Wanna get sectarian?  Why, after Northern Ireland and South Africa? 

There is nothing to say that other believers – say Jew or Muslim – are not in a saving relationship with God. Paul was a hit man for Judaism who upon conversion felt like God had been working on him all along. This is why no human being is to be treated as beyond our love and compassion. You want to treat every human being as deserving whether or not we see the prospect of the Christian becoming a Jew or a Muslim, or vice versa.

You ought to be ashamed

One way to call yourself is to rank the amount time you look forward to spending with the people you know to practice things you do not like or approve.  Enough pretending to keep one’s brother.  Even in the priorities of many evangelist there is no such thing as hanging with the great unwashed. How far can one be from the pioneer and examples like Paul and Silas!

We have to keep an eye on the other brother.  It is spectacularly shameful how loving one’s neighbour not include acceptance and respect. The discrimination allowed in sacred circles is as structural in the secular world. There are shocking parallels to the New Testament world and the 6th century BC. There were people consuming rubbish (Isaiah 28:5-13) and idolizing the works of their hands (Jer. 8:19 and Luke 21:1-6, John 6:31-32)

There is no Shame in Trusting Jesus

What the Bible says about the globally significant alliance – that their unity will not endure – applies to religious groupings. If the major religions were to sign a pact defining spiritual unity and community it would crash while they were signing it. It would crash because there are people who think they see the forest but are looking only at the trees they thought were big and useful. It would crash because extremists are often majoring in minors.

Shallow celebrations

In the environment where people claim victory and a whole lot of honours without any evidence of Christ’s struggle, our other brothers, those who are resisting the gospel call, have nothing to hope for and that gets exacerbated by rare access to apostolic teaching.

Romans 5:3-5

3. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4. and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5. and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Romans 8:24 and 25