Get It Together

Get It Together

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (I Corinthians 1:10 NKJV)

Here is the backdrop.  The church at Corinth was feuding with one another.  One of the members got fed up with the drama and blew the whistle on all of them and told the Apostle Paul what was going on.  I can imagine that it may have been disheartening and possibly even embarrassing to have to do so, but they were clearly concerned for the ministry and the effect the strife was having on the body of Christ.

Strife: vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism; a quarrel, struggle, or clash: armed strife; competition or rivalry.

Philippians 2:3: Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

1 Thessalonians 5:13: and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. 

Why Paul? Because he had Evangelized them (preached them out) so there was a connection and a certain amount of respect for him as a leader.

The spirit of sectarianism had snuck in the front door and completely taken over the church. 

Sect: a group regarded as heretical or as deviating from a generally accepted religious tradition.

Several influential people were in the process of creating their own sect -- doctrine -- within the church. Whether they were doing so intentionally or unintentionally I can't say for sure.  However, I can almost guarantee it was personality led that perhaps started off as "innocent" rivalry and/or competition which turned into jealousy and envy fueled by pride.

Without even being there I can almost assure you that their bitter conflict, disagreement and quarrels about who did what better than whom, or whether they should abstain from certain foods, activities or some other nonsense that has nothing to do with one's relationship with Christ.  This "controlled/religious" thinking led to the development of cliques.  I can imagine the harsh words, mean muggin', backbiting, gossiping, and confusion that grieved the hearts of those that watched as there church was literally being destroyed.  These were church folk.

There were no telecommunications devices available for the immediate notification of what was happening; there were no airplanes, trains, buses or cars because they hadn't been invented yet; in fact there wasn't even an official postal service.  When they exchanged letters they were often given to someone that was going to be traveling to the place where the recipient was and if you had enough money you could pay a courier to deliver your mail.  Paul was not able to stop ministering where he was so he responded by letter to this urgent need because if he didn't resolve the challenges at the Corinth Church he knew it was going to be destroyed.

In his letter he pleads with them not in his name, but the name of Jesus Christ that they be unified in what they say, think and their judgement as it pertains to things of God.

Let's fast forward to 2014.  Is this type of behavior still lurking in our churches?

Whenever you have more than one person who is part of a group there will be disagreements.  There is no sin in disagreeing, it's how you disagree that matters.  For example:

Jamey was your assistant as a greeter.  She sent you a text she wasn't going to be able to serve with you anymore.  You ask why but she is evasive.  She still comes to church, she even speaks to you and others, but she is not as talkative as she used to be.  You cop an attitude and stop speaking to her altogether assuming she has a grudge against you.   That is so Junior High School.  Did you ever consider that Jamey is under spiritual attack and it takes every ounce of energy just to get to church, remember to put on her "happy I am too blessed to be stressed face" and speak to people? 

Or

Your volunteer group is in a meeting.  Shawn, the secretary, disagrees with your suggestion, you take it personal, tell your friends that the Shawn doesn't like you and based on your own assumptions you create other allegations.  You stop speaking to her and when you see her coming you go in the opposite direction.  Your clique, I mean friends stop speaking to Shawn.  All of  you find fault in everything she does now, her kids and her ministry.  You start gossiping about her, I mean "sharing" with others that they should pray for Shawn because she has a demon.  That is so Junior High School!

It's human nature for people to want to hear about the dirty details of other peoples lives so they have something to compare their miserable lives to.  And, if we are not careful we will get drawn into the trap of "sharing" information that is none of our business.

God is not pleased with that behavior and He is calling us to Get It Together, to be unified, to be the agents of change, the Ambassadors,  and peculiar people He created us to be.  It (tearing one another down) can stop with us.  We can be the catalyst of change as we demonstrate excellence on our journey as Godly women "get it and keep it together":

Therefore, putting away lying, “ Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:25-32 NKJV

In His Excellence Service

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