Is Christ Divided?

Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 

(1 Corinthians 1:13)

When Jesus sent His apostles to go out into the world, He told them to teach all nations whatsoever He had commanded them, not what anybody else said. There was no room for division if they spoke and believed the same words. So when we evaluate the current state of the church being divided up into thousands of different denominations and groups, we can confidently say that this is not the will of God. Jesus Christ is not divided against Himself. There is only one true faith, one Savior, and one hope of our calling. Rather He prayed to the Father for the unity of His people and said how this, even this, would make the world to know that the Father sent Him. He even repeated it multiple times which shows us how important it is to Him, and if it's that important to Him then it should be that important to us also. If He prayed these things, we ought to pray them too. 

It is His desire for all of us to be conformed to His doctrine and commandments, to be of one mind and one judgement speaking His words and walking the way He walked. If each of us are individually committed to following Christ and Him alone, He will draw us together in a supernatural unity under His headship. 

This is not something that's talked about much, but it ought to be at the forefront of our minds and one of the greatest endeavors of our fellowships. 

I beseech you as Paul besought the Corinthians,

"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 judgment." (1 Corinthians 1:10)

Because we are indeed one body and there is one head, we ought to strive for our unity in the doctrine of Christ and everything He commanded. If He is our Lord, let us do the things which He said. We need to let Him to purify us from all things that are not conformed to His word, because the scripture says "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification..." (1 Thessalonians 4:3). And how does He sanctify us? "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:17) He does it through His word which is the truth, because the word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. He will cut off from us the things that do not please Him so that we can be perfectly aligned with His will to HIS glory.

Jesus' Prayer 

"20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (John 17:20-23)

This should be our prayer also. It is in my prayers all the time. 

Division Is Detrimental 

Jesus prayed to the Father that we may be one, and that from this the world may know and believe that the Father sent Him. So what happens when believers are all divided up into separate denominations? What does this show to the world when we are in so many disagreements and divisions that we don't even appear to be of one faith? 

And this is not the only concern. Divisions about doctrine and tradition stir up arguing and strife which undoubtedly provoke tension, and at times even hatred. But the scripture tells us to provoke one another to love and to good works, not contention. Is it really plausible that in this state we are ready to display to the lost what it means to love one another as Christ has loved us? It's not that we can't love those whom we disagree with, especially seeing that Jesus even commanded us to love our enemies, but the problem is that it's much harder for us to build one another up in true love when we are separated by reason of contrary doctrines and movements. And when we really get down to it, it's sin that's dividing us. If we sincerely die to ourselves and FULLY submit ourselves to the will of God, we can then put off the sins of the flesh that pull us apart from one another. That is for every one of us to do, to strive for holiness and thereby commune with each other in the same love for God. John tells us in his letter, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." (1 John 5:3) If we unite in love for God, that means we will unite in obedience to Him as well.

This also matters when it comes to prayer. If we hold different beliefs and different desires for ourselves and the lost, we won't be in unity of prayer either. But it's powerful when we come together to pray for the same cause, as Jesus told us, 

"19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:19-20)

It is also written that "...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)

Gather With Him Or Scatter Abroad 

"He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." (Matthew 12:30)

We know that no man can serve two masters. Everyone must choose this day whom they will serve. Are we going to gather with Christ and conform to everything He said, or are we going to pick out what things we don't like and add things in as we please? 

Following Jesus is not a matter of doing what we feel like doing or obeying the commandments of men and then applying the name of Christ to it. Following Him means FOLLOWING HIM. In the book of Revelation He straightly warned the church of Laodicea that He would spew the lukewarm people out of His mouth, and that is very much a warning to the church of today as well.

There needs to come a point where every believer in Christ realizes that the act of following Jesus is not a sit-on-the-fence position. As we read in Matthew 12:30 you are either for Jesus or against Him, and there is no such thing as being both. You can either gather with Him or scatter abroad. As the Good Shepherd He will go and search for the lost sheep to gather them into His flock, but if someone continually refuses to hear His voice and obey Him, He will not force them. 

So with that said, I pray you and many others will listen to Jesus' prayer to the Father for our unity and bring this to the attention of other beloved brothers and sisters. Meditate on this and study it while you learn from the Holy Spirit. And pray to God that He will guide us together in the same mind and understanding of who Jesus is and what He wants us to do, because there is nothing more important than that in our entire lives. Amen, Maranatha.