Healing A House Divided*
We are familiar with the quote: "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Abraham Lincoln, who dealt with the political, legal and moral issue of slavery that was dividing the nation, and then later, a civil war that physically divided the nation, spoke about the destructive result of that division. At one point, one of Lincoln's advisors made the remark that he was grateful that God was on the side of the Union (the North). Lincoln answered him, saying, "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." Our nation has witnessed the destruction that comes from disunity.
There is also religious disunity that always divides. The religious leaders had accused Jesus of performing miracles by the power of the prince of devils after He had healed one who had been possessed with a devil, causing the person to become both blind and dumb, or mute. This accusation that was brought against Jesus, of course, doesn't even make sense. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?...But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you...whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh...I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." (Mt. 12:22-37, excerpt, see also Mk. 3:20-24, Lk. 11:14-23).
The Church is divided against itself. The divisions are created over racism, politics, whether miracles exist, over the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, over the proper way to worship, over many things. There are strange doctrines and movements like Christian Nationalism based upon racism and antisemitism. Many of these same issues are dividing our nation as well. Some are even calling for a civil war! These divisions within both the Church and the nation run deep, and, as Jesus warned, will only bring desolation.
Jesus told a parable of a rich man who had so many goods that he tore down his old barns and built greater barns to contain his plentiful fruits. Doing this, the rich man said that he will consider his soul satisfied. However, God spoke to him, saying, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" Jesus then said, "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God." (Lk. 12:14-21, excerpt). The Church is divided over carnal things, not considering the greater spiritual truths. Jesus also said to take no thought for our lives - what we need to eat or wear - because the Father knows and provides these things, but we are to focus instead on the kingdom of God, which is eternal.
Jesus said that He, Himself, would be a cause for division within households and families, and within the earth. (see Lk. 12:49-53). The Church becomes divided when the people do not rightly divide the truth, the Word of God. They become divided by the idea that their denomination has the only truth. Discord is sown among the brethren, which God has said that He hates. (Prov. 6:16-19).
Jesus spoke a parable about those who thought they were righteous, and despised others whom they considered "less righteous". The one, a Pharisee, who believed himself to be superior to others in righteousness, approached God in prayer with a prideful attitude and with self-aggrandizing. The tax collector who approached God humbly, beating his chest, saying, "God be merciful to me a sinner", was the one who was justified before God: "...for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (see Lk. 18:9-14).
Does the Church divide itself over who is more righteous, feeling assured that they are more approved of by God than others? Each of us may say, "Not me!", but our thoughts, words and actions may say otherwise. This prideful attitude breaks the unity of the Spirit, as Paul wrote of it, while he wrote to the Church while a prisoner. (see Eph. 4:1-7).
Has the Church grown weary of praying and believing that the Lord hears our prayers? Jesus told a parable of a woman who demanded justice against an enemy from an unjust judge, who didn't care what God nor man thought of him. The widow's persistence finally aggravated the unjust judge until he granted her petition. Jesus asked: "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Lk. 18:1-8).
Do we really have the kind of persistent faith that is also described in scripture as the faith of the Son of God? (see Gal. 2:20 ). Paul wrote to the Church to pray for him, that the Word of the Lord through his ministry would not be hindered: "...that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil." (2 Thess. 3:1-3). Where is the Body of Christ? Are we exercising the kind of faith in prayer that frees the Word of God? The Lord's fulness of faith is the kind that establishes us and keeps us from evil. Will Jesus find this kind of faith within His Church?
This kind of faith cannot be neglected but must be earnestly contended for, according to the Book of Jude. There are many, Jude wrote, who have crept into the Church, who turn grace into lasciviousness, even denying Jesus as Lord. He reminded his readers that even though God delivered His people out of bondage in Egypt, He later destroyed that generation because of their unbelief. (Jude 3-5). Faith in our hearts is most precious and to be guarded well from those who would divide us from it, as well as guarding our hearts from our own unbelief.
It is the unity of the faith for which purpose the leaders of the Church were gifted to the Church by God, including apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Division has come into the Church even over these gifts of leadership, as to whether they exist or not, and who holds them. These leaders are given by God also for teaching us how to come into the knowledge of Christ unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. Our own divisions and doctrines of men are making it difficult to become this perfect stature in Christ ordained by God. The whole Body of Christ needs this unity of faith to thrive and edify itself. (see Eph. 4:11-16).
Jesus prayed to the Father for this oneness of faith and glory of the believers who are joined together within Himself and His Father. It is this divine unity among the believers, the Father, and the Son that sanctifies us by the Word and glorifies us even while we are still in the world. This same unity and glory in us testifies to the world that the Father truly loves the Son and sent Him into the world. (see Jn. 17:11-22).
The Church is to stand in the unity of the faith of the Son of God. We cannot receive this kind of truth or achieve it by our carnal minds, but we must have ears to hear this by the Spirit of God, as Jesus told the Church to do in the Book of Revelation.
If we don't learn from history, I fear that we are doomed to repeat it.
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