1 Corinthians 1:10-11 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
But what a way I’m into Bruh Paul now eh Friends! (smile) Couldn’t stand him before. Considered him a bit too uppity and self-righteous, and his writing too high brow and wordy, difficult for the ordinary man to understand. Guess that was due to his higher level of education and social position than the other apostles. But like the Lord’s been quietly working on me and I’m beginning to appreciate him more. He’s certainly practical, and in his zeal, does not shy away from contentious matters, like Today’s Bit. He had heard from different sources, that the church at Corinth was being fractured by cliques. Now doesn’t that sound familiar? Of course. It’s happening today too, and on a much larger scale than back then. Oh people, it’s such a sad commentary on the body of Christ. The Church is supposed to be the true, unifying vehicle of Christ’s ministry, for spreading His Word to all ends of the earth. The Corinthians can be excused a bit for their dissension because they were new to the faith, which itself was new, and all the ramifications had not yet been ironed out. But Friends,what excuse do we have two thousand years later, with everything settled and in place? Why can’t we have a fairly unified Church eh? I said fairly, since human involvement always brings dissension, but certainly not to today’s extent. And I mean both inter and intra denominational. Within all spheres, there’s too much bickering, backbiting, distrust and anger, that’s boiling over into further divisions. We have not forsaken our selfish, egotistical ways to live in LOVE and unity as Christ asked. The desires of the flesh have conquered those of the spirit. Consequently, the Church has fallen into sad disrepute and neglect, both literally and figuratively. Like the Corinthians were forming cliques in the different apostle’s names, Paul, Apollos, Cephas, (1:12). But as Bruh Paul asks, (1:13) ‘Is Christ divided?’ And that’s the crux of the matter my people. The answer is a resounding, No! So why then are we dividing? Jesus himself said that a house divided cannot stand (Luke 11:17) In fact, anything that’s divided and fighting against itself, will not last. How then can we expect to do our duty and spread the word, when there’s no unity? How can we expect unbelievers to not only listen, but also joyfully embrace the word, if all they see is disunity amongst those claiming to be followers of this magnificent, loving, merciful, and forgiving Saviour, Jesus Christ? It’s highly unlikely. I keep stressing that it’s not what we say, but more so how we act, that wins hearts to Christ. Ah Friends, in these turbulent times, we need Christ more than ever, and unity should be paramount, though it won’t be easy, since we’re so deeply divided, but its our only hope for survival. So in Bruh Paul’s words, ‘Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement.’ Much LOVE!…remember…examples speak…plenty louder than words…
But what a way I’m into Bruh Paul now eh Friends! (smile) Couldn’t stand him before. Considered him a bit too uppity and self-righteous, and his writing too high brow and wordy, difficult for the ordinary man to understand. Guess that was due to his higher level of education and social position than the other apostles. But like the Lord’s been quietly working on me and I’m beginning to appreciate him more. He’s certainly practical, and in his zeal, does not shy away from contentious matters, like Today’s Bit. He had heard from different sources, that the church at Corinth was being fractured by cliques. Now doesn’t that sound familiar? Of course. It’s happening today too, and on a much larger scale than back then. Oh people, it’s such a sad commentary on the body of Christ. The Church is supposed to be the true, unifying vehicle of Christ’s ministry, for spreading His Word to all ends of the earth. The Corinthians can be excused a bit for their dissension because they were new to the faith, which itself was new, and all the ramifications had not yet been ironed out. But Friends,what excuse do we have two thousand years later, with everything settled and in place? Why can’t we have a fairly unified Church eh? I said fairly, since human involvement always brings dissension, but certainly not to today’s extent. And I mean both inter and intra denominational. Within all spheres, there’s too much bickering, backbiting, distrust and anger, that’s boiling over into further divisions. We have not forsaken our selfish, egotistical ways to live in LOVE and unity as Christ asked. The desires of the flesh have conquered those of the spirit. Consequently, the Church has fallen into sad disrepute and neglect, both literally and figuratively. Like the Corinthians were forming cliques in the different apostle’s names, Paul, Apollos, Cephas, (1:12). But as Bruh Paul asks, (1:13) ‘Is Christ divided?’ And that’s the crux of the matter my people. The answer is a resounding, No! So why then are we dividing? Jesus himself said that a house divided cannot stand (Luke 11:17) In fact, anything that’s divided and fighting against itself, will not last. How then can we expect to do our duty and spread the word, when there’s no unity? How can we expect unbelievers to not only listen, but also joyfully embrace the word, if all they see is disunity amongst those claiming to be followers of this magnificent, loving, merciful, and forgiving Saviour, Jesus Christ? It’s highly unlikely. I keep stressing that it’s not what we say, but more so how we act, that wins hearts to Christ. Ah Friends, in these turbulent times, we need Christ more than ever, and unity should be paramount, though it won’t be easy, since we’re so deeply divided, but its our only hope for survival. So in Bruh Paul’s words, ‘Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement.’ Much LOVE!…remember…examples speak…plenty louder than words…
SCRIP-BITS 