Fitting In

A 5 point Calvinist, Post-Tribulation Rapturer, and Old Earth Creationist walk into the room.  Not sure "Rapturer" is a word, but this sounds like the beginning of a joke doesn't it? 

In today's Church these are 3 minority positions on 3 hot-button topics, at least they are hot-button for some.  It just so happens that I hold to all 3 of these positions.  If that wasn't enough I homeschool my 3 children and I hope God blesses my family with many more children.  If I wasn't weird enough for you before that last sentence then I'm sure I am now! :)  

So when someone like me has strong convictions on all of these subjects, except Old Earth Creationism....I'm strongly convicted about creationism but am still in the "opinion" stage of the old or new earth discussion, how can I possibly fit into a community of believers that largely disagree with me on these important subjects?

Well I've been asking myself that question for a while and here's what I've found.  My knowledge and convictions on these subjects does not have to waiver OR interfere with my love for my brothers and sisters in Christ.

"And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in decietful schemes.  Rather speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." Eph. 4:11-16 

We can share the truth of our convictions, we can back that truth up with the Truth, i.e. the Scriptures, and we can love our brothers and sisters and consider them more important than ourselves.  Finally, we can trust the Holy Spirit of God to change their minds on the subjects of discussion and disagreement and bring us all into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, and that's how I, and you if you're weird like me, can fit in.  I/we must trust the Holy Spirit to change people in His timing and understand that any wisdom I/we have is not found in clever arguments or beating people into submission but my/our wisdom is only found in faithfully proclaiming the Scriptures and trusting God with the rest. Isaiah 55:8-11

Note to my/your self:  Sometimes my/your mind is the one that is changed.