Building His Kingdom, Not Ours by stella ashworth
Recently, someone shared these words: "We can still be friends with people who leave our church; we are not in gangs."
Those words have stayed with me, and often they bring a smile to my face because they reveal a profound truth. How easily we fall into the trap of thinking, "My church is better than yours."
We promote our brands, our colours, our names, and our ministries, yet sometimes carry unforgiveness toward our own brothers and sisters in Christ. We seek recognition, visibility, and applause, forgetting that the Kingdom of God was never built on competition, but on love.
Jesus said, "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). He did not say they would know us by our logos, our banners, our buildings, or our popularity. They would know us by our love.
The early Church was marked by humility, unity, generosity, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Signs and wonders followed those who followed Christ, not those who promoted themselves.
When our greatest reward becomes the approval of people, we have already received our reward. But when we seek God's glory above our own, heaven bears witness.
The Kingdom is bigger than any denomination, ministry, or local congregation. We are not called to build our own empires; we are called to build God's Kingdom. And in that Kingdom, every true believer is family.
May we be known less for our colours and more for Christ. Less for our divisions and more for our love. Less for our self-promotion and more for the evidence of God's presence among us.
Stella Ashworth - Bay Talk