FREEDOM From DIVISION-IV—1Corinthians 1:14-17(:10-17)
formerly: The INDIGNITY Of DIVISION
Attention:
On Feb 20, 2019, Duke University, basketball forward & freshman basketball sensation, Zion Williamson(from Spartanburg, SC), was injured within the first minute of play, in a regular-season game against rival University of North Carolina.
Mr. Williamson planted his left foot on the game floor hard, while dribbling near the free throw line. As he did so, he had catastrophic trouble with his left, size 15 Nike custom basketball shoe. The sole of the shoe completely separated from the top of the shoe from heel to toe along the left side.
The shoe failure caused his foot to come completely out of the shoe thru the torn side. The incident caused Zion to lose traction, so that he twisted his knee during the play. He had to sit out that game & other games, due to the injury. He returned to play again during the ACC Tournament only after... 1)Having nursed his knee injury for 3 weeks; & after 2)Having an entirely different pair of Nike shoes that were supposedly more substantial.
The ‘division’ of Zion Williamson’s faulty shoe, wreaked havoc on his health & his potential future in basketball. It also threatened Duke University’s standing, because Mr. Williamson had to sit out a few games. Once the ‘division’ was removed from the equation, Mr. Williamson went on to eventually play professionally, & Duke continues to pump out great basketball players.
Likewise, division devastates any church’s potential success, as well as any ministry’s potential for success!
And So, FREEDOM from division, frees up any church/ministry for success!
Need:
God’s people must RECOGNIZE divisive behaviors in themselves & others. God calls us to SURRENDER those behaviors to His power, thru the Holy Spirit, Who lives within us. FREEDOM From DIVISION-IV—1Corinthians 1:14-17(: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.
So far we’ve found that...
Freedom from division,
thrives in Christian...
1. UNITY(:10-12)
And Freedom from division,
thrives particularly in a United Christian...
2. MINDSET(:12-13)
Today we’ll find that...
3—Freedom from division ALSO thrives in a United Christian...
PURPOSE(:14-17)
Explanation:(:14-17)
:14—“I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus & Gaius,”
Paul “thanks God” that he had only “baptized” a few that he personally remembers(:14, 16). “Crispus & Gaius” & “the household of Stephanas.”
“Crispus”—Only mentioned 2X.
Acts 18:5-8—“When Silas & Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, & testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But when they opposed him & blasphemed, he shook his garments & said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he departed from there & entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed & were baptized.”
“Gaius”—There may be 5 different men in the Scriptures named “Gaius”—“Gaius” of Macedonia(Acts 19:29); “Gaius” of Derbe(Acts 20:4); “Gaius” the recipient of the letter of 3John(3Jn. 1:1); & “Gaius” ‘possibly’ associated with Corinth(Rom. 16:23; 1Cor. 1:14); or not.
•“Gaius” was ‘possibly’ the ‘travel companion’ of Paul’s, who was seized in the uproar at Ephesus. That uproar was instigated by Demetrius, the silversmith, who made silver shrines of the pagan goddess Diana(Acts 19:23-29).
•“Gaius” was ‘possibly’ a man from Derbe in Cilicia, who accompanied Paul to Asia Minor, along with other named companions(Acts 20:4).
•“Gaius” was ‘possibly’ a man who ‘hosted’ Paul in Corinth(?), as well as being recognized as ‘the host’ of the whole church in Corinth(?)(Rom. 16:23).
*Always do a little research in the Bible before you assume that a particular name refers to the same person in every instance of their mention in the Bible.
:15—“lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.”
?Why was “Paul’s” “baptizing” of concern to him?
And ?How did it tie into ‘the word’ he had received, about the existence of contentions(:11) & divisions(:10) in the Corinthian church?...
*Because “Paul” did not want his God-ordered ministry to be misconstrued, misinterpreted, or misunderstood! If it had been misunderstood, all the labor of his ministry would have been in vain or to no avail!
*The success of “Paul’s” ministry was entirely bound to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus is the Christ of God, that Jesus is the Savior of all mankind, & that Jesus is Lord of all.
*So “Paul” would be an absolute fool IF he were to take the spotlight AWAY from Christ Jesus & THEN focus it instead on himself by numbering “baptisms” he performed!...As if the “baptisms” were only legitimate if he performed them himself.
*It seems that some of the Corinthian Christians supposed that their being “baptized” in the “name” of certain ministers, provided them an elevated status among their own Christian family. And wielding that elevated status, resulted in a source of contention among the Corinthian Christians....
Obviously no one SHOULD be “baptized” in the “name” of anyone other than that of Jesus...Even if the ‘other person’ or the one performing the “baptism” is renowned as an apostle &/or servant of God thru Christ.
•Gal. 1:6-12—“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you & want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
*It is of utmost importance for everyone to understand that “baptism” does NOT call attention to the person performing the “baptizing.”
NOR does “baptism” call attention to the one being baptized, OTHER THAN to recognize the person’s personal faith of dependence upon Jesus, for their salvation & sanctification.
“Baptism” calls direct attention to what GOD has done in the believer’s life thru the sacrificial cross-work of Jesus!
“Baptism” must be associated with God’s power & no one else’s!
It is ONE THING to like or appreciate the MANNER or WAY in which a certain person “baptizes” others...
BUT it is a whole other ANIMAL for a person to allow themselves to be “baptized” in any other “name” besides that of Christ Jesus!
*FYI—Neither “Baptism” NOR ‘the Lord’s Supper’ are ‘sacramental’ in nature!...They do NOT ‘impart divine grace’ to the believer! ‘Sacramentalism’ is a persistent perversion of the Roman Catholic Church in particular, But is also a perversion within some protestant Christian churches. It is a sign of flesh-driven empty religion.
•Any group who ‘sprinkles’ or “baptizes” infants has fallen victim to ‘sacramentalism’! Such a practice does violence to ‘believer’s baptism’(which IS Scriptural).
•Children below their ‘age of accountability’(individually known by God alone) are obviously headed for heaven, but not due to their saving faith, because they do not have a capacity for saving belief as do older children & adults.
:16a—"Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas...."
“the household of Stephanas”—Only as an afterthought, does Paul remember that he had baptized “the” entire “household of Stephanas.”.....
•What’s interesting about that, is the fact that “The household of Stephanas” were the very first people to accept Jesus & be baptized in the region of Achaia(where Corinth was located).
•AND: “The household of Stephanas” were also recognized by Paul as being “devoted to the ministry of the saints”(1Cor. 16:15).
:16b—“....Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.”
Paul was actually unsure of how many he had “baptized” at Corinth.
And the fact that he had personally “baptized” was indeed unimportant to him.
*Paul seems to have have had very little retention of the “baptisms” in which he was personally involved, BECAUSE that was NOT the PRINCIPLE PURPOSE of his ministry(:17)!
*!Paul’s lack of remembrance about the “baptisms” he performed, is a testimony to the fact that “baptism” has zero ‘sacramental’/ritual power!
If “baptism” has any ‘power’ at all, it is after-the-fact—in that it calls attention to the work that God is doing in a person to transform their life!
•In that same vein, I myself tabulate every “baptism” I perform, as well as the format that I used. Occasionally, whenever I add another “baptized” person to my list, I look thru a portion of the the list. ‘Most’ of them I don’t actually remember baptizing!
But every one of them I “baptized” in the name of Jesus, but NOT “in my own name”(:15)!
•All I know is that somehow, in some way, God uses me, along with the faithfulness of many other Christians, to bring people to a personal conviction about undergoing believer’s baptism!
*Personally, I am WAY more interested, in a person’s taking stock of what Jesus has done for them, so that their entire life becomes upended, committed, & directed for His sake!
*I, & we here at Salem Baptist Church, like Paul, “baptize” BECAUSE we first & foremost, want Jesus to be recognized & lifted up! And to recognize HIS working in believers & others.
:17a—“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,...”
Paul was NOT called as an apostle to merely “baptize” people. Although “baptism” is an ordinance or ritual commanded by the Lord(Mat. 28:19).
•Again, as stated earlier, “baptism” is not ‘sacramental’, but it IS full of meaningful symbolism.
It pictures a person who was dead & headed for hell, actively choosing Jesus as their Savior & Lord, so that the person has chosen to allow Jesus to ‘put to death’ their former self, in order to live a new life empowered by Christ Jesus thru His Holy Spirit.
Paul was “called as an apostle”(:1)—‘sent forth with orders’—to strictly & simply “preach “the Gospel”—the ‘Good News’ of salvation by grace thru faith.
Acts 4:18-20—Peter & John as apostles of Christ said,—“And they called them & commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter & John answered & said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen & heard.””
Acts 6:1-4—the sentiment of the twelve disciples, after Jesus' ascension & the Holy Spirit’s arrival—“Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples & said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God & serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit & wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer & to the ministry of the word.””
Likewise, Paul was called, empowered, & equipped by the Holy Spirit to plead with, to urge, & to otherwise encourage people toward obedience to God thru Christ! His main Purpose though was “to preach the Gospel.”
Although “baptism” is expected among God’s people, & is a result of “preaching”/evangelizing, it was NOT the focus of Paul’s calling as an apostle(1:1). His calling was for the purpose of proclaiming the Good News that it is by faith alone, that anyone can partake of God’s salvation & lordship that is found in Christ alone!
Paul’s apostolic calling was to “preach the Gospel.” And because he was faithful to that task, his “preaching” was accomplished thru “the power of God”(1:18; 2:5). Thus his “preaching” was NEVER done thru, or to bring about, empty sacramentalism or the empty ritual of man.
Paul’s God-ordered purpose was to share & proclaim God’s truth(“preach”) according to ‘the revelations ‘he had received as a man sent forth with orders.’ So any resulting ‘formalities of baptism’ were subsumed under Paul’s main purpose of “preaching the Gospel.”
The proper response of those who favorably received the Gospel “preached”, is to seek “baptism.” And the same holds true from then, on thru today, & thru to the last day of the final judgment of God on the earth.
•Jn. 4:1-3—“Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made & baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea & departed again to Galilee.”
“Baptizing” converts requires no special gift of the Holy Spirit, whereas called & apostolic “preaching” of “the Gospel” does.(David Garland ECNT)
“[Paul] was not sent to start a cult of people baptized by him.”—John MacArthur
:17b—“...not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.”
Paul’s “preaching” is not based on his personal cleverness(2:1,4), his eloquence, or fleshly derived philosophical “wisdom of words.”
There is no possibility that any human “wisdom of words” can accomplish anything super-natural. That is, No fleshly derived philosophy, Nor powerless rationalizations Nor religious imaginings—can accomplish anything super-natural. The true things of God do not come as a result of the reasonings & musings of mankind.
•1Cor. 2:9-12—“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”
Acts 26:16-18—the Lord Jesus to Paul—“‘But rise & stand on your feet; for I[Jesus] have appeared to you[Paul] for this purpose, to make you a minister & a witness both of the things which you have seen & of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins & an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’”
IF God had called Paul to “preach” thru worldly “wisdom of words”, THEN “the cross of Christ” would have become “of no effect.”
•That is, IF Paul had proclaimed his message thru “wisdom of words” rather than thru the power of God thru “the cross of Christ”, THEN the very “the cross of Christ” that Paul “preached” would have been inconsequential, void, empty, pointless, & useless for eternal salvation & eternally empowered living!...
...*HOWEVER, “the cross of Christ” is ANYTHING BUT inconsequential & useless. Instead it is central to Christian belief!
•Everything that RESULTED from “the cross of Christ”—The salvation of mankind from the self-condemnation of his own sin—was/is of utmost significance for all people of every era!
•“The cross of Christ” is therefore paramount to & in Paul’s apostolic charge. If “the cross” is lost, then the reason for “baptism” is lost as well. Thereby the act of physical “baptism” must always be maintained as a TERTIARY undertaking! Coming AFTER first, accepting Jesus as one’s Savior, & AFTER that point, accepting Jesus as Lord. “Baptism” is dependent upon a person’s conviction of Jesus’ Lordship by the Holy Spirit!
Paul wrote:
1Cor. 2:1—“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.”
An apostolic, pastoral, or church focus on the mere physical act of “baptism”—with no proper attachment to the Gospel, being sacramental only—would completely gut/eviscerate “the cross of Christ.”
Human cleverness & ‘worldly’ “wisdom” would indeed make “the Cross of Christ” useless! And trust in ‘worldly’ “wisdom” does so by excluding the true Jesus entirely!
On 'WOKENESS':
•This conversation speaks to reasons why the ‘Woke’ trend in our society brings such frighteningly ungodly nonsense into play effecting Christian freedoms.
In it’s current manifestations, ‘Wokeness’ draws on ‘wrongs done’, & highlights, plays on, & elevates faulty human fleshly prejudices that are naturally limited in their scope.
That is to say,
‘Wokeness’ is limited—
•by its ‘Perception’ of right vs. wrong.
•by its Separating people based on ‘race’ or skin color.
•by its Demonizing past history & applying past failures to the shoulders of the present, with the assumption that no one can learn from their own or the mistakes of others. Denying Jesus’ transforming power.
•by its Encouraging victimization in people.
•by its ‘Believing’ that ‘the majority’ of people see any perceived ‘minority’ as inferior.
•by being desirous of ‘position’, though that position is undeserved, with ‘deserving’ being based on a false premise of prejudice.
*‘Wokeness’ is indeed limited, because is refuses to draw upon the perfect wisdom of Almighty God!
WORDS:
“Preach The Gospel/Announce Glad Tidings”—euaggelizw—Present Middle Imperative—1) To bring good news, to announce glad tidings—1a) used in the OT--Of any kind of good news—1a1) Of the joyful tidings of God's kindness, in particular, of the Messianic blessings, 1b) in the NT--Used especially of the glad tidings of the coming kingdom of God, & of the salvation to be obtained in it through Christ, & of what relates to this salvation, 1c) Glad tidings are brought to one, one has glad tidings proclaimed to him, 1d) To proclaim glad tidings—1d1) Instruct(men) concerning the things that pertain to Christian salvation. Strong—To announce good news("evangelize") especially the gospel.?From—eu—neuter of a primary euv(good); adverbially--Well.—&—aggelov—A messenger; especially an "angel"; by implication--A pastor.
“Wisdom”—sofia—Noun Dative Sing. Fem.—1) Wisdom, broad & full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very diverse matters. Gnwsiv denotes knowledge by itself, sofia denotes wisdom as exhibited in action, gnwsiv applies chiefly to the apprehension of truths, sofia adds the power of reasoning about them & tracing their relationships. Sofia is properly wisdom. It denotes mental excellence in the highest & fullest sense, expressing an attitude as well as an act of the mind. It comprehends knowledge & implies goodness, including the striving after the highest ends, as well as the using of the best means for their attainment. It is never ascribed to any one but God & good men, except in a plainly ironical sense. Strong—Wisdom(higher or lower, worldly or spiritual).
“Of No Effect/Of None Effect/Made Void”—kenow—1Aorist Passive Subjunctive 3rd Sing.—1) To empty, make empty—1a) Of Christ, he laid aside equality with or the form of God; 2) To make void—2a) Deprive of force, render vain, useless, of no effect; 3) To make void, 3b) Cause a thing to be seen to be empty, hollow, false. Strong—To make empty, i.e. figuratively--To abase, neutralize, falsify. Used 5X--Rom. 4:14; 1Cor. 1:17; 1Cor. 9:15; 2Cor. 9:3; Php. 2:7.?From—kenov—Empty(literally or figuratively); apparently a primary word.
Argumentation:
2Cor. 12:9—The Lord to Paul,—“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Acts 1:8—““But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; & you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, & in all Judea & Samaria, & to the end of the earth.””
Acts 4:13-20—“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter & John, & perceived that they were uneducated & untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, & we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” And they called them & commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter & John answered & said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen & heard.””
1Pet. 2:24-25—“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd & Overseer of your souls.”
Acts 8:26-39—“Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise & go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose & went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, & had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near & overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, & heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, & said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up & sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” So the eunuch answered Philip & said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, & beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered & said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip & the eunuch went down into the water, & he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; & he went on his way rejoicing.”
Gal. 3:1, 13-14—“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?”.....“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Gal. 6:12-15—“As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, & I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.”
Col. 3:1-4—“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, & your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
*Regarding the danger of DIVISION:
Lk. 11:14-20—“And He[Jesus] was casting out a demon, & it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; & the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, & a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. “And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
As a Church, Our MAJOR Purpose is NOT so much to fill our pews, as it is to declare the Gospel in Jesus Christ.
To focus & work toward more baptisms, we would be tempted to ‘lower the standard’ or ‘lower the bar’ for baptism, so that it eventually would become only a ritual or sacramental formality...
Instead we maintain our Purpose first & foremost by proclaiming the crucified Christ!
Eloquence is of little consequence, however God’s power is of utmost importance! Yes, we want to do our best in every situation to bring honor to God...But that Christ-honoring quality comes thru yielding to the Holy Spirit!
Illustration:
*Any business—for-profit or non-profit—must have a Purpose for it’s very existence! It doesn’t necessarily have to be in print, or on a slick informational guide about the business. But the Purpose is always lived-up-to by the business, OR they will not be ‘in-business’ for long! United PURPOSE!
?What is the PURPOSE of the Church?....
Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
•So, empowered by faith in Jesus, we are to Make disciples, by leading them to Jesus, Baptizing them, & Discipling them.
To unashamedly declare Christ Jesus as Savior & Lord, with the intent that others will surrender their lives to Him. And to live empowered by God’s Holy Spirit, to employ His gifts in service to God....
•So that every ‘good’ & God-ordered result, will come to us & our world, by means of God’s desire & power.
•So that you & I will live UNITED, with a United MINDSET, & Unity of PURPOSE.
Application:
?Is YOUR PURPOSE United with the Church to the extent that YOU are a promoter of ‘Freedom From Division’?
?Is OUR PURPOSE Unified with the Church of God to the extent that SALEM Baptist Church is a promoter of ‘Freedom From Division’?
?Does ‘Freedom From Division’ thrive in & characterize the Body of Christ called Salem Baptist Church?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Zion Williamson’s faulty, ‘divided’ shoe wreaked havoc on his health & his future in basketball, as well as hindering Duke University’s ability to maintain their strong standing.
Action:
Freedom from division thrives in A Unified Christian...
3. PURPOSE(:14-17)
1. UNITY(:10-12)
2. MINDSET(:12-13)
Pt#3 only! Presented 07/28/2024am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
Pt# 1-3 Presented 08/04/2013am to:
FBC C’belle
206 Storrs Ave SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
***********************
Possible Illustrations:
The parsonage ‘lawn’ is riddled with weeds of all kinds. Hallelujah, even weeds look okay when they’re mowed! BUT overall, the lawn is inconsistent at best. IF the lawn were consistent, there would be a consistent texture & consistent presence of ‘centipede grass.’ As it is, there are weeds that command certain areas of the yard. There are creeping weeds, like crabgrass, wiregrass, bahiagrass, nutgrass, goosegrass, & broadleaved weeds like amaranths, dandelions, primrose, spurge, etc. The huge variety of weeds spoil a United PURPOSE
Recently we revamped portions of our yard/We disturbed a bit of the front & side yards/I noticed something...Ants—They are unconcerned with the height of our grass, or the quality of our landscaping, or the placement of bushes, flowers, etc....unless these aid or get in the way of their Purpose—to provide for the entire mound’s welfare/United PURPOSE
