DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE GLUE THAT BONDS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE GLUE THAT BONDS

"Now when the Pharisees heard it (the deliverance of a demon-possessed man), they said, 'This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.' But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: 'Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:24-26)

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand this trusim. Common sense would say that Satan would not fight against his own kingdom. But the Pharisees were so angry that they could not think straight. They were the Never-Jesus crowd. In their distorted thinking, they proposed that Satan was indeed fighting Satan.

A house or family, a nation, or a church that is split into factions will not last. A marriage that is in continual conflict will either end up in divorce or at the least in separation, either in fact or in practice, with each spouse living his or her own life, even if they remain in the same house. Either way, the marriage is in shambles. A church that has various factions demanding power will end up being robbed of their fellowship, power, and witness to the community, and often will wither in membership. A nation that is not united will eventually have civil war. We see this in America today. There are two competing visions of what America will become, and they cannot co-exist as a unit.

That is why the Bible makes such a big deal about Christian unity. Beginning with Jesus' prayer that His disciples would be one (John 17:21) and continuing through the rest of the New Testament, the appeal is to unity among believers. On the day of Pentecost, the Believers "were all with one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1). The Apostle Paul appealed to the believers at Ephesus to "endeavor to keep the unity in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). To the Church at Philippi, Paul encouraged them to fulfill his joy "by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind" (Philippians 2:2). Peter also spoke of being of one mind (I Peter 3:8).

There are many other references in the Bible to the unity of Believers. The thing that brings unity to God's people is not the traditions and doctrine of various denominations. It is faith in the Lord Jesus and His provision of Salvation. He is the center of the Church. Just as the spokes on a wheel get closer to each other as they get close to the hub, so Believers will be drawn closer together the closer the get to Jesus. So, as the song says, "We are one in the bonds of love." May our faith in Christ and our love for each other be the glue that holds us together.

Love, Dad