Brothers

“One is your Master, even Christ;
and all ye are brethren.” Matt. 23:8b

f you are born-again, you are my brother (period), no ifs, ands or buts. I do not have fundamentalist brothers, and evangelical brothers, Presbyterian brothers, and Methodist brothers. Oh, you can call yourself whatever you like, and it means little to me. You may call yourself "exclusive" and not want to break bread with me, but you are still my brother. You may insist you have knowledge or powers that make me a novice or a neophyte, but that's alright too. When I pray for you, I will speak to the Father of "my brother." And you may divide the religious world in two, trying to keep the amateurs on one side and professionals on the other, but that won't work either. No matter how high your title, I give you a higher one "brother."

The prince of this world does not want us on speaking terms and will find a good reason to make it so, but he can not keep me from praying your name before the greater Prince of Peace.

You might not do things like I do. You might do things I do not feel obliged to do. You may have found a text that you may try to use to keep me out, but I shall try to stay close to the Master who walked through walls. You might have higher steeples, many more lettered degrees, and travel in first class, but we are on the same plane. You may settle for a brand of brothers. Jesus left a band of brothers.

Now, not every brother is the same. I am not proud of Jacob and his ambitions, nor of John Mark and his fears, but we have the same heavenly Father. I will not sell Jacob my birthright, and shame on him if he tries to take advantage of me. If John Mark leaves, I do not have to abandon my post. One is my Master. Some see the "high" church and others a "lower." Some think they are "progressives," and some are happily called "traditional." Some might even waste their vote in November, but there is a more important election. Some elections are undecided because of hanging chads and uncertain impressions, but let me make myself clear. I ask only, do you Love Jesus? Have you been born-again? Do you remember when you were not? If the answer is yes, yes, yes, then yes, like it or not, I'm your brother.