Acts 18:12 – 19:22; 1 Corinthians 1 – 7

Unity. Division. Two opposite concepts that simply do not and cannot co-exist. As we read through the book of Acts, an interesting pattern emerges. The church experiences a repeating cycle of peace, external trouble and internal trouble. Through all of it, the word of God goes forth and the kingdom expands. It seems hard to imagine that folks who know and obey the truth would struggle against unity and divide the brethren. We see it to this very day. Jesus foretold it from the very start.

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”‘”

Matthew 13:24-30

In the Lord’s church we must be aware of the source of discord and disharmony. Satan. Period. Sometimes he sows arrogance in the hearts of men and they rise up and try to dominate others and seize power in the church. People takes sides. Division and discord replaces peace and harmony.

Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Upon witnessing a power play by divisive brethren, a pagan Kuna Sila (chief) in Panama asked “If there is only one Christ, how can there be more than one church?” Even the pagans know this makes no sense. God desires unity. Satan desires discord. Folks, we need to ask ourselves which side we are on every time division creeps into the church. Choose wisely.

There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body.

1 Corinthians 12:6-20

Satan managed to use something wonderful – miraculous spiritual gifts – and sow the seed of arrogance. Once again, division was the result. We are either building up the body, or tearing it down. Unity or division. It’s a choice. We need to choose wisely.

It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler–not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

Division also afflicts the church because of sin. Satan is really good at what he does. In this instance he used the blessing of grace as an open door to divide. Sowing the seeds of arrogance, he turned saints into braggarts who boasted in the sin they accepted “because of grace”. Even the pagans knew this made no sense. God desires unity. Satan desires discord. Folks, we need to ask ourselves which side we are on when willful sin is flaunted in the church.

No congregation is perfect because people are there. The church, however, is perfect and blameless, because Christ is there. Blessed unity is the result of the forgiveness of sin. Unity is a gift from God. Satan never gives up on getting us back. And, he sows the seeds of division each and every day …

Consider His nature.  Consider His ways.  Strive to love Him more!