Do not use useless words or wrangle with non essential concepts when teaching the body of Christ. What benefit is this when we go after such needless things? It only undermines and takes away the truth, therefore, leading the hearers away from God’s will. (2 Timothy 2:14)
We are to be diligent and persistent in presenting God’s word correctly to all situations. The one who wrongly delivers the truth of the word becomes a tool in Satan’s deceptive hand. Remember his tactic is to say, “Did God really say...?” He was and is always questioning the truth instead of himself. This leads those to condone sin in their own life and justify the sins of another. Those that deliver God’s word in this way are deceitful messengers that need to be corrected and avoided at all costs. Their tactics will only lead to more sin and division in the church.
Is there division happening in your church? Test the scripture against the divisiveness and ask yourself, “Is this divisiveness worldly and empty chatter or it is in defense of the truth of God’s Word?” Worldly and empty chatter translated from the Greek means “an empty sounding noise.”
Now, before you answer that question, make sure that you are reading the Bible for what IT says concerning the divisive matter, and not for what you think or want it to say. It is very important to go to the Bible with the right heart.
Quite often divisiveness is the result of people comparing themselves to people. Let’s face it, we can all find someone in the church worse off than we are spiritually, likewise, we can also find someone better off spiritually than we are. This type of comparison is nonsense because God does not call us to compare ourselves to others; if we do that we get a distorted view of our spiritual walk.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “…let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Paul continues to admonish us in 2 Corinthians 10:12-13. He says we are not to live like those that “…measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, people like this are without understanding. We will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure…” And that sphere of measure for us is to “…be imitators of God…” not men. Ephesians 5:1. The correct comparison is to constantly compare ourselves to Christ. Then, we see ourselves more clearly and are able to approach the Word of God with humility. Instead of being like the Pharisee who sees himself in comparison to the poor tax gatherer, we seek God’s truth with the same humility as the tax gatherer. Our heats cry out, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” With this prayer, our eyes are opened to the truth of ourselves and we set our eyes on what the Bible truly says and not what we want it to say. In this correct comparison our hearts belong to Jesus!
1 Timothy 2:19 reminds us that“…The Lord knows who are His…” And He knows this by the condition of our hearts and the correct delivery we give of His Word. One who rightly divides His Word is birthed into a vessel that is useful and honorable to God’s people.
A simple illustration would be this: If we took one of our dirty bowls and simply washed it with water and refilled it with fresh food, does its apparent cleanliness mean it was without harmful bacteria that could infect the fresh provisions? Of course not! It may have looked clean, but it is toxic in disguise.
A vessel that cleans itself of filth is sanctified for God’s honor. It is useful to the Master and prepared for His good work. God calls us to rid ourselves of anything that destroys and pursue righteousness (right living), faith, love, and peace. Let’s ponder this question, "Does quarreling and disunity have a place in righteousness, faith, love and peace?" Or does it distort the picture of God, who is love? “Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful, not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not gloat over other people’s sins but takes its delight in the truth. Love always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, and always endures. Love never ends…” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) Don’t read this quickly; you may miss its convicting weight. Read it one more time, this time slow enough to see you in it. Where are you falling short? Where are you making the mark?
Looking at 1 Timothy 2:22, who are we to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with? It says “…with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” This is the body of Christ, the church of God. There isn’t room for “disunity” if this is our DNA.
What is the antidote to disunity? It is a good shot of refusal, that’s what it is. A refusal of “…foolish and ignorant speculations that produce quarrels…” In modern day terms, this would be called, “drama, drama, drama.” Don’t you just hate “drama!” One of the very reasons I would not go back to being a teenager, is because of the constant “drama.” Drama is such a waste of time and energy. It is an endless circle of ideas, gossip and comparisons that lead to a downward spiral of NOWHERE.
“Drama” is like driving endlessly in a car without a destination. Driving in this way is exhausting. Driving is only necessary when the driving takes us somewhere productive and interesting. The only reason I get in a car, is because I know that I am getting out! And I’m getting out to a place that will be profitable to me. Let us strive in our churches to be on mission that takes us to a profitable place for the body and for those who need Jesus.
The Lord’s servants, which are His church, are to not be quarrelsome, but kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, gentle when correcting those in opposition. (2 Timothy 2:24-25). In this God may grant them a change of mind (repentance); this change of mind will lead to the knowledge of the truth and the ability to discern rightly why there is division in our church. If all of God’s people would take this approach to dismantling disunity in the church, the church would “come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil…” They would be sanctioned in the power of the Holy Spirit to propel the saving message of Jesus.
I’ve heard the old saying that “those who eat together stay together.” In the church Paul tells that “…those who believed together, shared together, praised God together, had one mind together…” was a powerful evangelical force together. Why? Because it is their love for each other that makes God known to the unbelieving of our community.
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