Come on let’s do this together?

 

Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose," Philippians 2:2

Here’s a story I have used before. A man was stranded on an island. Alone for a number of years, he was finally located and people came ashore to rescue him. They quickly discovered he was the only human on the island and that caused them to ask him a question. Because landing on the island they observed 3 structures built at the edge of the beach. “What are the 3 buildings for?” they asked the man replied, "This is the home I built for myself" Then showing them the other building he said "This is the church I go to." Then someone in the group said "Hey, what's the third building over there?" And the man replied "That's the church I used to go to."

You will notice I said I have used this story before but not now I don’t believe the disunity and division that exists in our churches is a laughing matter any longer indeed it is of grave concern to me..If you have been following my blogs of late you will know that I am deeply concerned about the state of our nations and what we as Christians should be doing to change things. What I have been saying is that we need to reclaim our high view of Scripture for ‘the Word of God is the power of Go unto salvation’ STILL!! Last week I spoke on our need to keep preaching the Gospel!! We are exhorted to look after the poor and the needy, I acknowledged that we cannot shirk our responsibility to those things BUT I also say that there are a plethora of organisations these days who offer social care to the many, the Church can do so too BUT it is ONLY the Church that has the Gospel and while food and clothing and shelter may alleviate people's immediate situation it will NEVER change their eternal destination??

I go a step further this week and suggest that there is one more BIG problem that stands in the way of the Church making the difference it ought to be making in the World and that is disunity and division! Might I say that if and when we reclaimed our high view of Scripture and got on with preaching the Gospel we wouldn’t have to even talk about this now at all because we would have the wisdom and discernment of the Word and we would be to busy doing the Work of God we would no longer have the time to get involved in useless argument!

How desperately sad is the fact that the church is known by schism, not unity; ignorance, not knowledge; and indecisiveness rather than maturity. How it must break God's heart to see us continue in such a poverty stricken condition in light of what He has done, stands ready to do, has the resources to accomplish, and has defined as our calling in Christ. - R.C. Sproul
"Among Christians there ought to be so great a dislike of schism, as that they may always avoid it so far as lies in their power. – John Calvin

The unity of Christendom is not a luxury, but a necessity. The World will go limping until Christ's prayer that all may be one is answered. We must have unity, not at all costs, but at all risks. A unified Church is the only offering we dare present to the coming Christ, for in it alone will He find room to dwell.       - Charles H. Brent

God cares nothing about our manmade divisions and groups and is not interested in our self-righteous, hair-splitting, and religious, man-made formulas and organizations. He wants you to recognize the UNITY of the body of Christ. - M.R. DeHaan

 

The bickering and the infighting among Christians has become just plain ridiculous and a nasty habit has developed that if you don’t like the decisions made, you don’t like the way the Pastor speaks or you don’t like the songs we sing, well we’ll just go and start our own church until such time when someone leaves that one and another springs up…Curious to me are the amazing names folks come up with for ‘their’ churches these days, like

 

Run for Your Life International Chapel’ (Where to I wonder?) or Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church of the Absolute Predestanrian Faith and

Order’ (Me thinks someone fell out with the Arminians here?)  ‘Guided Missiles Church’ (Yes there really is one somewhere in the USA!) AND ‘Church of the Cross’ (No the name isn’t strange I liked this one for the words on their Noticeboard that really sums this up!) “Don’t let worries kill you. Let the Church Help”

 

 

Now there is something to make us think! 

I haven’t yet found a Church that is honest enough to have a name like “Church of the Holier than that other Church done the Street” ??
 Jesus said that the world would know that we were His disciples by the love that we have for one another (John 13:35).  Are you challenged yet?                                                                                

 

Let me ask you to do this, right now, pick up your Bibles, now look up JOHN 1:18
What does it say in that verse? “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son………… has made him known.” 

 

Now keep your finger in that verse and look up 1 JOHN 4:12 and see what that says.. Yes I want you to find it in your Bible I want you see that this is what God’s Word says not just me!  

 

What does that verse say? “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete (brought to full expression) in us.”

 

Both verses begin the very same way. In the first we are told that God revealed Himself to the World by the incarnation of His Son, Jesus. The world saw God in Jesus! How does the world see God today? The Church? Yes BUT that needs to be qualified. The Church, the Body of Christ, the PEOPLE of God, the true believers WHO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. That’s the whole definition and that’s how and  when the world sees God when it sees US, YOU and ME loving each other..

It is all right to have differences of opinion on the non-essential matters like worship styles or days, or dare I say this, pre-trib rapture, post-trib rapture, Arminianism, Calvinism, etc. Whether you believe one or the other, does not affect salvation. Yet far too many Christians use these non-essential differences as justification for division and sometimes even insight anger. When this occurs, the love of God in our hearts is sacrificed to our pride. Instead of saying to one another, "I am right and you are wrong," we should be saying something like, "It is certainly possible that you are correct.  Now, let's work together to glorify God and expand His kingdom."  Perhaps this is too simplistic, but at least it displays an attitude of humility that helps to bring unity.  Having said that however, in my experience, this has seldom been the reason for the many a row. It’s more likely to be a clash of personalities, a jockeying for position or a sheer lack of forgiveness and again in nearly every case it boils down to an ignorance of the Word of God, or even plain common sense or decency..I know I said this is no laughing matter but I can’t help myself, here is a typical example,

“The story is told about a small, country church where the pastor called a special meeting of the congregation to approve the purchase of a brand new chandelier. After some discussion pro and con, an old farmer stood up and said, "Buying a new chandelier may seem like a good idea to you, but I’m against it for three reasons. First of all, it’s too expensive and we can’t afford one. Second, there isn’t anybody around here who knows how to play one. And third, what we really need in this church is a new light fixture."

 It is the devil that wants us to fall into the self-abuse of division and bickering. Proverbs tells us, “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,  a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.  Proverbs 6:16-19. Oh how easily we can justify the things we say and do and even make them sound so spiritual!!! THEY ARE NOT!

Folks we need to take a long good look at ourselves. We need to look at our churches. We need to look at one another and decide that we will love each other despite our differences, that we will stand on the essential doctrines of the faith and that we will be united against the enemy and all that opposes our God. To turn the tide of immorality and greed and cruelty and violence and deceit we need the Church to be together and working with one another, loving one another, UNITED and of common voice. The Church must get back to the place where when it speaks the people listen!!!! 

 

It may be difficult for many of us to look lovingly into the eyes of those of a different denomination or those who have hurt us without thinking in our hearts that they are wrong.  But, we need to be reminded that all of us have caused hurt and been wrong ourselves. Reminded too that we are all sinners who have been saved by the amazing Grace of God and brought together into His family; that we ARE brothers and sisters and that there are greater things at stake here.

Folks we will spend eternity together and at the moment for some that would be almost an anathema?  Remember to what Jesus said teaching us on prayer, “And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ‘For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:12-15.

Will not many reading this today recite these words in prayer tomorrow but will still not forgive???

Paul buttresses Jesus words with these…“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:12-14 

All of us I am sure will have our theologies corrected when we stand before the throne of God.  All of us will give an account personally for the things we have said and done, things that we are not proud of and regret, not one of is exempt..It is surely time for us to see the 'plank that is in our own eye rather than the twig that is in our brothers!' Therefore, let us put all these things away, let’s not behalf like selfish, silly children any longer.  We need to put the wrongs behind us, forgive one another and to seek to work together to further the Kingdom of God.

Ask yourself what is most important in YOUR life. Is it your relationship with God?  If it is, and it should be, should you not also be seeking the same thing that God wants?  Should you not also be seeking to love one another as Christ commanded us? Love is the perfect bond of unity, (Col. 3:14).
Remember, it is the devil that wants us to fight each other so that he can be freed up to deceive the world. If we are fighting each other then we are not being and not doing what we should be and are falling prey to His tactics.

I know that it is easy to speak these words and it is very difficult to apply them. That is true because true love is difficult to live.  But what if the world began to see the Christian Church uniting in spite of its differences? What if the world started to see how the Christian Church started to love not only their own church members but other church members too?

What do you think the world would say if the churches' bickering stopped?

What do you think the unbelievers would say if they saw us living more and more the loving attitude and a sacrificial life of Christ across denominational and personal barriers?

It would be a tremendous witness for Christ. It would be a tremendous assault on the enemy and I know that God would use it mightily to bring others to Himself by His grace.

Just to finish here are three more quotes from men better known than me. Perhaps you might take heed to what they say..and then the final and encouraging word from THE WORD!

What binds us together is not common education, common race, common income levels, common politics, common nationality, common accents, common jobs, or anything else of that sort. Christians come together because they have all been loved by Jesus himself. They are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus' sake. - D.A. Carson

I have never yet known the Spirit of God to work where the Lord's people were divided.

- D.L. Moody

In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity.  -- Richard Baxter

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes

It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.                   Psalm 133