Saturday, September 15, 2012

Denominations = Divisions

This is how to break the curse of the religious spirit and the denominational divisions in the Body of Christ! Read God's WORD! He has the answers!

1 Corinthians 1:10 NET
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to AGREE TOGETHER, to END your DIVISIONS, and to BE UNITED by the SAME MIND and PURPOSE.

A denomination is defined as
"A large group of religious congregations united under a COMMON FAITH AND NAME and organized under a single administrative and legal hierarchy."

It's purpose is to unite a group of people who share the same faith, under the same name. There shouldn't be Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, etc.   We all have the same faith in Jesus Christ. So why, I ask, are there so many denominations in Christianity? Isn't Christianity
a faith? One faith?

The reason there are so many denominations is because of "religiosity," because of divisions. One group wants to worship with music, others without, and others don't worship at all. One group wants to put pews, others want chairs. And if they cannot agree, they split and go their separate ways.

Stop being so fickle!! We are told constantly by the Word of God to be unified: mind, body, and spirit!! Encouraging, comforting, and loving one another, living in peace and harmony, being humble.

Romans 15:5-6 NET
Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you UNITY with one another in accordance WITH CHRIST JESUS, so that TOGETHER you may with ONE voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:1-4 NET
Therefore, if there is any ENCOURAGEMENT in CHRIST, any COMFORT PROVIDED BY LOVE, any FELLOWSHIP IN THE SPIRIT, any AFFECTION or MERCY, complete my joy and be of the SAME MIND, by having the SAME LOVE, being UNITED IN SPIRIT, and having ONE PURPOSE. Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in HUMILITY, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.

There are many other scriptures instructing us to be united under our Lord Jesus Christ! Stop arguing over whether or not to have pews or chairs. Make it simple and have neither! Sit on the floor. In many places, such as China, believers HAVE to sit on the floor, meeting in secret, because they do not have the freedom we have to assemble in the name of Jesus!

We must humble ourselves in order to be unified as ONE! We are to be the BODY (1) of CHRIST who is the HEAD! Make Christ your leader, flow in the Spirit and worship God! Simple! But sadly many, being human, don't like simple. We try to complicate things.

Christianity shouldn't be complicated! Love and worship God, share your testimony of what Jesus has done for you and what he is doing in you, and love your neighbor, which is everyone! It really isn't hard!

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