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We all know the narrative in John 17. But let's revisit it.
John 17:11
"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, AS WE ARE.
This was the last thing on Jesus' mind before he went to the cross. He could have been praying about anything, but he chose to pray about unity.
What does that mean for us? It means we have to be willing to break down barriers that exist among us.
Because if we don't, here's what happens:
The separation becomes more important than the story. The conflict becomes more important than the command. And the division keeps us distracted from accomplishing anything that actually matters.
Before we jump to some specific sources of division, I want to also remind us of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control ( Gal. 5:22-23). There's one thing that each of these things require: unified community.
The essence of the evidence of the Spirit working in our lives requires us to live in unity.
So let's get specific. Here are 6 of many distractions plaguing the Church today:
1) The Distraction of Preference
We all like things done a certain way. It's part of our nature.
We like the service to be in a particular order. We like the music to be a particular style (and as we all know, some people are very particular about the volume of that music). We like our schedules to look like they're supposed to. We like our community to feel a certain way.
It's okay for us to have preferences. But the moment HOW we do ministry becomes more important than WHY we do ministry, we're in big trouble.
Methods should never guide our ministry or our interactions with others. Mission should.
Well said brother, when our understanding if different, if we are not willing to clear our mind and study in prayer for the truth we loose in pride. We are to be humble if not we will never find the truth.
That is true Brother Ronald but finding having the truth doesn't necessarily eliminate pride.
To quarrel about a secondary topic and neglect what's most important is a show of pride.
You see we set Christ commission aside to do our own thing.
Winning a debate doesn't out weigh Winning souls.
Here's an example of what I noticed.
A person posted questions on their fear of coming to Christ. That message lingered for hours before there was an response while posts of several topics went on.
When one or two offered their help on the subject the thread was flooded but not many of those replies went to the lady posting.
Several sent their replies to the two that tried to help.
And there was a few contradictions on the thread and the lady never responded back.
As ambassadors for Christ We should be about his business.
So the truth in Eschatology doesn't save.
Israelology doesn't save.
Angelology doesn't save.
The study of the Diety of Christ doesn't save.
Ecclesiology. ( The study of the church ) doesn't even save.
You can have the truth in all these but that truth doesn't save!
A mature knowledge of those topics may require salvation being that it takes the teaching of the Holyspirit spirit to reveal such things while we grow but Salvation comes first chronologically and in importance.
Believing in and holding the truth in Christ work on the cross saves. Every area of Sanctification comes second Chronologically.
Soteriology is what's being neglected. There is no fascination in it.
A friend of ours in ministry likes to call this "rightolatry" - the idolatry of being right. Whew!
Paul communicates this when he tells Timothy, "Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels" ( 2 Tim. 2:23). How much should we have to do with controversies? Literally nothing. Stay out of them. Walk away. Exit the browser. Leave.
Let me just say this: There are times when we will disagree with people. And that's okay! It's okay to disagree without feeling like you have to break ties.
Jesus sums up Scripture with two commands: love God and love people. A lot of church leaders feel like they have a justifiable reason to separate from people within their church or outside their church because of differences. But does that typically reflect Jesus' command to love?
Let's strive not to be right in all the wrong ways.
3) The Distraction of Doctrine
Some of you just let out an audible gasp when you read this. If that was you, let's walk through this point together.
GOOD DOCTRINE IS ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT.
So don't read this as me saying that what we believe doesn't matter.
But sometimes we get bogged down in the details outside of what's most important to our faith. Sometimes we start to identify more with the theological group we associate with than the One who saved us. Sometimes our denomination starts to take precedence over our faith.
And when that happens, we quickly work our way down the slope away from Jesus' prayer in John 17. That's when arguments start. That's when division takes its foothold. And that's when we waste our efforts arguing amongst each other, rather than wholly pursuing the mission Jesus laid out for us.
I don't think it's any secret that there is a wide political divide among people in the United States. No matter where we stand politically.
it's important for us to remember that being American and being Christian are two different things.
As a believer, not only do you represent your own opinions, but you also represent the church and our Savior.
Does the Gospel have political implications? Absolutely. But as soon as our political convictions become more important than the humanity of the person we're speaking with (or speaking about), we are no longer able to interact in a way that reflects Christ.
5) The Distraction of Personalities.
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.
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:11-13.
Believers, it is our job to ensure that people in our midst don't love us more than they love their Savior. That they don't identify with us or our beliefs more than they identify with Jesus.
I love Paul's question in that 1 Corinthians.
( Is Christ divided?)
6) Pride and a fascination in a particular area of scripture.
We can be so fixed on a particular area of scripture or doctrine that we put it ahead of our great commission. Eschatology is probably the leading area in this.
We love to tell you when and how Jesus is coming back to destroy the world but neglect to give the listener the message of the Gospel.
These distractions and many more hinders us from being unprofitable in winning people to Christ.
Christianity is not just sharing and comparing our thoughts.
Everything we do should be for the purpose Christ died for and made you his Desciples.
Part 1
Remembering Jesus' Prayer for Unity
We all know the narrative in John 17. But let's revisit it.
John 17:11
"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, AS WE ARE.
This was the last thing on Jesus' mind before he went to the cross. He could have been praying about anything, but he chose to pray about unity.
What does that mean for us? It means we have to be willing to break down barriers that exist among us.
Because if we don't, here's what happens:
The separation becomes more important than the story. The conflict becomes more important than the command. And the division keeps us distracted from accomplishing anything that actually matters.
Before we jump to some specific sources of division, I want to also remind us of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control ( Gal. 5:22-23). There's one thing that each of these things require: unified community.
The essence of the evidence of the Spirit working in our lives requires us to live in unity.
So let's get specific. Here are 6 of many distractions plaguing the Church today:
1) The Distraction of Preference
We all like things done a certain way. It's part of our nature.
We like the service to be in a particular order. We like the music to be a particular style (and as we all know, some people are very particular about the volume of that music). We like our schedules to look like they're supposed to. We like our community to feel a certain way.
It's okay for us to have preferences. But the moment HOW we do ministry becomes more important than WHY we do ministry, we're in big trouble.
Methods should never guide our ministry or our interactions with others. Mission should.
See part 2.
Well said brother, when our understanding if different, if we are not willing to clear our mind and study in prayer for the truth we loose in pride. We are to be humble if not we will never find the truth.
God bless,
RLW
To quarrel about a secondary topic and neglect what's most important is a show of pride.
You see we set Christ commission aside to do our own thing.
Winning a debate doesn't out weigh Winning souls.
Here's an example of what I noticed.
A person posted questions on their fear of coming to Christ. That message lingered for hours before there was an response while posts of several topics went on.
When one or two offered their help on the subject the thread was flooded but not many of those replies went to the lady posting.
Several sent their replies to the two that tried to help.
And there was a few contradictions on the thread and the lady never responded back.
As ambassadors for Christ We should be about his business.
So the truth in Eschatology doesn't save.
Israelology doesn't save.
Angelology doesn't save.
The study of the Diety of Christ doesn't save.
Ecclesiology. ( The study of the church ) doesn't even save.
You can have the truth in all these but that truth doesn't save!
A mature knowledge of those topics may require salvation being that it takes the teaching of the Holyspirit spirit to reveal such things while we grow but Salvation comes first chronologically and in importance.
Believing in and holding the truth in Christ work on the cross saves. Every area of Sanctification comes second Chronologically.
Soteriology is what's being neglected. There is no fascination in it.
We're distracted.
God bless.
Part 2.
2) The Distraction of Being Right
A friend of ours in ministry likes to call this "rightolatry" - the idolatry of being right. Whew!
Paul communicates this when he tells Timothy, "Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels" ( 2 Tim. 2:23). How much should we have to do with controversies? Literally nothing. Stay out of them. Walk away. Exit the browser. Leave.
Let me just say this: There are times when we will disagree with people. And that's okay! It's okay to disagree without feeling like you have to break ties.
Jesus sums up Scripture with two commands: love God and love people. A lot of church leaders feel like they have a justifiable reason to separate from people within their church or outside their church because of differences. But does that typically reflect Jesus' command to love?
Let's strive not to be right in all the wrong ways.
3) The Distraction of Doctrine
Some of you just let out an audible gasp when you read this. If that was you, let's walk through this point together.
GOOD DOCTRINE IS ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT.
So don't read this as me saying that what we believe doesn't matter.
But sometimes we get bogged down in the details outside of what's most important to our faith. Sometimes we start to identify more with the theological group we associate with than the One who saved us. Sometimes our denomination starts to take precedence over our faith.
And when that happens, we quickly work our way down the slope away from Jesus' prayer in John 17. That's when arguments start. That's when division takes its foothold. And that's when we waste our efforts arguing amongst each other, rather than wholly pursuing the mission Jesus laid out for us.
See part 3.
Part 3.
4) The Distraction of Political Opinion
I don't think it's any secret that there is a wide political divide among people in the United States. No matter where we stand politically.
it's important for us to remember that being American and being Christian are two different things.
As a believer, not only do you represent your own opinions, but you also represent the church and our Savior.
Does the Gospel have political implications? Absolutely. But as soon as our political convictions become more important than the humanity of the person we're speaking with (or speaking about), we are no longer able to interact in a way that reflects Christ.
5) The Distraction of Personalities.
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.
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:11-13.
Believers, it is our job to ensure that people in our midst don't love us more than they love their Savior. That they don't identify with us or our beliefs more than they identify with Jesus.
I love Paul's question in that 1 Corinthians.
( Is Christ divided?)
6) Pride and a fascination in a particular area of scripture.
We can be so fixed on a particular area of scripture or doctrine that we put it ahead of our great commission. Eschatology is probably the leading area in this.
We love to tell you when and how Jesus is coming back to destroy the world but neglect to give the listener the message of the Gospel.
These distractions and many more hinders us from being unprofitable in winning people to Christ.
Christianity is not just sharing and comparing our thoughts.
Everything we do should be for the purpose Christ died for and made you his Desciples.
Blessings.
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