A House Divided

“Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, that no man should say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void.”
1 Cor. 1:10-17

Splitting firewood is a chore that needs only two ingredients: a mallet and a wedge. Splitting churches likewise involves a pair of divisive forces.

First, a sharp and cutting issue. The church at Corinth had a major rift which we can identify with today. Members of the Corinthian church had argued over who was the real leader - Paul, the eloquent preacher; Apollos; or the bold Peter. 1 Corinthians 1:11-13

Obviously, there are many other issues which can generate deep splits in the unity of a local church - doctrinal disputes, financial crises, relational friction, and now today in our culture, music!

Regardless of the issue, we must always be clear about who is holding the mallet - none other than Satan himself.

Using the carnality and immaturity of pastors and church members, Satan stands ready to deliver the crushing blow to a local body that allows him to divide and conquer. What better way to disrupt and discredit the name of Christ than to plant seeds of destruction in a local church?

If your church is locked in a bitter quarrel or if you know of a church that is, pray that eyes may be opened to see the evil one who is behind it all, and pray for genuine repentance and humility on behalf of all parties.