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I have noticed an alarming trend in the world. It is the trend of division.
We have gone from a place of the way God wanted things, with people either being His child or not being His, to what we have today. Here are just a few of the distinctions we have put on people, in each category but the lists go on forever.
Within the Church (those that follow Jesus Christ) we have identified ourselves by our church affiliation (Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, this list could almost go on forever) or the teacher that we follow (Calvinist, Armenian, Methodist, etc.). Then we even break it down farther, by the style of worship or way we practice our Christianity (Charismatic, Conservative, Evangelical, etc.).
Then when we go out into the bigger world where we separate ourselves by our political affiliations (Democrat, Republican, Independent, etc.) and our worldview (Liberal, Conservative, Fundamental, Radical, Environmentalist, etc.)
Then we have our financial divisions (Rich, Poor, Middle-Class, etc.) along with our age (Senior Citizen, Middle age, Baby Boomers, Millennials, etc.) and where we live (City Folk, Hillbillies, Country Folk, etc.)
Now we even have sexual orientations (Heterosexual, Homosexual, Bi-Sexual, etc.) and how we dress (Cross Dressers, Emo, Goth, etc.). And let’s not even get started on sports teams.
The problem with all this is very simple. It has created an environment of divisions, by recognizing that each one of us is different. It has become epidemic in the Church and has therefore spread to the rest of the world.
I have recognized that whatever the Church allows, the rest of the world under Satan’s control takes full advantage of. So, if the Church is divided and not recognizing the beauty of each person’s differences and gifts, then the world will certainly not be able to recognize the strength that comes from each person.
What happens is what we see today, where each person becomes self-identified and then begins to judge everyone else, because they are not in the same class. It creates an attitude of superiority and separation, instead of unity and love, which is what Jesus, preached over and over again.
The command that Jesus gave us was this:
John 13:34New Living Translation (NLT)
34” So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”
However since we, as the Church, have spent so much time dividing and looking at our differences, instead of looking for ways to come together we are not seeing the fulfillment of the next verse:

John 13:35New Living Translation (NLT)
35 “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
The world is looking for the Church to unite, and become one voice for the One True God! They are looking for someone to speak truth and to believe what they are speaking! They are waiting for the LOVE that Jesus left with us to share!
I believe that because the modern American Christianity has often chosen to become churches instead of the Church, we are reaping what we sow and Jesus is allowing us to fulfil another promise He shared:
Mark 3:24-25New Living Translation (NLT)
24 “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. 25 similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.”
Ephesians Chapter 4 is a great explanation of how we are supposed to live. We are supposed to recognize that there is one Spirit and Lord. It doesn’t matter what the name is that you call upon as long as you understand that the Trinity, ( Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is working together for the redemption and transformation of your life leading to the same results for the world around you!
The same Baptism, not concerned with what way you were baptized or when, but if you understand the meaning and are showing the life that Baptism should signify.
Finally there is the big one that we all have to understand. WE, as followers of Jesus Christ are all ONE BODY! We may meet in different congregations, worship in different ways and interpret Scripture differently but as long as we are honoring and following Jesus Christ, we are ONE!
So going back to where this all started, it is the divisions that cause us to see each other as different. We miss out on the next part of Ephesians Chapter 4 where God gives each of us a gift, for the betterment of His Kingdom here on earth. Each one of us working together makes the Body stronger, and makes a greater reflection of Jesus Christ into the darkness of the world around us. When we come together and look for ways to unify, instead of divide we see amazing things being released.
The real question is, why do we allow these things instead of doing things the way Jesus said to do it?
The answer is really easy…. Pride, Control, Money.
I am sure that we will delve into this part of the problem soon, but for now let’s focus on the problem rather than the reasons. The real question is how do we break this pattern of division?
I believe that the answer is very simple. As always, it is a choice. It is choosing to look at things as Jesus does. It is realizing and truly understanding what the point of His final time with the disciples was all about in John 17. It is all about recognizing that we are ONE. That the only categories that matter are Rescued and Lost and the response to each, the Lost getting found!
So let’s look for ways to come together, and join forces. Let’s stop looking down our noses, start looking up to Heaven, and let God change the way we see each other. Let’s recognize the beauty in each person, and recognize that the differences—are the gifts that God has given each one. Then help each other, by learning how to use those gifts for Jesus and His Kingdom, instead of what they may being used for today.
Often, the people that are the most broken are also the ones that God has given the greatest gifts to. Most likely, isn’t that why Satan tries so hard to keep them broken? The love that we each have is the only way to break each one free. So let’s learn to love so that the world will know that each one of us is a disciple of the One that is True!