Freedom From Division-2(2024)

FREEDOM From DIVISION-II—1Corinthians 1:10e-12(:10-17)

formerly: The INDIGNITY Of DIVISION

Attention:

I Love You Guys:

After the baby dedication in church, little Johnny sobbed all the way home in his car seat.

His father asked him three times what was wrong, with no reply.

Finally, little Johnny summoned up his courage & said, “That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,...But I wanted to stay with y’all instead.”

Johnny was devastated when he recognized the division within his family!

Likewise, division devastates any church’s/ministry’s potential success!

And So, FREEDOM from division, frees up any church/ministry for success!

Need:

God’s people must RECOGNIZE divisive behaviors in themselves & others. We are called upon by God to SURRENDER those behaviors to the power of God, thru the Holy Spirit, Who lives within us.

FREEDOM From DIVISION-II—1Corinthians 1:10e-12(:10-17)

“Indignity”—A state of being unworthy of honor or respect(in relation to godly matters).

The Corinthian church was afflicted/troubled by the indignity of internal division.

And the apostle Paul urged the Corinthian church to distance themselves from that indignity.

Successful ministry is undermined thru internal division.

?What can free or distance us from division?

And...?How can we be free from that indignity?

3 measures of freedom from division.

Due to time restraints encountered during our time together last week, we were unable to unpack all that the apostle Paul reveals regarding the importance of ‘UNITY’ for the Church.

We looked at a portion of verse :10, where Paul writes,...

:10—“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, & that there be no divisions among you,...”

So today, we’ll continue with verse :10 & resume fleshing-out God’s truth within, being that...

(CONT...)1—Freedom from division thrives in Christian...

UNITY(:10-12)

:10e—“...but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind & in the same judgment.”

“But”—Signifies that “among” God’s people, there SHOULD & CAN be a godly means of being free from “divisions.”

In order to secure & ensure such freedom from “divisions”, “brothers” & sisters in Christ must be of “the same mind” & “judgment.”

That is, there must be a corporate, gathered, church-wide ‘unity’ that determines & guides their God-ordained endeavors. And particularly so regarding doctrinal & team-driven operational issues.

•Since God’s people are regarded as one in fellowship with Christ, so it stands to reason that they would also be one in fellowship with one another, as they serve God together—John MacArthur

•God’s people can & should be of “the same mind” & “judgment” as that of God, when it comes to the ‘way’ & ‘manner’ that the gathered Church fulfills it’s day to day operations(Rom. 15:5-6). That is, so that the outcome of all the church’s endeavors, will give God the proper glory He deserves.

Rom. 15:5-6—“Now may the God of patience & comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind & one mouth glorify the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

•Salem Baptist Church is a congregational church, meaning generally, that ‘the congregation’ accepts & undertakes the challenges & responsibilities for operating in a Christ-like manner.

•We operate in a godly manner congregationally, largely thru freely accepted, & volunteer ‘committees’ & ‘teamwork.’ Each of the members of this local body of Christ, should be of “the same mind” & “judgment.” Together we exhibit UNITY!

*God’s people can still “Be perfectly joined together” even when we question the way something is done. That’s part of how we learn & grow in Christ. Committee & team discussion grants wisdom.

Prov. 11:14—“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

Prov. 15:22—“Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.”

•Be happy with knowing that even though you may not have ‘done it the way’ someone else did, that it’s still okay, BECAUSE... your brother or sister in Christ was ‘led of the Lord’ to take care of it!

*Each of us can still “Be perfectly joined together” when we offer advice, or ‘put our 2-cents in’, as long as that advice offers healthy & helpful direction & wisdom. And as long as we don’t get SO upset with something not being done ‘my way’, that I leave the church in a huff.

•I’m convinced that there are & will be many many people in hell, who would not have been there, IF the Church would have only been free from “division”, by HANDLING ‘CONFLICT’ by the power of God, instead of by the power of flesh!

•Again, We are to “be perfectly joined together in the same mind” & “judgment”, regarding the working of God & our approach toward those things. We must ‘give proper place’ to each of our brother’s & sister’s UNIQUE METHOD of approach toward those things, WHILE looking to GOD for direction.