Picture of what I imagine some ministries must look like to Jesus Christ.
The picture says to me,"We are a separate entity of the body of Christ and not truly a part of the whole. We are not on the same team as you, therefore you should beware of us because we will hurt you...bad!"
Who are they actually serving? Are they serving themselves or are they honestly serving the Lord? Who bleeds from this unChrist like behavior?
Romans 16:17Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
1 Corinthians 1:10Now 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 3:3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1 Corinthians 11:18For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
Denominations are not scriptural and can never be supported anywhere in the scriptures. There is only one Body of Christ and many local churches within the one body of believers in reality.
How truly sad it is when one portion of the Body of Christ works against another portion.
We recently got to see this in action here...it was heart breaking.
All of us are still here upon this earth after accepting the salvation that Jesus Christ purchased by His blood on the cross. We are all still here for one purpose, to fulfill the great commission. We are all to work in unity to accomplish the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Mark 16:15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
When a church or ministry like the one pictured above threatens another for doing it's best to obey the injunction to spread the Gospel, what then? What have we become? Where is the fruit?
All of us are in service of the Lord Jesus Christ. All of us should be doing our best to work as a team in unity to preach the Gospel.
Are we doing that? Or are we building our own little kingdoms and protecting those kingdoms from others?
Just exactly who are we serving? Ourselves or the Lord?
Search our hearts Lord. Psalm 51:7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psalm 51:11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Have mercy on us, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out our transgressions.
Dear Lord help us to walk in unity in Christ. May we be bearers of Your presence to those who know You not. Let our light shine as we seek to be Your representatives to the world around us. May we walk in forgiveness and grace towards our fellow man and woman.
We know that forgiveness expresses our trust in God's right to judge according to His perfection and goodness.
In Matthew 18, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who decided to settle his accounts. A servant who owed a staggering amount of money pleaded for mercy.
Soon after the king canceled his dept, that servant tracked down a man who owed him far less than what he'd owed the king.
When word got back to the king, the wicked servant was imprisoned because of his own unforgiving spirit.
Chosing to forgive doesn't condone sin, excuse the wrongs done to us, or minimize our hurts.
Offering forgiveness simply frees us to enjoy God's undeserved gift of mercy, as we invite Him to accomplish beautiful works of peace-restoring grace in our lives and our relationships.
Perhaps you who are reading this have become aware of an area of your life that you have harbored unforgiveness.
You have set up your battlements and charged your cannons.
The Lord would have you to lay down your swords and repent.
For you have only assured your own judgment before the King.
" Lord help us give our grievances to You so that You may turn them into something good. Make us ready to forgive completely and earnestly.
Give us your spirit of unity."
Amen
Wash away all our iniquity and cleanse us from our sin.
Dear Lord help us to walk in unity in Christ. May we be bearers of Your presence to those who know You not. Let our light shine as we seek to be Your representatives to the world around us. May we walk in forgiveness and grace towards our fellow man and woman.
We know that forgiveness expresses our trust in God's right to judge according to His perfection and goodness.
In Matthew 18, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who decided to settle his accounts. A servant who owed a staggering amount of money pleaded for mercy.
Soon after the king canceled his dept, that servant tracked down a man who owed him far less than what he'd owed the king.
When word got back to the king, the wicked servant was imprisoned because of his own unforgiving spirit.
Chosing to forgive doesn't condone sin, excuse the wrongs done to us, or minimize our hurts.
Offering forgiveness simply frees us to enjoy God's undeserved gift of mercy, as we invite Him to accomplish beautiful works of peace-restoring grace in our lives and our relationships.
Perhaps you who are reading this have become aware of an area of your life that you have harbored unforgiveness.
You have set up your battlements and charged your cannons.
The Lord would have you to lay down your swords and repent.
For you have only assured your own judgment before the King.
" Lord help us give our grievances to You so that You may turn them into something good. Make us ready to forgive completely and earnestly.
Give us your spirit of unity."
Amen
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