The Devotional - 1051 - Foot steps in First Corinthians, ongoing

The Devotional – 1051 – Foot steps in First Corinthians, ongoing

Division is a mathematical tool, or it can be the strip in the middle of the street called a divider separating the directional flow of the roadway. Or division can have a comical description in that one cannot park his or her vehicle on the “parkway” but he and she is allow to park their vehicle on the “driveway”. On a more serious note, a faction is a division too; a very serious one. Families experience factions, business develop factions and call these departments and churches, well church are warned to have NO factions and yet churches are loaded with division. This action in the church cripples the ministry, hinders the working of the Holy Spirit and left unchecked will destroy the church family. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred – Proverbs 15:17.

CHALLENGES & COMMENTS – 1 Corinthians 11:17-22

People come together regularly in church, one main reason is to learn more about Jesus Christ, specifically we are to learn that: 2 Corinthians 5:14 for the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; We are taught often to love, even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. This love is not worldly or partitioned as we know it in our daily life, it is far more superior.

The love of God, which we have in Christ Jesus our LORD has put to death the deeds of the flesh, these fleshly ordinances are ALL wiped out of the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross – Colossians 2:14. Of course if God wiped these out of the way. 

He has replaced these temporal fleshly ordinances with better ones. We should be full of joy that He did and He commanded us to not return to the old way. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19) The problem with most of us is that we like to go fishing.

We are good are we not? At observing the eternal ordinance of communion, but before and after we seem to fall back into the world system for love. Instead of loving one another we pick who we desire to love and stand away from the rest. We do this without considering the harm we might do when we shun the love of Christ in others around us. Now if you are saying that you do not do this, then “shame on you” be honest; yes you do! Over 95% of the people in churches today participate in some form of faction.

Thus as we will see in the next few days to come that the systematic practice of “faction (examine yourself) faction” while observing the LORD’s Table is simply “rote” or “mechanical”. It may work for a season or two for the one who is mechanically sinful. But for the church family it does not work overall. God’s grace and forgiveness is ALWAYS sufficient for our selfish ways, but to live in selfishness and return to it as soon as a sober moment passes will not always reap spiritual prosperity, or brotherly love.