies this, but if you can keep a secret I'll tell you. Do you know that deep inside I really do like most every brand? They are all cars after all! Each one has its place and each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. I prefer the one, but know they all have value. The differences are what make the experience so much fun!

So it is with the body of Christ. There are many brands of churches out there, and each one has its place. I have my personal preferences, but I see value in almost every one. The genius of it is that the life of Jesus Himself far supersedes the unique expression of His life in individual bodies. I really believe that the differences give us a place to express the life and love of Christ toward each other. If we cannot set aside our differences and rally around our one common denominator then we are all hypocrites. If we were all the same, most of us would be unnecessary. Our individuality is what makes our unity in Christ so humanly impossible. For with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible! The differences are what make the experience so challenging.

The bottom line is, if we cannot accept each other's differences and love each other as Christ would, then everything we believe is just a useless set of ideas and we are the greatest hypocrites of all! Jesus said that we are to love the LORD our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. "This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'love your neighbor as yourself.' "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40) …Let's not forget that "if we don't have love, we are nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2) Our failures can remind us of our need for Christ so that our love to others flows naturally as a result of the one who first loved us. (1st John 4:19)