We all have those concrete moments in life. You know, the occasions where you can remember the specific time and place where something happened that altered your existence forever. It's sorta like remembering where you were when JFK or MLK was killed or when 911 occurred. Those events and others like them will stick out in our minds as long as we live.
Most of us can remember very vividly those few moments that really shape our lives; those times when we were finally pushed off the balance beam. During my 45 years I have had my share of those events. One such incident took place in the Fall of 2009. Without going into great detail, the hateful and arrogant actions of a fellow church of Christ minister during a Gospel Meeting finally pushed me over that proverbial edge. It was after that awful situation that I decided to write the following article in the Fairfield bulletin.
At the time I really didn't think that the article was that big of a deal, I suppose because the thoughts had been running around in my mind for a few years....I just hadn't verbalized it to many people. But boy was I wrong. Apparently it was a really big deal. As soon as that article hit mailboxes from far and near, my phone began to ring. A lot. The very first call I received was from a friend of mine who had read the article. He asked if I was OK, to which I replied, "Yea I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" I seriously didn't understand why he was asking me that. I mean it was just a few paragraphs in a church newsletter. No big thing, right? Wrong.
So the phone continued to ring. And the letters began coming in. Some from here. Some from way away from here. It amazed me that there was even a guy from Nebraska who called. Most of these calls began the same way and ended the same way. They began with well-intentioned people wanting to challenge/fight me because of my perceived "error" and turning my back on the "truth". It ended with me saying that I appreciated them being concerned for my spiritual well-being and that I would not be fighting or debating anyone. I believed what I believed. They believed what they believed. They could quote verses. I could quote verses. Why couldn't we just let it go, love each other in spite of our very few differences, and be about the business of trying to introduce Jesus to those yet without Him? That response worked with some, and stoked the fire with others.
Several things along those same lines occurred in the following years as a result of the article ..... some of which were pleasant & many of which were painful. I could not write another word without acknowledging how supportive the elders of Fairfield were to me during that time. I know it would have been very easy for them to have listened to many of the letters they were receiving encouraging them to fire me. But they didn't. They didn't stand behind me ..... they stood in front of me and my family and took a lot of heat and ridicule because of my actions. I will never, ever forget how those Shepards treated my family as sheep and protected us. I love them for that .... because of how they showed their love for me.
I have had people ask me if I could go back would I change anything about that article or even not write it at all. My answer has always been "No." Always. Yes, I understand how some folks would perceive that my letter was just a knee-jerk reaction to a preacher who had acted like a jerk. It wasn't that at all. It was just the final straw in a very long line of other straws.
So, read on if you wish. Now over 5 years later I thought I would post a copy of the letter that changed my life. Even as I type this I know, that like 5 years ago, there will be some who will want to correct my theology and point out my error. And that's ok. But I, like 5 years ago, will simply say "Thank you for being concerned" and "No, I will not argue or debate." I just want to show the love of Jesus to those who have never seen it. I figure surely we can all agree on that, can't we?
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Date: 9/23/2009
Fairfield church of Christ bulletin
Author: Devin
Title: Time to move on
I want you to please understand that this is not a rash decision. I don't feel like I am rushing into anything, as this issue has been running around in my mind for quite some time. Truth be known, this is something that I have pondered regularly for the last few years. I have especially been thinking about it a lot lately as a result of much prayer, Bible study and various life circumstances. As with any major decision, I have tried to objectively examine this from every angle and determine what the long-range effects might be on myself and as well as on others around me. So, after much deliberation with myself and God ..... for better or for worse ..... I have finally made the decision. As of today, Tuesday, September 22, I no longer want to be a “Church of Christ” preacher. Does this mean that I am resigning as pulpit minister of the Church of Christ at Fairfield? Absolutely, positively not. I hope to be here for many years to come. Does it mean that I don't want to be associated with God's people and worship with them on a regular basis any more? Certainly not. The happiest moments of my life are spent around Christians. Please allow me to explain in the following way.
I understand that my statement may come as a shock to some and a relief to others. Some might question the fact as to whether I was truly a preacher to begin with anyway ..... a thought that has even crossed my mind a time or two ..... or thousand. I want you to understand that I speak of-and- for myself only. There are certainly many talented and loving ministers within the Churches of Christ who do a remarkable job at spreading the Good News. I, though, must take this opportunity to repent of my own ignorance and error in times past. I beg forgiveness for the times that I have stood in judgment of someone while at the same time having a two-by-four sticking out of my own eye. I apologize for all the times that I preached certain issues as being Biblical doctrine and matters of salvation when in actuality I was foolishly trying to defend the commandments and traditions of men. I humbly request pardon for all the times that my attitude was haughty, arrogant, rude, mean-spirited, and down right hateful. I'm sorry for any occasion where I assisted someone in feeling beat down, unlovable and unforgivable. I fall on my knees in repentance both to God and my brothers and sisters in Christ and hope and pray that trust can soon be restored in me once again.
Please take time to read what the Apostle Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia, especially Galatians 1:6-10. I think Paul was thinking about me when he penned that passage, for I believe I have been guilty of “perverting the gospel of Christ” (vs 7). I have taken part in trying to uphold the traditional aspects of my beliefs while all the while shunning the true message of what the gospel actually is ..... the birth, life, death, burial and resurrection of God's perfect Son. I have spent far too much time embracing “foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law” (Titus 3:9), while my time could have been much better spent on the “greatest commandment in the Law ..... Loving God with all my heart, soul, and mind and loving my neighbor as myself” (Matthew 22:36-40). But alas, all that is in the past, and God willing, I will be given time to change only that which I can ..... the future.
It is my Biblical, heartfelt belief that God desires for me to be no other kind of preacher than a “Gospel preacher” ..... no more and no less. Fact of the matter is, I think he desires that for us all as we “go into the world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). I believe it is God's desire that we plainly preach the doctrine of Christ rather than “Church of Christ” doctrine. Can the two of those things be different as night and day? You bet 'cha. But could they also be synonymous with one another? Absolutely. God has left it up to us to decide which way it will be.
Go the extra mile - Devin
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