Practicing unity in the Christian world?
By Fire10
@Fire10 (293)
United States
April 29, 2010 11:48pm CST
How can/should the Christian world achieve 'unity of the faith'. I remember a scripture that talks about us all achieving 'unity of the faith', and the main reference I come up with is Ephesians 4. So... how did we get so crazily divided? Was there a reason why people did it? It seems that all of the Christian world seems to slowly be melding together again - so was it a mistake in the first place?
What are your thoughts on the division in Christianity?
2 responses
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
2 May 10
Christians are supposed to be united in one faith. God and Jesus working as a team tried to accomplish this but it didn't work. Their biggest mistake was there was to never be any money involved in it. If you did it the way Jesus set it up it didn't pay a profit. At some point some of the people that were living by the plan that Jesus established saw they had something of great value and they started charging money for their services. That was the biggest mistake man will ever make.
Look at how Jesus set His church up to operate. When Jesus had taught the Apostles to a certain point He sent them out so set up His church. Jesus told them to not even take any money with them. He told them to go to the homes of the ones that believed. He told the Apostles to stay in these homes until they finished their teaching sand then move on to other homes.
Exactly what did the Apostles teach in these homes? They taught what Jesus had taught them. Jesus taught the Apostles by example, not with just words. Jesus actually showed the Apostles the mighty power of God. In fact Jesus did His best to duplicate Himself in each of the Apostles. The Apostles taught the same way in the homes of the ones that believed. They healed the sick and did what ever else that was needed that required Gods power.
What was the point of what the Apostles taught? What were they trying to accomplish with their teaching. They were simply trying to help the people reach a point where God could personally Anoint them with the Holy Spirit, (or Holy Ghost if you wish). If the Apostles could accomplish this then once the people had been Anointed God could personally take charge of their teaching through the Anointing. Read 1st. John chapter 2 verse 27. It says that once a person has been Anointed they no longer need man to teach them anything.
But the people were not told to go out of their homes and teach others. That is not the way Jesus' true church was to work. Instead the parents of the home were to concentrate their teaching on the children of the home. They were to teach their children, "by example" to a point where God could Anoint them before they left the home and set up one of their own. That way the children didn't just set up their home but in fact set up another true church of Jesus.
These people in these homes lived their lives before their friends and neighbors in a way that they could actually see God's power in them. They also quietly taught by example, not with just words.
The problem was if you served God the way Jesus set it up you didn't make a profit from it. Mankind being greedy found ways to make a profit from it and has been ever since. We went from what Jesus set up to where we are now and it was all man's work, not Gods. At this point in time our Christian teaching system is little more than useless and there is very little unity.
Art
@Fire10 (293)
• United States
3 May 10
Hey Art - thanks for your longer post - It's like I got to know you a bit :). I like the scripture too - a good one for sure - thanks for the reminder. You've spurred a lot of thought so let me share a few of the thoughts/questions.
Do you think that the body of Christ is made up of people who have received the Holy Spirit? - regardless of which sect/interpretation one chooses?
The true church would have a lay ministry and have a large family focus. These things seems sensible enough to me. The home as a church... hmmm. I like it - I really think that in the home/family is where people really learn of God.
Thanks for the thoughts - and teaching me.
@Arkie69 (2156)
• United States
3 May 10
Fire10,
If you read your Bible and look very closely you will see the church Jesus set up was very simple. It was to become a way of life where people could live it naturally. We live in a monkey see monkey do world and Jesus intended for the children to be taught by example in the home by the parents. The children were to live with God power before them. They get sick, dad or mom would lay their hands on them and they were healed. They could actually see god's power working in their own personal lives.
Through the Anointing God was personally teaching and guiding the parents and helping them to raise their kids the way they should. God could also be personally working in the child's life even before they were Anointed them selves. All this produced the kind of unity that would hold families and neighborhoods together through anything they faced.
We gave up all this for money. Now we have a Christian teaching system that is leading people so far off out into left field they will never get back where God and Jesus intended us to be. With every generation more and more of the unity you speak of is destroyed.
Art
@dralon (88)
• Zimbabwe
30 Apr 10
I believe divisions are brought about by our human nature, we should all be pulling together as the boby of Christ. but its amazing how many things we find different and use to divide us.
If we were to obey the bible and be one body, i believe it will be so amazing and our effectiveness in the world willl be phenomenal!
