Raising Your Standard: Week Two
Raising Your Standard • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsChristian divisions are not OK. Rarely do people consider the theological implications of the church. How many pastors and priests have had to answer questions to the effect of, "If Christianity is true, then why can't God keep the church from dividing?" This message looks at what it means for us to place the same value of the unity of faith in the church, as Jesus had in his prayer of John 17:21-22.
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Church?
Church?
My Church story
As a kid growing up military...United Methodist, base chapels, Reformed Churches
As an adult...Non-denominational, Eastern Orthodox, United Methodist, Lutheran
Blessing is...
Spending time in places with many very devoted Christians
Understanding the why of how so many movements formed
Sorrow is...
Division
We aren’t one, and that’s the OPPOSITE of what Jesus wanted.
Have you ever stopped to think about how terribly sad that is?
We sit in here now, and our Catholic brothers and sisters celebrated Mass just an hour ago.
Eastern Orthodox Christians in this region celebrate right now and many of you don’t even know ANYTHING about them!
Christians passing each other by, just sort of accepting the reality of division
I’ve had the thought that it’s no wonder the divorce rate is so high among Christians
Christian communities have set the template!
Recently read that a very prominent church broke away from their denomination because they FELT they needed to do things their own way, for the sake of their own movement.
It seems sometimes that we gave up one pope for a thousand popes, and we wonder why our society and homes are so fractured.
The church is the bride of Christ.
Do we imagine that Christ must have lots of separated brides?
So is it any wonder that Christian homes look more like an adulterous generation than the Church of Jesus Christ?
Not good enough…Not by far
Let’s see what Scripture has to say about raising our standards for Christian unity
Scripture
Scripture
But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
If that sounds familiar, it’s for good reason.
That speech wasn’t for the Presidency. It was actually a speech he made to win a Senate seat in Illinois.
It has been said that the speech lost him the Senate, but won him the Presidency.
Lincoln new that a divided nation is severely weakened
Jesus knew it some 1800 years earlier, which is why unity of believers was so near to his heart.
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
The call to Church unity begins with God
You, Father, are in me, I in You; that they may be one in Us...
God is not divided
The Bible and Church history consistently speak to division in the church as an assault on the perceptions people have about God.
God is not hurt
WE, and the people we share faith with, are hurt!
In 1 Corinthians, Paul puts it this way...
For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
The problem is that division tells a lie about God
It says that He can contradict, divide up, change His position, and that He has no ability to ultimately guide the very community that Christ created…The Church
The reality is that we’ve used the wrong tools
We’ve used authority by rule of force
We’ve used ethnicity
We’ve used Biblical text out of context
Here’s what we’ve learned
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Ethnocentric religion kills evangelism
Individual interpretations of Scripture puff up and lead to pride
Protestants, we don’t like that.
We don’t like letting people tell us an interpretation is wrong.
Especially if we can “PROVE” we are right.
We have fought wars over what we perceived to be misuse of power
Jesus had a different standard...
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
How many of you have tried explaining to a non-Christians why there are so many divisions in Christianity?
Early Church Got It
Early Church Got It
The early church recognized that authority in the church was given from Jesus to the apostles in Matthew 16:
Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
That authority came with an expectation of submission
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
People who created division with their individual ideas at the expense of the church were cast out of the assembly...
But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.
But how do you decide anything THAT way?
Because decisions were made in councils with the shared authority of leaders
Acts 15…about AD 50…Paul runs into a group of Judaizers in Antioch and goes to the apostles in Jerusalem to get clarification on doctrine.
Referred to as the Council of Jerusalem
Peter opened the council
James gave the final pronouncement
Pretty simple. Right?
It worked for the most part for about 1000 years
Divisions
Divisions
Could be argued that the first break occured as early as the fifth century, but the first major divorce occured in 1054.
East/West Schism Map
Why?
Authority...
Did the Pope have universal decision making authority for all Christians?
Eastern bishops said no. He excommunicated them.
Sack of Constantinople in 1204 during the fourth crusade finished it.
West never really got past authority through force...
Western theologians started questioning developments in doctrine and practice
Rome pressed church authority
Protestants pressed their Biblical interpretations
Split two
Today…2.4 billion Christians
Catholicism is 50%
Protestants 36%
Eastern Orthodox 11%
Thousands of denominations and they all have the right interpretation!
That’s a long way from Jesus’ simple prayer in John 17
What To Do?
What To Do?
with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Unity in Jesus Christ begins with Him, and then extends to YOUR spirit
There aren’t enough popes, patriarchs, or Scriptures in all the world to overcome pride, arrogance, individual authority, selfishness...
Papal authority can be corrupted
Patriarchs can love their ethnic churches more than the call to go into all nations baptizing
The Bible can be twisted to say anything you want it to say
How can you raise your standard for Christian unity?
How can you raise your standard for Christian unity?
This week, write down every difference you think have with other believers...
And then do this…Argue it from their side
This is referred to as empathy…We tend to stink at it.
If you think of it though, God’s empathy extends so far as to put on flesh and die for us.
We serve a God of deep empathy.
Not asking what we should do for Him.
Looking for ways to serve us in our need.
If you see it that way, you might have a little more love for the brother or sister in Jesus that you think you MUST NECESSARILY remain divided.
You might even begin to seek unity like Christ prayed for it
Let’s pray