2 Corinthians 11.3,4 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

If fallen man is good at anything, it is complicating something that is simple. Such is true in the realm of faith or religion. Paul had communicated the gospel to the church at Corinth. Their salvation was granted to them by God’s grace through faith in The Lord Jesus Christ. This is clear in chapter 1 verses 18-31. “Let him that glorieth, glory in The Lord.” Simple, right? No hoops to jump through. Repentance of sin and faith inJesus Christ. A message that Timothy knew from his childhood. Fast forward to 2014 dialogues on Facebook.

I am not on Facebook much, but rarely do I follow up on a message sent to me without some religious dialogue going on from one person to another about their faith in Jesus, or some biblical views on some other current topic. Honestly, beloved, they get pretty nasty. I cannot help but think what the millions of non-Christians think about Jesus Christ, His gospel or church. Yes, there are some blasphemous beliefs that need to be publicly rebuked. But much of the dialogue between Christians leaves me more confused and wanting to reach for my bible and restore my spiritual sanity.

There is no question about the fact that our faith contains so many mysteries that can never be solved or fully understood in this life. It is because we see through a glass darkly that we have so many denominations today. My definition of a denominations is “This is how we interpret the Scriptures, this is how we worship, and this is how we practice our faith in Jesus.” Denominations in and of themselves are like parts of our body. They all serve a function. But when one part starts ripping into another part, things get a bit messy.

There is a simplicity of faith in Jesus that transcends all of our differences. It is this simple faith in Jesus that unites us, if I understand Jesus’ prayer in John 17 correctly.

Modern church planting seems to be more like grocery store chains that have their logo and slogans. Do we really need more churches, or do we need to strengthen the ones God has already established? Are we really proclaiming the simplicity of Jesus, or our own brand of Christianity? Love Jesus, dear ones. Love His gospel. Don’t be hoodwinked into salvation via a system. Don’t hop on the most current, hip, religious trend or bandwagon. Jesus is a Jealous Savior Who will not share your heart with a system or a trend. Simply love Jesus simply. Adore Him. Be holy as He is holy. Simply preach and live the gospel simply. Even a child can understand that.