Stealing Sheep?

Sunday, 15th April 2007

Several years ago, I attended a Marriage Enrichment Course called "Married for Life" where we were taught that marriage was a covenant, and not merely a contract.

In a contract, there are clauses to allow for termination of the contract.

In a covenant, there are none -- except that when one of the party dies.

Hence, when we exchange our marriage vows, we mention that "till death do us part".

What this means is that marriage is for life.

The problem we have nowadays is that many people start to apply this "lifelong commitment" to other areas such as employment and even church membership!

Company loyalty is something that countries like Japan and Korea consider very important. At the end of the day, we must remember that is being entered into between employer and employee is a contract and not a covenant.

Of course, there are reasons why one is encouraged to remain loyal to one's employer, because some of the knowledge that one has been accumulated over the years cannot be written down in black and white. So when that person leaves the organisation, that knowledge leaves with him.

However, we should see the bigger picture that God is the one that is in-charge of everything, and He will provide, being Jehovah Jireh. There has been some staff turnover in my department because of the improved market and economic situation in Singapore, but I do not begrudge these people for leaving. Instead, I rejoice with them when I hear that they are moving on because of better prospects and better remuneration.

Similarly, church membership is not a covenant.

If one were to read the Bible, no where does it say that one must be in Church A or Church B. Because ultimately, both Church A and Church B are part of the body of Christ. Loyalty to a particular church or denomination is man-made.

So, it is my prayer that we not be so quick to pass judgement on others and label them as "church-hoppers". These people are seeking for a church where they can truly feel ministered to, and in God's time, they will start also to minister to others in turn.

At least they are still wanting to attend church, and not backslide into broken fellowship. We see cases in parts of Europe where church buildings are converted into museums or tourist attractions because it has lost its relevance to society.

So let us take this as a warning to examine ourselves as to whether we continue to remain relevant, instead of being so quick to accuse other churches of "stealing" sheep. The only person who is out to steal is the evil one, and he wants the believer to leave the sheepfold completely.

If the sheep goes to another shepherd, it should be no problem because in God's sovereignty, that shepherd may be in a better position to shepherd that sheep. If another church wants to conduct programs in a location where our own church is already operating, let us see how we can be in partnership together as the larger body of Christ, instead of worrying about others reaping what we have sown.

Let us be more magnanimous, less insecure and less narrow-minded when dealing with others in the kingdom of God. After all, Jesus Himself says clearly in His Word that whoever is not against Him is for Him.

Shalom
Malcolm