As I travel and minister, I have the opportunity to visit many different expressions of the Church. I was recently in a gathering populated by tremendous thinkers and theologians. In that mix were differing opinions on major topics of theology and God’s Kingdom. The people loved Jesus and had given their life and treasure to Him, but some shared different understandings about truth and how it is applied.

During one evening session of worship, I looked out across the hundreds of people gathered. The worship had reached a point where the glory of God was manifesting throughout the sanctuary. Some of those worshipping were expressive in their worship and others were more sedate and meditative. Then it hit me. I was seeing the only place where the Church will ever have a single point of agreement. That agreement will be in our worship of God, not in our points of theology, or how we should worship or what constitutes an authentic church service. Worship is the only place where each of us makes the choice to focus on the One who is worthy of our love and affection. He is our shared point of agreement.

That night in worship, I saw the Church as one, united in focus on Jesus, not on diverse points of theology or opinions that many times can separate us.  I came away from that evening more at peace about the future of the Church than at any time in recent memory. 

When you find yourself in a place of frustration about an opposing opinion regarding a matter of faith, get to a place of shared worship where those who are creating your frustration are worshipping next to you and choose to focus on the Savior with them. As you worship in the diversity, open your eyes and look around. Like me, you might come to realize the image of that single focus of worship amidst diverse opinions is where the love and oneness Jesus spoke about will have its beginning and its greatest chance of survival once we leave the sanctuary.