The Blog of Mark (SoftCoder) and Vickie Vejvoda

Increasingly I am seeing that many people we have come to know over the years are having fundamental changes taking place in their convictions. There are many convictions and ordinances that have been around Christianity for a long time and in these past 100 years a large shift has taken hold of the majority. Things like:

- Should we do foot washing during communion or not?

- The sisters should wear a head covering or not?

- We should greet each other with a holy kiss or not?

- How often should we have communion and who can participate?

- Prayer, real regular prayer meetings?

- Should a Christian dress modestly and how does that look?

- Christian community or individuals?

- Should Christians fight (war, court, etc) or not?

- Speak in tongues / prophecy or not for today?

- Eternal Security /Predestination?

So many topics and so many ideas. What I have found is that these items above are often causes for a lot of fighting and grief amongst Christians (what an oxy-moron… or just moron?). Yes I have been a moron myself and have fought many over these issues myself. What alarms me are two things:

1. Why are we fighting about these things, why can’t we grow up and come to some kind of agreement (for items not critical to our collective walk in Christ agree to dis-agree and love each other)

2. Why are so many abandoning convictions they once believed so passionately?

So I am resolved to:

a) Avoid a fight. Discuss when a peaceful opportunity arises, share in love and leave it be.

b) Always re-evaluate my convictions, but not to abandon those ones that stand the test of scripture and the assurance of the Holy Spirit.

Too often many abandon convictions for a whole host of reasons (I don’t understand all the reasons). People want to be accepted and the more you hold to convictions different than others, the less they accept you. No-one wants to be alone so over time people either compromise or abandon. No I am no fan of being alone, but either the conviction is real and based on your love for Jesus or its false and you wasted all those years in the past following it. I am seeing people show courage less and less to stand for what they believe, as if they never thought through what they were following in the first place.

My cry is for the Lord to give His people faith, strength and courage to follow what is right and good in the face of tremendous pressure to abandon and compromise as it faces the whole Body of Christ today.