“Are you willing to risk everything?”
Harry looked me in the eye and asked,
He, who had followed Jesus for decades longer than I had, asked me a serious question.
We are in Washington DC, the capital of the United States.
I was sitting at a small table in the reception room atop the Museum of the Bible in downtown.
Over Harry's shoulder, the United States Capitol building was visible.

A few years ago, my family moved to downtown Washington, and since then, I've been going through some of the most difficult and depressing times of my life.
Of course, when I wrote a book a decade ago about the price of following Jesus, breaking free from the myth of success, and rediscovering true faith, I was met with criticism and opposition.
But equally, if not even more, accolades and opportunities followed.
The church I was pastoring at the time grew day by day, and I was invited as a lecturer not only across the United States but also all over the world.
Ironically, the result of writing a book that called for kicking the success myth out of the water was that I gained a lot from it.

But now things are completely different.
Like many churches, ours was hit hard by the pandemic.
Our city and country were going through turbulent times with elections, protests, and riots.

Tensions surrounding politics and race have created deep conflicts, leading to deep divisions within families and churches.
I still preached about what it means to follow Jesus, but this time the praise didn't pour in.
Instead, personal attacks and slander came flying in.
My love for God and His Word was questioned.
I was exhausted and in unbearable pain.
Harry knew all about this from hearing rumors and watching the news.
I also learned from talking to many pastors across the country who are experiencing divisions within their churches that ours is not alone.

“The pastor enjoys a good reputation in a stable position at a large church.
“Are you willing to risk it all?”

There was silence for a moment.
Harry turned his head to the side and began to tell a story about a friend of his, a minister.
The pastor faced a major problem in the church a long time ago.
Many church members criticized him, saying that 'this' was too much and 'that' was too little.
Eventually, the pastor made a fatal decision.
According to Harry, “he came to the conclusion that the applause of the people was more important than loyalty to God.”
So the pastor changed the direction of his ministry to avoid criticism.
He began to put all his efforts into pleasing people, maintaining his reputation, and keeping his place in the church.

“That method worked.
The pastor could not have been kicked out.
The congregation was satisfied.
But!” Harry continued.
“Ultimately, he lost something irreplaceable in his ministry and, more importantly, in his life.
He did not have the courage to pay the price that his deep-seated convictions demanded.”
Harry looked at me again and spoke softly.
“Pastor, please hold on strong.
“Don’t give up.”
He paused for a moment and then said he wanted to pray for me.
“Thank you.” I nodded quietly.
We bowed our heads, and Harry prayed for me to have the courage to continue on the right path.
--- From the "Prologue"

three barrels
Picture three barrels in your mind.
The first is clear biblical beliefs and practices.
This is the unity that unites all of Jesus' disciples.
This barrel contains the gospel.


The first clause also contains the authority, inerrancy, and sufficiency of God's Word.
There are also clear and direct truths and commands contained in those words.
As we will explore in more detail later, the Bible is the most important and sufficient foundation for determining what we believe and how we should live as disciples of Christ.

Christians are clearly divided from unbelievers in the beliefs and practices contained in the first can.
For example, if someone says that Jesus is not God, that salvation is not by grace, or that Jesus did not die on the cross and rise again, we should love and care for that person, but we cannot form a church with that person and worship with him.
The reason is simple.
Because he does not worship the same God as we do or believe the same gospel.

Likewise, if anyone denies the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, he is not a disciple of Jesus and therefore cannot be united with him in our faith.
We must simply love him as an unbeliever and give ourselves to lead him to Jesus.

The second of the three containers contains beliefs and practices that unite Jesus' disciples within the local church.
This section contains matters on which different churches have different opinions.
The local churches are divided into several denominations based primarily on the beliefs and practices contained in this second column.
Nevertheless, all churches cooperate with churches of other denominations to spread the gospel.
For example, one church may believe that babies should be baptized, while another church may believe that only believers in Christ should be baptized.
Some churches may believe that it is biblical for either man or woman to be a pastor, while others may believe that according to the Bible, only men can be pastors.
Another church may believe that God still gives spiritual gifts of prophecy, speaking in tongues, or healing today, while another church may believe that such gifts are not as present today as they were in the past.
Christians are divided into different churches based on their beliefs and practices, but wherever they are, they can unite as disciples of Jesus, encouraging one another and joining hands to spread the gospel.

The third column contains beliefs and practices that may differ among members even within the same church.
Within a church, members may agree on baptism, spiritual gifts, and church leadership, but disagree on when the end will begin.

Personal beliefs, including political choices, can vary.
Although church members usually hold different positions on these issues, church members with the same position do not go out and establish separate churches.
The problem with church union is that by confusing the barrels, we end up not loving those who are different from us.

--- From "Chapter 1"