Cautions About Division

Earlier I wrote about the importance of unity in the church. There were several areas that were considered to be of great importance. Today I want to focus on a few areas that could create and/or allow division to impact a church.

One matter that can divide a church is heresy, that which is against the generally accepted beliefs. Throughout the New Testament one of Paul's repeated instructions regarded a caution against false teachers. 2 Corinthians 11:13 reads, "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen disguising themselves as apostles of Christ." (ESV) Paul writes the following in Galatians 1, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-8 ESVS) Then in 2 Timothy Paul warns this young pastor with the following statement, “But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.” (2Timothy 2:16-18 ESVS) (I am not going to examine the many heresies that exist, there are several addressed in Scripture itself, and more that have crept into the church throughout history. A study of church history and the numerous councils that have met regarding doctrinal matters would be a worhty pursuit if this interests you.)

There is no doubt that the truth of Scripture and the orthodox message of Jesus has always been under attack. Sometimes this attack is a result of a low view of Scripture and an uneducated church. Michael Craven writes, "The church in America is in crisis . . . This crisis is quite clearly the natural consequence of biblical illiteracy, theological ignorance, doctrinal apathy, and our subsequent conformity to the spirit of the age." The church today must be committed to the sound teaching of the Bible. Leaders are called to teach the Word, so that unity will be protected. When orthodox matters are taught the result is a people who will be equipped for every good work. Timothy was instructed consistently to teach the Scriptures (1 Tim 1:10; 2:13; 5:17; 6:3-5; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:14-17). The most sobering warning is given to Timothy in chapter 4:3-4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2Timothy 4:3-4 ESVS)

We must pay careful attention to the message of the gospel and protect it with great care. The leaders among the church are given a serious charge to teach truth and avoid error. Therefore, carefully consider the lives of those who are the leaders in your church, for one of their foremost responsibilities is doctrine. This means the leaders in the church are to be considered carefully, they must know the Scriptures and as Paul says, be able to teach.

In 3 John 9 a man named Diotrephes is introduced. Unfortunately there is not anything positive shared about this man. Evidently he was able to influence those around him. He may or may not have held a position in the church, but his influence over people is noted by John. He is described as a man who likes to put himself first; he was a prideful man. In his pride he also failed to acknowledge the authority of the Apostles. Recently a friend made a wonderful assesment regarding the danger of authority without accountability, it leads to pride.

Mark Driscoll said this about proud people:

Proud people think they are very important and delight in airing their opinions, expect to be consulted regarding their opinions, and get very angry when they are not obeyed. Proud people love the church because in it they are prone to find nice polite people who are easy to take advantage of and push aroudn. Proud people act like leaders whether they are or not. Proud people like to say things such as "God told me," as if they are the mediator between God and people areoudn them. Proud people only think aobut themselves and their family and conveniently overlook the fact that the earht has other people, some of whom even have different last names than theirs. Lastly, proud people love to tell others what to do, but when conronted about the own sin of prid, they welcome correction as warmly as a cat does water. The most special kind of proud people talk about how you hurt their feelings, and they get really sad, sometimes even cry, so that you will talk about their feelings instead of their pride.

Unfortunately we all have some of those tendencies and we must be quick to discipline ourselves, putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and instead we should pursue humility before the Lord and others. When pride is the norm for people in the church the result will be division; it will be division of friendship, division of families, and division of mission because the glory due Jesus is being divided between himself and his followers.

Another matter that can cause division is the loss of the mission. Have you ever listened as the players in an orchestra warm up before a concert. It is one of the most awful sounds. I have at times even thought to myself, "Why do I sit and listen to this, its simply awful?" The obvious answer is the eager anticipation of the sound that will result at the cooperative effort as all of the instruments play. However, could you imagine listening to a violin concerto only to have one of the players suddenly break out into the climactic fiddle solo of The Devil Went Down to Georgia. It would be a most jarring experience, one you would talk about the rest of your life, but probably not for the masterful decision on which the lone player acted.

Often there are people in the church who pursue a mission that is contrary to that of the local church. They would be much like that lone musician. When they pursue something contrary to the overall plan, they are creating division. It can occur on a large scale as they might pull people into programs and insist on things that the church is not able to accomplish. It can occur on a small scale when an individual choses to teach a different lesson than what was scheduled for the week in the area of Sunday School. For the mission of the church to be protected there must be a commitment to communication, clarifying questions, a genuine understanding of roles and responsibilities, and a submission to one another for the glory of Christ. This means we must be committed to the character qualities that were already outlined in Ephesians 4.

Finally, division can occur when change is avoided or prevented. Mark Driscoll writes, "A living church must change in the same way that a living person gorws and changes, hopefully toward maturity." This means that individuals must realize that the church is dynamic, it is the body of Christ. People should be reluctant to take ownership of anything in the church, whether an object or a program, for we are only stewards. A healthy church will possess a willingness to change, just as a healthy exercise regiment consists of a varying routine. Later in Ephesians 4:13 we discover that the goal of the church is for people to mature in Christ. When maturity is occuring the body grows and builds itself up in love.

My prayer is that our local church be devoted to pray in these matters so that division will be prevented and unity fostered; the glory be given to Jesus and not any man; that the mission of sharing the love and good news of salvation in Jesus be our banner; and that our maturity be the result as our love for one another grows.

Maintain Unity - Furhter Thoughts on "one" from Ephesians 4

In Ephesians 4 Paul uses the word "one" seven times following an important statement about maintaining unity. I can't express how significant the theme of unity is for the church. This week I am going to be writing some further thoughts on this passage in anticipation of the Word bringing transformation to each of our lives as we submit to its authority and learn more regarding the teaching of the Apostle Paul.

We might ask why unity is so important. The answer is simple in some regards and extremely complex in others. Simply put, when there is unity there is health. That is the goal for any local church, the health of its members and thus the health of the body. However, consider for a moment the opposite of unity - disunity. Disunity can be defined by using words like conflict, disagreement, and opposition. It might even be described as division. Describing the lack of unity of a church with terms like these creates a sense of stress, anxiety, and possibly even despair, for disunity drains emotions and energy; it is continually damaging and destructive; it is not the goal that the Lord has for His church, as we read in Ephesians 4.

In his book, Vintage Church, Mark Driscoll lists 5 reasons to pursue unity. (1) Jesus prayed for it often. (2) As the leadership goes, so goes the rest of the church. (3) Without unity spiritual health and growth cannot be maintained because the church gets diverted from Jesus and his mission for them. (4) Unity is fragile because it is gained slowly and lost quickly, which requires that it never be assumed or taken for granted. (5) Paul repeatedly commands unity in churches.

If these are valid reasons to maintain unity (and I am committed to thinking that they are), and Paul instructed the church to be eager to maintain unity, then it is important for us to consider the ways to maintain unity that disunity be prohibited. For today I want to present some specific areas to maintain unity (these areas are taken from Vintage Church, by Mark Driscoll)

First we must maintain theological unity. This means that the leaders and members of the church agree on what they will count as negotiable and non-negotiable. Those things that are non-negotiable will be things that are most closely connected to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Things like the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the inspiration and authority of Scripture are non-negotiable. An example of something negotiable would be found in one's view of styles of worship music, or which Bible translation to use. It is important to look at the doctrinal statements of the church and understand what is considered non-negotiable and what is negotiable. Each denomination will be distinct and potentially individual churches within denominations will be distinguished by certain beliefs.

Second we must maintain relational unity. This means that people love one another in demonstrable ways. A church that is healthy will prove to be biblical in its fellowship, which is evident in cordial, friendly, respectful, and honoring relationships. People who demonstrate this type of relational unity will exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in their relationships. They will prioritize Paul's instruction to maintain unity, by constant evaluation and pursuit of biblical relationships. These people will not allow division, bitterness, hurt, offense, gossip, or disagreement to be fostered in their relationships. Instead, they will be eager to pursue the unity, established by the Holy Spirit in the church, and guard it with passion as they live in integrity, honesty, forgiveness, humility, and Christian character as they trust in and strive for every member's sanctification.

Third it is essential to pursue philosophical unity. This means that ministry methods, styles, and government that have been established by the church are to be pursued without criticism which often develops factions of dissatisfied people who undermine the health of those in the church. This doesn't mean that there is not an appropriate time and way to think critically about these matters in the church. The opportunity for critical thinking occurs when faithfulness and trustworthiness are the foundations for the dialogue that will ensue. It is important to note that critical thinking is best when it brings potential solutions not solely focusing on the problems that need solving.

Fourth it is esental for the church to be focused on missional unity. Agreement on the objective of the church is essential. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 contains only one command, "Make Disciples." All other things that the church does should lead to this. One might ask, what does a disciple of Jesus look like? Put simply, it is a person who glorifies God through a life committed to biblical principles and is being transformed by the truth of God's Word (that which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments). Individual churches will most likely have a purpose statement that describes this in contemporary terms to assist her members in the assimilation and practice of her particular values.

Finally it is essential to maintain organizational unity. This is both governmental and practical. Church government will be formed largely by theological matters and may be influenced by mission and philosophy. Whatever the government of the church you will need to practice unity by working within the bounds of that government. There is also the matter of organization in which job descriptions, policies about spending, the operations of facilities, and more will be necessary. Again it is important that people recognize that these matters of organization be guarded and embraced so that the daily operations of the church be successfully promoted and not hindered frustrating or inhibiting those resposnible for the day to day functioning of the church.

Some final questions: If you were to evaluate your eagerness to maintain the unity of the church in these areas how would you rate? Which area would you need to improve? Is there anything that you have done that would bring disunity to the church instead? If yes, what do you need to do to correct that?

Christian Character - Ephesians 4

The text for Sunday morning is Ephesians 4:1-6. What an incredibly rich passage! I thought it of extreme importance to highlight the character qualities that Paul was inspired to communicate in this passage. These qualities are essential for every believer's possession and practice if the church is going to truly and effectively glorify God. MacArthur says these are "five essentials for faithful Christian living." If he is correct the question for us then is this, "Do we possess and employ, these essential character qualities?" If we don't, then we need to assess the reason for the absence of, neglect and/or failure to employ them.

We will begin by examining HUMILITY. This is a compound word that literally means to think or judge with lowliness. It has been described as the foundational Christian virtue; for by it we recognize our need for salvation, admitting the inadequacy of our own abilities, good works, and self-righteousness. Jesus taught a similar concept to humility in Matthew 5, when he said, "Blessed are the poor in Spirit." The problem is that humility is very elusive in our world. The world instead exalts pride and establishes principals that elevate self: self-esteem, self-help, and self-actualization.

In contrast to the world's view, the Scripture teach, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). In Proverbs 15:33 we read, "humility comes before honor;" and in 22:4 the Scripture says, "The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life." James Montgomery Boice summarizes the practice of humility by saying, "It is refusing to insist on our rights and actually putting our neighbor's interests before our own."

Humility is important and quite possibly the foundational Christian character quality because it allows us to see God for who He is and ourselves as we truly are. By it, we are able to identify our need for Christ and His righteousness, because our righteousness is inadequate to provide us just before God. Humility enables us to approach God with appropriate penitence and enables us to be accepted by Him. Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector and concludes (Luke 18:9-14), "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Having considered humility, Paul then lists GENTLENESS as the next quality a Christian should possess. Gentleness, produced by humility, is described as mild-spirited and self control. It is the opposite of vindictiveness and vengeance. Gentleness is listed in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:5 and is also one of the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. One who exercises gentleness is a person who uses the power of their position, office, or gifts under the influence and control of the Spirit of God.

An examination of most of the godly leaders in Scripture would reveal their practice of gentleness (sometimes even their failure to be gentle and the resulting consequences). David showed gentleness when he refrained from killing King Saul while in the cave of Engedi. Moses confronted Pharoah with gentleness in the Lord's name. He also confronted Israel regarding her rebelliousness and sin. The gentle person is governed by the standard of God's Word and lives as a peacemaker, having the right attitude towards a sinning brother and the unsaved.

The third character quality Paul writes about is PATIENCE. This word is sometimes translated "longsuffering." I read of a pious man who came to his pastor and confessed that he lacked patience. He then asked the pastor to pray that he would gain patience. The pastor responded by immediately praying, "Lord, please send great tribulation into this brother's life."

The man interrupted the pastor trying to clarify any confusion. He said, "I asked for patience, not tribulation." The pastor quickly replied, "I heard what you asked for, but surely you have read Romans 5:3, which says, "suffering produces endurance." If you are going to possess patience you will also experience suffering. I have only prayed that God would give you what is needed for you to recieve your desire."

Patience requires a great dependence upon God and an unwavering commitment to accept his plan for everything. For patience will be gained through trials and suffering. Therefore, patience requires a willingness to endure God's plans without grumbling and complaining and instead one must maintain an attitude of joy in the midst of one's circumstances (James 1:2-4)

There is a fourth Christian character that Paul acknowledges, BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE. MacArthur describes this love as that which "throws a blanket over the sins of others, not to justify or excuse them but to keep the sins from becoming any more than necessary." This forbearing love is the place where the attitudes of humility, gentleness and patience are expressed.

A Chinese believer had a problem with his neighbor who was stealing the water from his retention pond where he watered his rice fields. The believer had to pump water to his property, which was at a higher elevation that his neighbors field. One morning he awoke to find a breach in his wall that allowed the water to flow to his neighbors field. After repairing the breach he then watered his own. However, the wall continued to be breached and his supply limited. He told his fellow believers of the situation, consulting them for wisdom. He said, "I have tried to be patient and not retaliate. Isn't it right for me to confront him" His counsel replied, "If we only try to do the right thing, surely we are very poor Christians, we have to do something more than what is right."

The Christian field owner awoke early the next day and pumped water to the fields of his neighbor and then labored through the afternoon and watered his own. After this the wall was never again breached and the Christian won an audience with the neighbor sharing his reason and motives for his actions. Bearing with one another means employing these qualities to show a way of life that is superior to the world.

There is a final character quality of the Christian that Paul describes, UNITY. Unity is the ultimate outcome of Christian living. This unity is created by the work of the Holy Spirit and fostered by the responsible living of the individual membes of the church. Unity is bound by peace as followers of Christ live with one another. Unity requires an eagerness or zeal on the part of believers to maintain this.

Apathy, and half-hearted pursuit of unity will lead to a visible reduction of unity in the church. Emphasis on matters of less than utmost importance will lead to division, unrest, and disease in the church. When this occurs there is a veil cast over God's glory as should be revealed in the church. Mark Ross said, "We are one of God's chief peices of evidence . . . Paul's great concern for the church is that the church manifest and display the glory of God, thus vindicating God's character against all the splendor of demonic realms, the slander that God is not worth living for . . . God has entrusted to His church the glory of His own name."

My dear friend, if you are reading this post, I pray that your life be lived in a manner that expresses the glory of God by self-examination and self-awareness tleading to repentance and great reliance upon the work of the Holy Spirit, that your life be an exhibit of these Christian characeristics. When it is your investment, involvement, and engagement in the church will bring glory to God.