It is horrifyingly astonishing to hear how easily God’s
people would destroy a church. In a
society where people are looking for excuses for not going to church, it
becomes even more heartbreaking when God’s people give them a greater reason
not to. The devil does a good enough job
that he does not need our help. Jesus
says in John 13:35 -"By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
Yet within the walls of our churches, God’s people readily dig their
toes into the sand and defiantly say “My way or the highway” and by their
actions, show the exact opposite of love.
Thriving churches whose name evokes high commendations in the
communities have now sullied its reputation for the sake of a few. A beacon of light and love has now turned to
a battleground of selfishness and strife.
I have been a part of several ministries both in youth and pastoring and
in my journeys, I have witnessed division, dissension, discouragement, and
distraction (all major tools of the devil enabled by God’s people from time to
time). The Bible is clear about one
thing, the sin of selfishness is a major part of fighting. James 4:1 reveals the source of
fighting and quarrels: What is the source
of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage
war in your members? (New American Standard) We are so focused on what we want that we
lose the focus of what God wants. We are
more ready to fight over the color of the carpet instead of expending our
energy to commit the Gospel to a lost and dying world. We are more willing to hurt someone for the
sake of helping ourselves, whether it be a new program, a new pastor, or a new
place. Paul also expresses that
quarreling and dissension is a source of pride and selfishness. In first letter to the Corinthians, he
writes: “For you are still fleshly. For
since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you
not walking like mere men?” (I
Corinthians 3:3) Simply stated,
when God’s people become involved in frivolous and trivial quarreling, it is a
sign of worldliness.
What
place does quarreling and division have in the church? The Biblical answer is none. In his letter to a
divided church, Paul writes:
Now I exhort you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that
there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind
and in the same judgment. For I have
been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are
quarrels among you. Now I mean this,
that each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of
Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ." Has Christ been divided? Paul was not
crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (I Corinthians 1:10-13, New American
Standard)
Did you
notice the text? There was a clear
difference of opinion among God’s people in Corinth and that clear difference
of opinion was causing division among a group that should have exemplified
unity. Why would someone allow the difference
of opinion establish division within the church? It goes back to what we have just read in
James 4:1, selfishness. At the root of
selfishness is pride. The “me first”
mentality and the “what I want” attitude is not found in the Bible nor does it have
any place in God’s kingdom or His church.
There are two commandments that are clearly taught by Christ in Matthew
22 and all the laws of the Old Testament and prophets and everything we do and
how we respond rest upon those two commandments: Love God with all our heart,
soul, and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves. In the battlegrounds amid God’s people, those
two are quickly thrown out the window and the agenda of our battle plans is
that we will not stop until we get what we want: selfishness.
The
Bible gives a clear direction of how we are to respond to those who cause
division and dissension: Avoid them.
Paul writes: Now I beseech you,
brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine
which ye have learned; and avoid them (Romans
16:17, KJV). We are quick to
point out the problems with the world and there are problems to be found
wherever you look, but at the same time, we turn a blind eye to the problems
within. While we are too busy watching
the world, we must remember that the world is watching us. There was a saying that became a popular
fashion wear among the younger generation when I was younger, it was based
around the acronym “WWJD”. It was a
question that we were to ask ourselves” What would Jesus do? It served as a reminder as we journeyed
through life whenever we came to a decision we needed to make we would ask in
our heart that question with the hope of making a God pleasing decision. I believe there is a more important question
we should be asking amongst ourselves: What is Jesus seeing. If He was to visit HIS church, what would He
see? It becomes even more weightier when we realize that while we all see what
is on the outside….Jesus lookers deeper…into the heart
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