As Christian Friends, Do We Really Share our Faith-Related Struggles?

We as Christians can’t always be true to our fellow believers, especially to our friends—those born again ones in particular. Why? Because their perception of believing in Jesus Christ is believing in a set of religious rules and regulations, a system of belief and doctrines. Most Christians worship these doctrines and systems rather than worshipping God. They rather love the rules and regulations written by famous commercial Christian authors than Jesus.

Imagine, you start sharing your question and may be even doubts about "tithes", "heaven", "hell", other "religions" there will be very few friends who will remain with you the rest will start questioning your faith and once you fall out of their pre-set system of believe, they will leave you. I am sure some who are reading this post are now wondering, what is happening to Samuel Lee? Don't worry, I am still your Pentecostal brother.

Jesus said I have not come to destroy the law but complete it, so he completed it with the way of LOVE: he was the friend of those whom the Pharisees called sinners, he ate and drank with prostitutes and drunkards, he stayed in the house of tax collectors. Jesus chose to complete the law by his love, and not by introducing a new religion.

Allow me to even go further, we have created churches that are very much doctrinaire, based on statements of faith and creeds, based on these we judge people. For instance in some churches they preach tithes and offerings, then they go head and gossip behind those who pay or don’t pay their tithes, in some churches they even send agents to collect the tithes. They judge those who are undocumented and they do not allow them to participate in holy communion (because they believe that being undocumented is disobeying the Bible) but they still love to collect the tithes from these poor undocumented members of their church. Or, in some churches they do not bless a child who is born outside marriage because they consider them illegitimate. Most of us Christians love Muslims, Shinto believers, Buddhists, and Hindus as long as we can convert them, as longs as they believe our message. Even among ourselves we have such attitudes, the Trinitarians (believing in the triune God) often are hostile to those Unitarian Christians and other way around. Jesus didn’t come to teach us a new religion but came to guide us in the path of Love.

Now tell me the truth, how many of us can be honest and true to our fellow Christian brothers and sisters and tell them what we really believe, think, or doubt without being judged or controlled? And, how many of us can offer open arms to our fellow Christians who are struggling and battling with many questions about their faith without being judged?