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The Church Theology michaellytle 2152 views

Six Wise Blind Men of Indostan

Are you a Calvinist or an Armenian?  Many Christians have no doubt had to wrestle with whether they fall under the banner of John or Jacobus, whether they think the rapture could happen at any moment, whether they should be sprinkled or dunked and other such theological issues.  So often I hear these debates and I am reminded of the “wise blind men of Indostan.”(see poem below)  Many Christians sit around debating over which doctrines are more right and less right and often end up making such a pile of words that they soon find themselves neck down in manure. If they were to but pause, they might realize that much of their debate is mere semantics and they are actually mostly saying the same things just from differing perspectives.  What is worse, all of the debate and arguing creates such a stink and fog that not only are seekers driven away but believers become blinded to those aspects of their faith which are most important.
What we need is a reality check.  Here are a few statistics:  It is estimated that 66% of the world have not heard about Jesus Christ.  Let’s make this estimate a little more conservative and let’s just say that 50% of the world have not heard the truth about Jesus Christ.  Another statistic tells us that around 300,000 people die each day.  So if we do the math, that means that about 150,000 people die each day who have not heard the Good News…and all whilst we sit around debating over whether or not we are the chosen people of God and how imminent the rapture is or isn’t!
Is doctrine important?  Most definitely!  It is imperative that each believer not only know what he believes but why he believes it.  As a believer you should have an answer concerning doctrinal and theological issues, but these should never become the drive or center of your walk with God.  As a believer your mission is to love and seek God with all you are and to reach out and help the broken and needy around you.  The minute (or hour) we forget that, and find ourselves focused solely on debate amongst our fellows, is the minute we lose the mission.  When we lose the mission we should then begin to fear that we might end up, at the Judgment, separated off to the left instead of the right, shaking our heads saying, “but God, didn’t I do this and that in your name…?”
The fact of the matter is, their will most likely be both Armenians and Calvinists to the left and to the right.  I’m not saying that all roads lead to God, but there  is likely to be be amillennialists, mid-tribulationists, sprinklers, dunker, pentecostals, baptists and all of the above, on each side as well.
The real questions are, “Did you pass by a Lazurus at your gate this morning?” and “Whose life have you enriched today?”
I am interested in your doctrine, but what truly moves me is your fruits!
Show me your fruits not your doctrine.

The Poem: Six Wise Blind Men of Indostan

2 thoughts on “Six Wise Blind Men of Indostan

  1. Yhon Jetley Marks

    well I guess that makes you the 7th (not so wise) blind man!!

  2. michaellytle

    Possibly, possibly!

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