July 31, 2020
Friday, Day 607Dear ones, praying friends,The apostle Paul was deeply disturbed by the schisms in the Corinthian church. Thus, in his first letter to them not long before 60 A.D., he wrote to them, “I exhort to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brother and, by Chloe‘s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
This admonition by Paul, found in I Corinthians 1:10-13, was echoed about 35 years later by Clementine, who wrote to these same Corinthians because they were still divided.
And so, Paul and Clementine would also condemn the divisions in the evangelical church today, which includes dozens of denominations, often based on minor differences.
Obviously, this schism within the church is being used by the devil to destroy its effectiveness. And it is working! The church now has less influence in Western society than at any point in modern history. So what is the answer?
The answer is found by looking at the early church we see depicted in Acts, where they met mostly in homes unless they were all congregating together at the Hebrew temple, primarily to evangelize and for God to demonstrate signs and wonders.
So what would happens if believers from many different backgrounds and denominations within close proximity to one another would meet together in homes, to pray for one another, encourage one another in the Lord, reveal what God is showing each one, exhorting and teaching one another using only the Scripture as basis? If there are needs, the other members of such a church will do whatever they can to meet those needs, sharing their resources. They share meals, fellowship, worship and exhortation of one another. This naturally attracts others, and evangelism outreach becomes a natural byproduct.
This is exactly what our unit here at Ashland FCI is experiencing, and it is such an amazing thing to be a part of. God is truly working as we strive to be obedient to God and His Word in every way possible. This is attracting others, who are coming to know the Lord.
Whether you are already part of a church or not, I urge you to form such a group in your own nearby community. This time of isolation of people stuck inside their homes provides a longing for interaction, provides an opportunity, especially since the doors of many churches are now forcibly closed by authorities. Yet they cannot stop us from worshiping in our own living rooms and dens. Go ahead and call your neighbors and invite them over, and let God take charge! You will be amazed at the way the Holy Spirit will move. Just do it! Then watch the Holy Spirit move throughout the nation in ways we haven’t seen before. I am convinced this is the key to revival in our land. From individual neighborhoods outward. It must start block by block, apartment complex by apartment complex, spreading from one community to another. Just do it and let it multiply into many other groups, until all society is transformed. But it’s got to start with you and me.
And so as you begin, bathe your community in prayer. Begin praying for each family and each neighborhood, that God would begin to draw them to Him, before you even approach them. You see, as each group grows closer to Christ and their lives begin to reflect the difference that makes, the whole community changes. We can take this nation for Christ, one community at a time!
In His Service,
Philip Zodhiates |
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