There is only one Lord and that is Jesus Christ and there is only one real church and that is the Church of Jesus Christ. At this point you’re all wondering where I’m going with this and what I’m going to say next?
Every since I started reading Christian blogs and websites three year ago, I have been concerned and distressed about how much time and energy well meaning Christians spend tearing down other sovereign ministries and churches.
I can understand one being convinced about their own church and movement. Yes, there are issues and practices in the church that need to be addressed from time to time. By why is it always necessary to tear down, cast aspersions, innuendoes, gossip about, and violently separate from, and totally demonize other ministries.
Why can’t issues be civilly addressed among fellow brothers and sisters? Christians are exposing more dirty laundry on the world-wide web than they are bearing positive testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Millions of unbelievers come across this junk on the Net everyday—what a shame and what a lost opportunity!
Here’s today’s devotional from Charisma Online that got me started thinking about this. Written by Graham Kendrick who has written some of my all time favorite worship songs:
Divisions in Church
Today’s message is from Graham Kendrick.
Satan’s power is vested in division. His initial power base came because he succeeded in dividing creature from Creator through sin. Within a generation, motivated by jealousy, brother had murdered brother. Before long, nation was slaughtering nation. In the crucifixion of Jesus every dividing wall of hostility was broken down. It remains for us to step over the rubble, embrace one another and celebrate what He has achieved.
Interestingly, of all the songs in the Book of Revelation, not one is a solo. The twenty-four elders sing and cast down their crowns before His feet, the united voices of countless angels resound, every living creature in heaven and earth and under the earth and all that is in them are joined in one song. In every case multitudes of peoples or angels unite in the same song with absolute unity, with one voice.
Though we can’t imagine the sounds of heaven, we can begin here on earth to offer worship in cooperation with other believers because God is building believers together into a spiritual house of worship. (See 1 Peter 2:5
.) We do not wait for heaven. We take hold of heaven’s kingdom now and bring it into the earth. We do not sit waiting for perfected Christians to show up with whom to be united. Rather we seek those whose eyes are also fixed adoringly upon Jesus, and we agree to march together in celebration that in Him every dividing wall has been broken down. And as we do, we find ourselves moving like an army, shoulder to shoulder, our feet and hearts in step with one another and with heaven’s battalions.
TODAY’S PRAYER:
Lord, break the divisions that exist between Christians in my city. Let us praise You with one mighty voice in the unity of the Holy Spirit.