“Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist; some say Elias; and others Jeremias or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my Father, which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16: 13-18)

After having studied the various beliefs of several Christian denominations, it appears to me denominations were inspired by God to keep us discussing the scriptures, or perhaps they are a product of Satan to keep Christians divided.

Regardless of the purpose or origin, Christians agree on the fundamental belief of
Bible-based salvation. Our eternal destination is qualified by the faith-based belief that Christ Jesus was crucified (bled and died) for the remission of sin and resurrected.

Because of this fundamental fact and belief of the gospel of Jesus and His admonition to Simon Peter, there is only one church and that is His church.

Several years ago a local church provided a once-a-year meal for a student group at a nearby college. The menu was the same every year and one item on the menu was green beans.

A ladies mission group was the organiser of the project. The leader of that group directed the project and was in the church kitchen when all the pots, bowls, and other food containers were brought in to be delivered to the college. Names are not used to protect the guilty.

The mission director has passed on at this point, but her descendants might well recognise her modus operandi. She was a very sweet lady but may have been the inspiration for the song
My Way by Frank Sinatra.

The ladies assigned to provide green beans prepared their own special recipes. Adding their own special bacon grease, herbs, and spices to their individual works of art, they took tremendous pride in their years of experience, research, and testing to produce their masterpieces.

The green beans specialists delivered their exceptional blends of the product to the church and stayed a few minutes to hear the latest news, then went on their way to pursue their schedules. Usually the assigned time to make their delivery was 10 in the morning and the church van left for the college around 11:00 am.

Once all the deliveries were made, only one or two key people were alone with the food. All the green beans were collected and dumped into a large pot. Then using a very large commercial kitchen spoon, the beans were stirred together.

The world-famous cooks of all the world-famous green bean recipes at the church were not aware and retained their self-respect in the annals of green bean recipe history.

Can you visualise walking up to the gates into heaven and being asked, “Do you believe Christ Jesus suffered, bled, and died for the remission of sin and was resurrected from the dead?” If you answer “yes,” you will hear a resounding, “Come on in!”

Can you imagine, however, being asked, “Of what church denomination were you a member?” The sign over the door or in front of the church is not an indicator of the belief in one’s heart and mind.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10: 9-10)

Isn’t it interesting how the scriptures connect human emotion/feelings to the human heart? Some scientists and doctors tell us the heart is only a muscle, an important muscle, but a muscle just the same. But isn’t it interesting to note the heart rate speeds up when we become excited, emotional, or afraid? Isn’t it interesting how my heart speeds up when I see my wife after being gone for a while? She’ll laugh out loud if she reads this.

I personally believe the scientists will someday announce they’ve discovered a direct connection from the brain to the heart and confess the
Bible was not exaggerating at all. Evidence is already starting to emerge to reinforce this belief.

When Paul wrote in Romans 10: 10, “With the heart man believes unto salvation,” he was conveying the mind of God to us and that is not to be taken lightly. Our belief in Christ Jesus is not only a faith-based belief, it is also an emotional belief.

The biblical usage of the word “heart” possibly refers to the innermost of the person. A spiritual connection may exist in this scenario and in my thoughts certainly does. The writers of the
Bible saw the heart as a blood pumper and the most essential part of all life’s functions. These included the emotional aspects.

It doesn’t really matter what anyone believes about the other issues. The only matter of importance is what one believes (and feels) about Jesus. People of several denominations believe theirs is the only one going to heaven.

As indicated in the leading scripture from Matthew 16, Jesus said, “On this rock (Peter) I will build my church.” He did not say build my churches (or denominations). There is only one church and that is His church.

No one will be in heaven because of the church they attended. Church attendance is perceived as important and valuable to most but certainly is not a requirement for salvation. The term “church”, as in Matthew 16: 18, refers to all believer-followers of the Lord Jesus.

Christians in Heaven will be like those dishes of green beans. We’ll be in that one big pot called Heaven and stirred together. Won’t it be wonderful to put aside (forget) all those petty differences that divide us?

Several of the various denominations may resent this line of thinking. That would be sad because it would mean they don’t realise Christ died for all mankind that all might be saved. (1 Timothy 2: 3-4) Many still believe those of their particular church will be the only ones in Heaven. That is also sad because eternal security is not based on a name of a church or denomination.

One is a member of a church on paper and that’s it! So jump on in that pot of green beans and enjoy your new freedom. The narrow-mindedness of believing “only those that believe those secondary details “exactly like I do” are going to Heaven is certainly not a
Bible teaching.

Your eternity is based on what you believe about Jesus. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3: 17) The belief that Christ Jesus was crucified for the remission of sin and resurrected is the only salvation.

Van Yandell is a retired industrial arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist, and commissioned missionary. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or vmy2121@gmail.com.