No individual Church on earth has an absolute monopoly of all wisdom, and that people may be right in the main, without agreeing with us. We must learn to be thankful if sin is opposed, the Gospel preached, and the devil’s kingdom pulled down, though the work may not be done exactly in the way we like. We must try to believe that men may be true-hearted followers of Jesus Christ, and yet for some wise reason may be kept back from seeing all things in religion just as we do.
Above all, we must praise God if souls are converted, and Christ is magnified-–no matter who the preacher may be, and to what Church he may belong. Happy are those who can say with Paul, “If Christ be preached, I rejoice, yes and will rejoice,” (Phil. 1:18) and with Moses, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!” (Num. 11:29).
Some questions to think and pray over:
In the past month, have you suggested to someone who goes to your own church take part in something put on at another church in your area, such as an event or a particular program?
In the past month, have you shared something praiseworthy about another church in your area in the hearing of someone at your own church?
Do you regularly pray for other pastors, ministries, or churches in your area?
If you said, "no" to any of those questions, why? Perhaps you need need to read Ryle's quote again and consider how you can celebrate what God is doing in your area, rather than focus so much on what you and your church is doing.
