Though Jesus wasn’t speaking of America, Iraq or Afghanistan when he said “if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand; and if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mar 3:24-25), it is certainly relevant.
Here in the States, our Congress is so divided and polarized it is nearly dysfunctional. You may well argue it has been this way before, but I don’t believe ‘we’ have ever been here before—the unique combination of events—dealing with a ‘global’ recession, fighting two wars, and combating terrorism. To solve these problems, our country needs unity more than any time since the Civil War, when, Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous “House Divided” speech.
Our great nation-building experiment in Iraq, a country long divided by ethnic and religious differences, is yet on trial, but will only succeed if the formerly fractured factions can work together. Likewise, our whole strategy in Afghanistan is dependent on ending three thousand years of tribal loyalties!!
But the “house divided” principle also applies to the Church, which is why Paul says “always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace” (Eph. 4:3). What is more, the “house divided” principle is also very personal. Paul describes a ‘great divide’ going on inside of each of us—the battle of flesh versus spirit (Gal. 5:17). But Paul assures us that as long as we walk in unity with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25), our ‘house’ will stand. This single mindedness is essential if you are to overcome in these troubled times. Beware: Satan, the great divider, is at work in the world, the Church, and your heart.
Wow, Greg, what a timely word! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYes, and you can see how the 'divider' is at trying to do his work of dividing in your own church, can't you! Instead of uniting around your pastor, the test is whether your church can re-unite around Jesus! If so, it will stand!
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