1. Free to Change
2. Freedom and Responsibility
3. My Kind of People
4. "Come Out And Be Separate"
5. Private Intepretation
6. A "Monkey-Wrench" Scripture
7. The Truth That Frees
8. Literary Devices
9. Fear of God
10. A Love Story
11. The Three Trees In Eden
12. Imputed Righteousness
13. Different Essentials For Different People
14. God's Sons In All Ages
15. Looking To Lust
16. Divorce Her!
17. "While Her Husband Is Alive"
18. "They Won't Let Me Preach!"
19. God's Perplexing Prophets
20. Religous Titles
21. Who Sinned?
22. "I'll Join Your Church"
23. The Church As The Route To Heaven
24. One Hundred Years Old
25. Can Our Churches Unite?
26. Can The Cause Of Sickness Be The Cure?
27. When Life Begins
28. Abortion: Law Or Principle?
29. Human Chattel
30. The Hope of Israel
31. The Great Temptation of Jesus
32. The Rich Man And Lazarus
33. My Hermeneutic
34. Is Immersion Proved By Example?
35. Who Gets The Credit?
36. Hook's Points
37. Heresy
38. I Am A Debtor

Other Books at Freedom's Ring

"I have few true friends with whom I can really relax" is a statement that you have made unless you are more outgoing and socially accepting than most of us. I like to be with "my kind of people." Although this is usually quoted to imply evil associations, "Birds of a feather flock together" expresses the universal inclination to be with people who are most like us.

Social comfort with only those of our own nature does not recognize what true friendship is, nor does it demonstrate the attitude that Jesus would have in his society of believers. True friends love each other in spite of their differences. They accept us "warts and all" with a charity that transcends petty preferences and chasms of convictions.

God erased distinctions in Christ. There are no groupings any more, for all are one in Christ. Preferences of race, age, sex, nationality, culture, and degree of spiritual maturity no longer exist in the body. They are all my kind of people. While it is true that these distinctions all still exist, they are not barriers to acceptance by God or his disciples. We must look, feel, and identify across those lines even as Christ does.

I have been in a private study group with my kind of people and that was a wonderful experience. It served a special need which made it expedient. I have thought how nice it would be to start a new, undenominational group of that kind of select people where we could all be comfortable with each other.

In this community, there are several reform groups whose intent was to restore pure Christianity. Being drawn together because of their likeness of mind, they felt a comfort with each other. However, unintentional as it might be, they attract only others who are compatible. It becomes a matter of, "If you are our kind, come with us." Thus, an exclusiveness is inherent in the plan. There is the underlying desire to be with those who agree with us so that no conflict will have to be dealt with which calls for the virtue of forbearance. These people easily become impatient and overbearing with those who pose some threat to their complacent society.

The chief factor for determining our kind of people has usually been doctrinal agreement. If you agree, or if we can convert you to our set of doctrines, you are our kind. Thus, we continue to divide into sectarian groups of our differing kinds.

It is true that, in order to have sharing, fellowship, mutual participation, or communion, we must have a basis of commonality. What is that basis? How do we identify these people?

They are disciples of Jesus. Being followers and learners, they will necessarily be at different points along the road to perfection.

They are those in Christ. He unites all in himself. That is not our doing. We just accept it and live with it. The oneness is created by the Spirit. We cannot separate into kinds as though different spirits led us through baptisms of choice into selective bodies through various systems of faith offering different goals set before us by particular lords and gods. God's purpose was to unite all things in him in one body, and that is what he has done and continues to do. (Please read Ephesians 1:3-10; 4:1-6 again.)

Those who are our kind are ignorant, erring, immature people who are trying to follow Jesus. They love but are not perfect in love. They do not all excel in morality. In sanctification, most are far from being models. Yet, they are sanctified in and by Christ. Through his grace he put his arms around us all, pulled us out of hopelessness, and accepted us as though we were perfect. That's my kind of people!

I am not arguing against our having individual friendships as long as they do not breed exclusiveness.

It would be more appealing and expressive of our purposes to replace our Church of Christ signs with something like Support Gatherings for Disciples. Isn't that what our meetings should be? Isn't the church a support group for those on heaven's journey? A support group does not limit admission to labels, grades, or degrees of conformity, but they are an embracing people who identify with the needs of each other and help to supply what is lacking in areas of deficiency. They worship their Lord but are not a worshipping society. They meet for the good they receive from the gatherings rather than to demonstrate acceptable piety by the frequency of their participation or the meeting of other quotas. They are travelling toward heaven but do not claim to be the route. These are my kind of people!

Such disciples welcome one another with a love that covers a multitude of sins; yet when that love is lacking, they still forbear with one another. I hope that they can say that I am their kind of people!