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Satan is a
most vicious and subtle adversary, especially with those who are not fully in
his camp. He doesn’t have to be overly
sneaky with them – he’s already got them and they aren’t going anywhere. But for those of us who believe in Jesus and
have the desire to live for and die with Him, Satan’s cunning is creative and
devious. He’ll twist the scriptures
and make promises he can’t possibly deliver (Matt. 4:1-11). He’ll hunt you down like a lion (1 Peter
5:8). He’ll attack you like an enemy
(Eph. 6:10-18). He’ll even alter his
appearance to seem trustworthy, like an “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). He’ll make you
feel good about your choices, yet all the while encouraging you to sin in
other ways. For example, he allowed
the Corinthian Christians to enjoy listening to the preaching of Peter,
Apollos, and Paul, while subtly encouraging them to divide into splinter
groups preferring Peter or Paul or Apollos. He had quietly diverted their
attention away from the message and on to the messenger, turning something
good into something evil. That’s why
Paul had to sternly appeal to them in the name of Jesus, “that all of you
agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you” (1 Cor.
1:10). There’s nothing wrong with
different preaching styles, or even with preferring certain styles or methods
over others. Peter, Apollos and Paul differed in their preaching styles due
to their experiences, education and personalities. But even though they each taught the same
gospel, Satan convinced the Christians to begin quarreling and dividing among
themselves over these preachers. They
all loved Jesus, but when their love for each other eroded into fights and
quarrels, Satan was happy. Among the
other things Paul listed as acts of the flesh (sinful nature) are “hatred,
discord … dissensions, factions …” and he concluded, “those who live like
this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal.5:19-21). Satan wins when
Christians quarrel and divide. Keeping some, while breaking others, still
makes you a lawbreaker (James 2:8-11).
Jesus prayed for unity (John 17:20-21). Of course, it’s not just over preacher preferences that Satan gets Christians to divide; it can be over any preference or optional matter. It could be … … politics (Republican/Democrat/Independent – liberal/conservative) … worship styles (traditional/contemporary – lively/meditative) … race (black/white/oriental/Hispanic) … education (Vo-Tech/State University/Christian College) … holidays (how to observe Christmas/Easter) …
church programs (missions/Bible classes/visitation/worship times) When it comes
to doctrine, we must all take a firm stand to turn neither to the left nor to
the right (Josh. 23:6-7; Rev. 22:19), but be submissively obedient. However, personal views and opinions must
never be the cause of division. It’s
OK to have preferences. It’s not OK to
divide the body of Christ over them.
Prayerfully read Romans 14. |
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