How do you feel about the division that has been created within the world, school, politics? What about religion, church, and denominations? I am going to focus on denominations. I believe it is a disease that the devil injected into God’s people to distract them from God and His word.
Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. Matthew 12:25 WEB
The devil’s goal has always been to keep us apart from what God is doing, wants done, and has completed. Using denominations the devil has injected himself into the foundational truths of Christianity.
Why are Christians falling for it? Christians are falling for this deception, it’s understandable the devil has had thousands of years to perfect his deceitfulness and he’s gotten so good at doing it.
We have been deceived by the master deceiver and have bought into the deception: And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light 2 Corinthians 11:14 WEB The devil is arrogant, so arrogant that he even thought he could tempt and deceive Jesus in the wilderness.
We can see in Luke 4:1-13 WEB that the devil over and over again tries to twist things up, even using scripture to make his point. Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Deuteronomy 8:3
The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want.
If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “Get behind me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.”Deuteronomy 6:13
He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here, for it is written, “He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you; and, On their hands they will bear you up, lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.”Psalm 91:11-12
Jesus answering, said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”Deuteronomy 6:16 When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time.
Humans
There are a few things the devil likes to use as a tools to distract us from God’s plan. Satin likes to feed our egos; it does not matter if it is out of selfishness, fear, or apprehensiveness. They are all part of ego, you are focused on yourself and not looking to God. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 WEB
The bible focuses on the need to look to God and His word and not to ourselves or others. Jesus warned us of this possibility: Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41 WEB
When left to our own devices we have something I call the “Grass is always greener on the other side syndrome”. We have a tendency to always either look for something better or try to justify everything we are doing, even if it is wrong. I am not saying it is a bad thing to try to be better, we should always strive to be better today then we were yesterday. But are we trying to do God’s work or ours?
The denominations feed the insatiable human need to rationalize the way we believe. But is it what the bible says,and the way it says we should believe? I will give two examples out of the third book of Revelation.
The first being Sardis Revelation 3:1-3 WEB “I know your works, that you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up and keep the things that remain, which you were about to throw away, for I have found no works of yours perfected before my God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If therefore you won’t watch, I will come as a thief, and you won’t know what hour I will come upon you.
The Second; Laodicea Revelation 3:15-17 WEB: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;’ and don’t know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked;
These warnings are pretty serious and they make me always want to look at what I am doing so that I know I am doing God’s work and not what I think I should do.
What does the Bible Say?
I always like to look to the bible for direction, after all it’s our owners manual handed to us from God himself. He has a lot to say about the division that is caused by denominations I will reference 1 Corinthians1:10-13 WEB
Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.
Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?
Additional examples: Romans 16:17; Protect yourself from division. Ephesians 4:4-5; one lord one faith. Galatians 1:6-10; watch for misleading gospels. I could list more but I do not need to, instead I would really like to see you pick up the bible and see what it says for yourself.
One last biblical reference to pray and meditate on: 1 Corinthians 12 10-27 WEB For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot would say, “Because I’m not the hand, I’m not part of the body,” it is not therefore not part of the body.
If the ear would say, “Because I’m not the eye, I’m not part of the body,” it’s not therefore not part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired.
If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now they are many members, but one body. The eye can’t tell the hand, “I have no need for you,” or again the head to the feet, “I have no need for you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety; whereas our presentable parts have no such need.
But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part, that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. When one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
Solution
There is a solution to help shield you from the on slot of divisive theology. The issue with denominations is that they have been created by humans and are based on the way humans think we should believe. This is why it is so important to read and know the bible.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through perseverance and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4 WEB Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy:16-17 WEB Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 1 Corinthians 10:11 WEB
When we read and know the bible we begin to understand the relationship that God desires to have with us. When we get to know Him more we will start to find ourselves desiring to make Him happy. As we follow more of His plan for us Jeremiah 29:11 we will see and understand what He has planned for us if we listen.
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts.They, having become callous, gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you didn’t learn Christ that way, Ephesians 4:17-20 WEB
But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24 WEB
Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking, as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow. 1 Peter 2:1 WEB
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