There is a man in the congregation I serve who has become, over the years, a vivid witness to me of what it means to be the church.

This man and I disagree on just about everything.

We have different opinions about the Bible, about theology, about prayer, about...you name it. We probably wouldn't agree on what time of day it is...but, and of this you can be certain, we do agree that we are called in the name of Jesus the Christ to love one another.

As much as we disagree on politics, religion and all the rest, I do believe I would give my life for him and he would do the same for me.

We worship the God of love together.

Please note...we do not set our disagreements aside to love God and one another. We love God and one another in the midst of those disagreements.

This is a much greater test of what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be the church.