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1 Corinthians 1:10-17
In 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 the Apostle Paul pleads with the church at Corinth for unity within the church. He declares in 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV), “10Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. The congregation in the church at Corinth had begun separating themselves from one another through the means by which they were baptized. I believe that this may have also included in the same, the means by which they were led to salvation in Christ Jesus, being through the teaching of Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or even to raise themselves above others by claiming to be of Christ as if to say they are better than the others. This is separation of the Church and is brought on by Satan himself. He strives to drive division within the Church as to bring separation to the family of God through Christ Jesus. Satan is the master of lies (John 8:44) and of trickery, deception, and false gospel. He wants to be God in his own mind and strives to mirror God but in a slightly incorrect way causing everyone that he can convince to fall away from God’s grace. We don’t like to believe this, which is also the trickery of Satan, but Satan is smarter than all of us. The only way that we can overcome his lies in our lives is to put our faith and hope in Jesus who has promised to protect us from the wiles of the devil. The Bible teaches us in 1 Peter 5:8-11, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
This is an example of the trickery, lies, and deception that Satan uses against the Christian Church.
We all may be thinking of divisions that we have seen from within the churches that we attend or have attended; the divisions that we have seen or maybe even been a part of from within the church. This is the work of the devil as it is his passion to destroy the Church. We all feel that we are right, and the other party is wrong, but the truth is that we are all wrong – we are all incorrect in our personal feelings that cause division within the house of God. We are not to be the cause of division in the Church, but that we would all strive for forgiveness and to bring everyone in the Church together – in Christ Jesus!
I expect that those of you who are watching this on YouTube/@InChristMinistries or reading it for yourself at InChristMinistries.info are not all a part of the same denominational church of which there are many. We have many different denominational churches including Catholic and Protestant; this is not what God intended to be “His Church.” There is nowhere in the Bible that instructs us to divide the Church. But because Satan has infiltrated the Church over the years, we now stand divided – as Christians! This is not following the guidelines and commandments that Jesus has taught us in the Bible – our textbook to life. I believe with all my heart that God intended for there to be “one” Church in Christ Jesus. It is my intention through this Bible study to help us all come together – in Christ – as “One” through the same Holy Spirit that God sends to live within us all. We should not be striving to prove others wrong or incorrect, but that we would strive to come together through a better understanding of God’s Word and following the example of Christ Jesus through whom we are all called by God.
Dear LORD,
Even in Your Church we have been deceived by the devil. We have allowed him to infiltrate our lives to bring division to how we view and understand Your Word and commands for our lives. Please bring clarity to our interpretation of Your Word and to the guidance of Your Holy Spirit in our lives as we all strive to not bring division in Your Church and in our lives, but that You would give us understanding through Your Holy Spirit working in our lives to bring forgiveness and healing to not just the Church but to our lives and to relationships that have been divided by the work of the devil himself. Please prompt us as I know You do, to call on the name of Jesus every day and in every way to overcome the trickery, deception, and false gospel that is the work of the devil, that we would bring glory to You through our lives – in Christ! In Jesus name I pray, amen.