‘Taking sides’ prevalent in Baptist life, Dallas pastor observes

HOUSTON—Since the time of Christ, his followers have been “taking sides,” Dallas pastor George Mason told Texas Baptists. But Christians can ill afford to exclude people Christ has included, he noted.

In the convention sermon delivered at the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in Houston, Mason pointed to an incident in Mark 9:38-50. John the disciple told Jesus someone who was not one of the chosen 12 was casting out demons in Christ’s name, and John had tried to stop him. But Jesus told John good work should not be hindered, and those who were not against Jesus were for him.

Texas Baptists need to realize they are not alone; others who are following Christ are a part of what he is doing, as well, said Mason, pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas.

That includes Christians of other denominations, as well as Baptists with whom Texas Baptists may not agree at every point, he noted.

“Before there were conventions and Baptists and Christians per se, followers of Jesus were taking sides,” Mason said. “We take sides about whether the gospel is primarily about saving souls or social justice, as if it can’t be both.”

Division arises when Christians take sides, Mason said. Many believers and churches think they have the best method for ministry and look down on others.

“The truth is I am just as guilty of this as any of you,” Mason said. “Many times I think all of you should think like me. You ought to worship like my church worships. You ought to do missions like me. And here’s the worst admission—those I tend to slam are in churches that are successfully using methods I would never use.”

Mason said this division can come out of judgment and competition with others in ministry.

“There are Catholics, Pentecostals, Presbyterians and others who are not in our Baptist realm doing great things for the Lord,” Mason said. “Shouldn’t we call them brothers and sisters anyway?”

Many times Christians treat other believers who are different from them as enemies, seeing they are working against each other, when in fact, they are working for the same cause—to see people come to Christ, Mason said.

“Do you know what friendly fire is?” he asked. “It’s when you are in the midst of battle and you forget whose side you are on. There is too much friendly fire going on between our churches and within our churches.”

Believers need to realize they all are working for the same cause and need to take a childlike approach to division, Mason said.  

“Forget who is the greatest. Keep your eye on the real enemy. Your fight is not with each other but with the evil principalities of the heavenly realms. Bind yourselves for battle against the enemies from hell,” he said.

To avoid taking sides, Christians must look at their own lives and hearts, making sure they first are in a right relationship with God.

“Self-examination while learning from others and serving with others—that is the spirit we need to have,” Mason said. “Jesus wants us to realize that if there is anything in our life that is keeping us from living for God, it has to go before it sends us to hell.”

To live the life that God has for every believer and for every church, people must humble themselves and seek God above all.

“Jesus doesn’t want us to waste our lives, not now, not forever,” Mason said. “But our pride gets in the way of the life he wants for us. … While the rest of the world is caught in the gains of greatness, we must show we are in the realm of self-examination.

“Let’s take sides with him, Texas Baptists, by taking sides with each other and not against each other.”