A house divided against itself cannot stand!

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Here are some passages that instruct us to have unity.

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 15:5-6).

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought" (1 Cor. 1:10).

Jesus once said, “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mk. 3:25). If a church/forum/family is divided against itself, it will not stand!

Churches divide over believers boasting in certain men.

In (1 Cor. 1:12), the church was being divided because several members were pledging alliance to different preachers. Some said they followed Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ. They were dividing the church over human alliance.

I have heard that some churches have split because some members liked the preacher, but others didn’t. We must understand that our only alliance must be to Jesus Christ. We must not divide over human favoritism.

Churches have divided because false teachers have turned others from the truth.

In (1 Cor. 15:12), there were some false teachers telling Christians that Jesus was not raised from the dead. They were in essence telling the Corinthian Christians that their faith was useless. So Paul wrote chapter 15 to explain that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. And in (v. 14) Paul said, “and if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”

There are still false teachers today who distort the gospel message and cause Christians to divide.


The May 1987 edition of National Geographic included a feature about the arctic wolf. Author L. David Mech described how a seven-member pack had targeted several musk-oxen calves who were guarded by eleven adults. As the wolves approached their quarry, the musk-oxen bunched in an impenetrable semicircle, their deadly rear hooves facing out, and the calves remained safe during a long standoff with the enemy. But then a single ox broke rank, and the herd scattered into nervous little groups. A skirmish ensued, and the adults finally fled in panic, leaving the calves to the mercy of the predators. Not a single calf survived. Paul warned the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 that after his departure wolves would come, not sparing the flock.

Wolves continue to attack the church today but they cannot penetrate and destroy when unity is maintained. When believers break ranks, however, they provide easy prey.


HOW CAN WE ACHIEVE UNITY?

The word unity literally means “oneness, one of the same mind, one in thought.”

To achieve unity, we must be like-minded regarding the essentials to our Christian faith.

1. Paul provides us with a list of the essentials we must believe in (Eph. 4:4-5).

a. One body (One Church).

b. One Spirit Baptism(One Holy Spirit).

c. One Lord (We believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord & Savior).

d. One Faith.

e. One Water Baptism

f. One God (There is one God).

2. As brothers and sisters, we should believe alike regarding the essentials to our faith. We should be like minded on what it takes to be saved. We should be like minded that the Bible is the Word of God. If we do, we should have unity. If we don’t, then we will have many problems.

To achieve unity, we must have liberty regarding the non-essential beliefs.

1. Too often, Believers are separated because of minor differences on certain issues or passages.

2. I hope that my salvation does not depend upon my interpretation of the second coming of Jesus; my interpretation of the works of the Holy Spirit; my interpretation of the book of Revelation; If my interpretation is dependent upon these things, I am a doomed man.

3. The problem in many churches is that people take matters of opinion issues and turn them into to mandatory truths that you must believe alike or you cannot have fellowship with one another. That’s just not true.

(Rom. 14:1-4, 22) "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him… So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God."

4. These verses assume that there will be differences of opinion in the church on disputable matters. Paul says we are not to quarrel about issues that are matters of opinion. Differences should not be feared or avoided, but accepted and handled with love.

We Christians are supposed to gather around Jesus Christ.

http://www.biblecenter.com/sermons/main ... church.htm

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"Divisions" in Paul's Day

Paul warned expressly of this danger, saying to the Ephesus church leaders, "TAKE HEED therefore unto YOURSELVES, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God . . . For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. ALSO, of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:28-30).

Paul beseeched the Corinthians not to allow "divisions" to crop up among them (I Cor.1:10). It was reported to Paul that there were "contentions among you," as he wrote to them, admonishing them to watch out for such things (v.11). These were serious contentions, so Paul asked them, "Is Christ divided?" (v.13). No -- of course not! Christ is ONE. But apostasy set in within the first century church, and communication was not easy from church to church, so local congregations began to become more and more independent. DIVISION set in! Those with the Spirit of God guiding them, remained loyal to the truth, but more and more "differences of opinion" crept in, after the departure of the original apostles. Paul called the Corinthians "CARNAL" (I Cor.3:1-3). He warned them, "For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and STRIFE, and DIVISIONS, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (v.3).

Some of these churches were still God's Church, even though various "differences" had crept in. They had not yet made a major change in doctrine which militated against their being considered "Christian" in God's sight! They had various "problems" -- but they were not yet sick "unto death" -- spiritual death!

This was the CHURCH OF GOD, with all of its "spots and wrinkles." Clearly, it had carnal-minded ministers and leaders, in some cases, and there were arguments, debates, and strife. One of the major issues of that day was whether a Gentile needed to be "circumcised" and become a Jew in order to be saved. This controversy led to a major doctrinal meeting in Jerusalem over the issue (Acts 15).


Today it runs from the trinity debate to who knows what!

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