v. 19 – It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.

Devotional:

A division is the result of two different visions trying to occupy the same space. People divide over politics, sports teams, financial matters, cultural differences, and the list goes on and on. It doesn’t matter how you try to explain division and how many details explain who’s on what side and why they might be right, every division is the result of a competing vision. Husbands and wives could have different visions of what parenting should look like or how finances should be managed, bosses
and employees could have different visions over what is fair and reasonable or the direction of the company, and far too often pastors and staff or laity have different visions for what the focus or the future of their local church should be. These divisions can be worked through, relationships can stay intact, and love can prevail by following Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 18 as well as by using kindness and patience as a currency, but in so many cases divisions lead to separations.

The way that Jesus’ followers handle divisions within the Church should be radically different than how “worldly people” who are “devoid of the Spirit” handle divisions. The kingdom of this world teaches us to talk about people, not to people. It wants us to hold grudges and walk in unforgiveness. The world would lead us to believe that people having different opinions makes them unsafe and they should be held hostage to our preferences because they don’t agree with us on everything. My heart is often saddened by the reality that we have traded honoring one another for cynicism toward and distrust in one another. In the world we live in it seems to me that empathy has been replaced with criticism when we see people struggling or hurting and this is truly far from the heart of God.

As believers, we are to always work toward unity, even if that unity is to agree to disagree. The item of first importance of any division we may face has to start with the question, “Does the person I am in conflict with have the Spirit?” Jude writes of heretics who are hell-bent on deceiving the Church for selfish gain, and he says people like these should not be tolerated but instead called to repentance. If someone is trying to deceive your children and lead them astray from God, it is imperative you don’t sit by idly hoping it all just works out. You have to arm yourself with God’s Word and prayer to stand against the lies and the liars.

If a division arises between two believers or groups of believers we take to heart the words of the Apostle Paul when he says, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).

For the sake of the gospel, it is our duty as believers to strive toward a unity of mind and judgment. If we need mediators in the form of counselors or other pastors then we should pursue them. And if we need years and years of brotherly discourse to achieve unity then so be it. We should never settle for a false unity that is passive in nature, but a true unity forged in the fires of honest dialogue, trust, and the hope of Jesus Christ as the savior of all mankind. Jesus gave us the guide to how we are to handle disputes, disagreements, and any process of reconciliation in Matthew 18:15-17. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If

he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Jesus’ prescriptions brought cures to soul sicknesses and wounds. His words we just read, if obeyed, can open many doors in the human heart and unleash forgiveness and honor. I invite you to seek Jesus’ path of reconciliation anywhere you have a relationship that needs it.

REFLECTION:

Have you participated in a division between yourself and another believer(s)? When you look back, what would you have done differently to ensure unity between you for the sake of the gospel? If you are currently divided with another believer, what is your course of action to prevent unnecessary separation?