Monday, July 11, 2011

Power of One

When Jesus was accused by the "lawbreakers" (His name for the Pharisees) of doing his miracles in the name of a demon, He made a statement: 
"a house divided against itself cannot stand." (Mark 3:24-26) 

I am sure you have noticed the walls of division in seemingly every arena of life today. There are "sides to take" and "points to make".
Differing ideas and deep desires to make "my way" understood.

Republican and Democrat
Conservative and Liberal
Pro "this" and Anti "that"

Sadly it seems in the Church of Jesus
there are walls of division too.

Calvinism and Armenian-ism
Pentecostal and Traditional
Conservative and Liberal 

But Jesus has only ONE BODY and ONE SPIRIT. Ephesians 4:4-6

The one Body is made up of the disciples of Jesus.
The disciples of Jesus have the Spirit of Jesus inside of them.
Jesus is the Head of the Body.

He says that among the wheat will be weeds. Matthew 13:28-30
He says that among the lambs will be wolves. Matthew 10:15-17
He says that among the sheep will be goats. Matthew 25: 31-34

So the ONE BODY will have people claiming to be part of it, 
but who really are not a part of it.

Interestingly in Matthew 13:28-30 He makes it clear that 
the weeds will not be removed from the wheat until 
the day of the great judgement.

{*So how does the wheat manage to live and thrive among the weeds?}

Dissension is a word that the Bible uses in listing
the acts of the sinful nature or "the flesh" in Galatians 5:19-21.

dis·sen·sion

1. strong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord.
2. difference in sentiment or opinion; disagreement.

dis·cord


1. lack of concord or harmony between persons or things:marital discord.
2. disagreement; difference of opinion.
3. strife; dispute; war.
In light of the divisiveness in our culture today, 
and out of a desire to keep us moving toward the goal
of BUILDING the kingdom of God
and LIBERATING those in bondage,
the following Living Words are our answer to the {*how}

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. Philippians 1:27-29


Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:19


Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3


Lord Jesus, help us to be wise and discerning in the way we act and treat one another. Help us to get rid of resentment, and do away with the pointing of fingers. Please bind us together in your love and establish us in unity for the sake of your Name and your glory. We know that Satan wants to bring division to topple us, help us to be aware of his schemes and resist him. Help us not participate with him by being accusers. Help us honor your anointed ones (each other). Amen. 

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Amen and Amen girlfriend... great post..

A Stone Gatherer said...

Oh Kathy that is so good, and so timely for me! I think I'm going to share it on facebook! Thanks so much!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for stopping by. looking forward to meeting you. i loved this blog regarding unity. This is my passion.. to see a mature bride not critical and fault finding one but encouraging and building one another up.. since 2000, the Lord led me to Isaiah and said I was to be a bridge builder and to be about restoration and reconciliation. Then it meant one thing in different group setting, and now it is meaning another. God will bring to pass His perfect will in our lives.. may we just enjoy the ride as He changes us from glory to glory... into His image. See you soon.

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