How to Prevent a Church Split–Part 3

I think if Christians spent as much time trying to share the good news of God’s love as they do focusing on who’s most spiritual they could change the world.

I also think a lot of non-believers look at churches going through all this inner family bickering and think, “No thanks. I’ve got enough problems.”

I mean, why wouldn’t they?

Fighting over worship. Hymns or choruses? Organ or a band? Worship team or choir?

Or communion. How do you serve it? How often do you serve it?

Then baptism. Do you immerse or sprinkle? Forward or backwards?

And for my charismatic friends do you need a second baptism of the spirit?

Frankly I’m tired of it all. Don’t care anymore.

No wonder some non-believers think Christians are insane.

Unfortunately it’s nothing new. By the time Paul wrote this letter around 60 AD Christians were already dividing up into warring camps.

Which is why he wrote, “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.” (Ephesians 4: 5-6 NLT)

I wonder what we could accomplish if instead of focusing on what divides us we focused on what unites us.

There is only one God. Each of us believes in that God if we follow Jesus. And frankly I don’t think he cares at all about how we worship him. Only that we do it from heartfelt passion.

Second, I think God laughs or cries when we fight over baptism. I mean how can it possibly make any difference?

It’s simply an outward expression of what we believe has happened inside of us.

And don’t get me started on multiple baptisms spiritual or otherwise. It’s simply not biblical.

Third, there’s only one faith. Oh it might be expressed in different ways but we enter into the relationship with God because at some point we believe in him enough to ask him to accept us. That’s it.

And look at what flows out of that relationship.

God becomes our loving Father. We will feel loved in a way we can’t imagine.

We’ll see his power unleashed in our lives.

He lives in us as he promised.

And we’ll see him work through our lives in amazing ways.

United we can change our world. Divided we change zip.

Where have you discovered that unity?