Divide and Conquer

1 Corn 1 10-13

10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas[b]”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Over the past few months it has been really pressing in my spirit to exhort the body of Christ (the church) to overcome the spirit of division.  As a church we are divided on so many things.  We are divided on things such as church size (Small Churches vs. Mega Churches), God’s Grace vs. God’s Wrath, The list goes on and on.   Now although I don’t agree with what everyone says I can’t help but to remember that we are all a work in progress.  We are all living life, and for me I can tell you that God usesdivi things in life to help us understand his word better.  I grew up believing and understanding the wrath of God, Hell is real people.  I know it is, but living life and witnessing God’s grace and mercy first hand and undeserved favor has matured me to know that the same God that can destroy the earth with a flood is the same God that will send his only begotten son to earth to die on the cross for my sins. 

I encourage my fellow brothers and sisters to meditate on the scripture above, as well as study the many other scriptures in the Bible that warns us about division.  Verse 13 really stands out to me as Paul ask the question “is Christ divided”, and then in an almost sarcastic manner he inquires about if Paul was crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Paul?  In essence I get an understanding that says sometimes we put too much faith in the people who deliver the word rather than the Word himself “Jesus Christ”.  If we as a church will keep Jesus the main thing always I believe we would have a lot less strife amongst each other leaving us the opportunity to focus our efforts on the real enemy.  I have heard many people give their reasons for the perceived lack of power in the church today as our culture gradually becomes more tolerant of sinful things.  I believe division is one of the biggest reasons why.  As long as Satan can continue to cause division in the church, he does not have to worry about us operating at full strength which would allow us to be more effective at reaching every lost soul on this planet.  Basic military training even agrees with this when it talks about the principle “divide and conquer” 

    

I am going to do a series of blogs pertaining to this over the next few weeks, may even discuss it on our radio show.  I want to dive into the little things Satan uses to keep us arguing amongst each other and point out Biblical principles we can use to start getting on the same page, even if we can’t agree on certain points.  Please feel free to comment, add points, ask questions and share this with other brothers and sisters.  It is time for us to get together, Church, and do what is needed to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ together.

Thanks for reading  

J’Agape – Jesus’s unconditional love

www.jagape.com

"The ReuP" Online Radio Show on www.fbrn.us (inspirational) Every Fri 7pm CST

"Are you a Monument or a Movement?"

Morning Manna

"Are you a Monument or a Movement?"

But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.  Genesis 19:26

I am a big History Channel buff and I love the stories that try to disprove what happens in the Bible.  It is hilarious, but that is not what this is about.  The other day they were trying to determine how scientifically Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.  As they showed the Salt like pillars around the area the area that was known as Sodom and Gomorrah at one time, I began to think back about the story of Lot.  In short he decided to move his family a thriving city full of commerce and wealth, but full of debauchery.  I would invite you to read the details of what happens in this story, but in the end God sends Lot and his family a message to leave, because HE was going to destroy this City.  Leave the home you built up, the things you gathered, the memories you built up the people you had become accustom to seeing,  all to while saving YOU and YOUR family’s life.  I am paraphrasing of course, but check it out for yourself. 

I relate to this story in so many ways.  I lived “the fast” life for a while myself.  A lot of things were enticing about it.  Being able to do what you want, regardless of the consequences.  During this time I gathered a lot of things as well.  Houses, Cars, elaborate trips to Miami – (I loved my trips to Miami).  Partying with beautiful women.  On the outside many would say this life was good.  Now I am not saying that having things like these are bad in itself, but they become bad when they become your priority or  when you live everyday of your life for those things or people rather than the God who made them.  That’s a different blog for another day.  I say all this to say when God in his mercy and grace grabbed my attention and reminded me of the call he put on my life years previous to my “fast life” hiatus, it set me on a path away from many of the things I had gathered in my life and loved above.  This is where I start relating to Lots wife. 

As I move closer to this vision God gave me, I find my mind sometimes looking back at some of the things I had.  I have also found that at those moments of looking back sometimes even reaching back, momentum stops, or slows down.  Depression seeps in, sometimes becomes regret, discouragement even though the vision that God has shown me is so much more fulfilling!  I find that certain things in my surroundings trigger memory or old feelings.  Again the reaction creates a momentary lack of movement while reflecting.  Well as the scripture above illustrates Lots wife was turned into a pillar of salt, because she disobeyed and looked back. 

Part of Clark's Commentary about this scriptures says "....on this ground a pillar of salt may signify no more in this case than an everlasting monument against criminal curiosity, unbelief, and disobedience."

I believe that she is symbolic of what happens with us in life sometimes, especially if we begin to look back and feel like what we left behind is better than our destiny. 

I propose that the symbolism here is that she became a monument after looking back and longing for what she had left behind after God had told them not too.  We must keep moving forward towards the destiny God has put before us.  The steps he has ordered.  Now we go places and see monuments all the time.  They are great for leisure and reminiscing about what happened in history, but we can’t get stuck there.  We learn from them and move on.  God has a plan and purpose for your life and I am learning that his plan is far better than my plan. 

"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife." Luke 17:28-32.

God put this on my heart early this morning so I am sure it is not just for me.  I encourage you to keep pushing forward towards your destiny.  Follow without question God’s Holy Spirit and divine direction and don’t let the temptation of what you had once before to slow down your momentum or keep you from moving towards the mark.  Also if you have even started moving into God’s plan for your life, repent and start today.  Don’t be afraid to leave your past behind. 

I heard a pastor say before, Satan does not have the power to stop what God puts in motion, so he tries to slow you down, or keep you from moving into what God has already set in place for you.  I believe he tries to this through things like fear, doubt, discouragement, regret, and trying to make you feel like where you came from is better than were you going.  I think of Martin Luther King Jr.  who helped start a movement, although we see monuments of him everywhere, what effects our life most is that movement he helped to start.  Hearing this I hope will encourage you to take evaluation of your thoughts and to become part of the Kingdom movement and not just a monument 

Thanks for reading.  Please feel free to share with others.

Shelton Seworth

CEO of J’agape 

For more blogs visit www.jagape.com and tune into “The ReuP” every Friday @ 7pm CST on www.fbrn.us inspirational

Morning Manna "Eat Humble Pie"

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this. 3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) 4 At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, 6 he said, "Listen to my words: "When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. 7 But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (Numbers 12:1-8)

Here is the scripture that found me this morning. I can relate to it a lot now. Maintaining a vision like J’agape has allowed me to cross paths with lots of people. Some really see the pure purpose of J’agape and some don’t. Either way I choose to keep my focus on Gods direction for J’agape, without compromise. The key part of this verse for me however is the staying humble. Verse three says that Moses was the most humblest man on the earth). People sometime discount being humble, or mistake it for weakness. I believe that when we humble ourselves, it allows God to move freely in our lives and situations. Trust me my nature says to deal with things in a non-humble way, but I have found that God handles things better than I could ever. 

Today as you go through your day, Christians I dare you to remain humble, and watch God work. I have found a certain type of peace that comes with being humble. I think you will as well. And oh yeah, for you people who try to take advantage of peoples humbleness, be careful. If you read further into the scripture above you will find out what happens when God has to humble us.

J’Agape (Jesus’s Unconditional Love)

For more inspirational blogs, and other great media visit

 www.jagape.com

http://jagapeinc.blogspot.com/