The Devil’s Playbook, Part 5 – Division

 

Sermon notes:

 

So far:

So far we have looked at what a playbook is and that the devil has one. We are not unaware of his schemes. He comes to kill, steal and destroy, he is roaming like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. We do not battle with flesh and blood but with unseen powers. Here are some of the chapters that I believe are in the devil’s playbook.

1. Distraction – from loving God, people to all sorts of things to do with lust and pride
2. Doubt – doubting God and his character
3. Despondency – wanting to give up

This time:

4. Division

Division Definitions

1. The action of separating something into parts or the process of being separated.
2. Difference or disagreement between two or more groups, typically producing tension.

Notice from point 1 that it can be a process. Division does not happen overnight, even if a final split looks sudden. There is always a process of separating individual parts, one at a time.

Notice from point 2 that it is not amicable – it causes tension. This is not just agreeing to disagree on whether the coffee is too weak after church or when Christ will return. We are talking about the tension that is caused in any group of people when people become separated.

A few examples

When Andrea and I first moved to Liverpool as newlyweds, 80 people had just left the church with one of the elders who wanted to do his own thing. He did not have the blessing of the rest of the leadership team. Within 3 years he had only a handful of people in his new church. Over our 10 years in Liverpool I would learn of individuals who had been to our church, left, and gone nowhere.

Churches are not the only places that experience division though. I have sat in school staffrooms where certain staff members would have their corner, even their chair, while other teachers would not go near them. I’ve heard divisive whispering in corridors between members of staff and witnessed the corrosive backbiting and anti-management moaning over and again. None of this has ever turned out well.

I’m sure we all know of families who have members that don’t talk for years. You may be part of one such family! It’s not a pleasant atmosphere. Often the disagreement is all but forgotten as new generations are indoctrinated into the dislike of a certain side of the family. We can and must guard against this in the family of God.

The family of God

From the devil’s perspective, we are an army. We are mighty. He sees our potential better than we do to pull down strongholds. If he can’t get us to despair, doubt, or distract us, he will try to divide us.

And I believe he has done a good job. There are more Christians out of the church than in. At a guess.

Why? Disagreements over less important things than God’s Kingdom and the family he has called us to. We don’t like singing for half an hour. Or don’t like the songs, or the pastor!

But I don’t always agree with my biological family. Sometimes members of my family do my head in! You know who you are. But they will always be family. And I wouldn’t dream of thinking otherwise. And while you are in the same church as me, you are my family. We are one in Christ Jesus, even if we don’t see eye to eye. Plus, the church down the road are family too. So if you leave to go there, you haven’t really got rid of me!

Common ground is what matters. When I spoke on distraction, I said we are distracted both from something and to something. The ‘from’ element I kept really simple. The devil wants to distract us from the great commission and the greatest commandment. Simply put, to

Love God

Love People

Make Disciples

 

If we agree that this is our mission, we must be mature and put aside all other disagreements for the greater call that has eternal consequences. A good question to ask when in dispute with someone is, ‘will this matter in a week, a month, after I’m dead? And does this issue have any eternal consequence?’ Often the answer is no. Someone didn’t talk to you in church this week? They may have something on their mind. They may be distracted! Show some grace and grow up!

Love God

Love People

Make Disciples

 

Jesus’ three-step plan

If someone offends you, Jesus has some really good advice.

1. Rather than post something on social media, share it in a messing group (yes I know it’s ‘messaging’ not ‘messing’) or talk to 6 other members behind their back, go directly to the person that has offended you. Someone did that to me recently. Yep, even I offend people! We sat together and chatted. Privately. We are still friends. Love was the overriding principle.
2. If this does not work (and in my experience it nearly always works if you go in with a loving attitude), bring another brother or sister with you and try again. Just one. Not an intervention or gang armed with swords and clubs. If you pray ahead of time and all want what’s best, it’s only in rare cases that you can’t sort things out.
3. In those rare cases where there is still a problem, consult with a wider group of church members. In all of this, we are to show love. Read about it in Matthew 18.

Avoiding the above

But I’d rather avoid any of that. What can we learn from the bible about this?

Israel

Division is an age old problem. The Kingdom of Israel were frequently divided over many issues and formally divided into two kingdoms in about 930BC under King Rehoboam (Solomon’s son). This would have broken his grandfather David’s heart, who wrote these words:

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

…For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life for evermore.

(Psalm 133:1,3)

I believe that disunity in the church today is a huge blessing blocker. As we live in unity, we will see God bestow, or command his blessing on us.

 

Corinth

The Corinthian church was divided over leaders!

This was Paul’s response:

¹⁰ I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, 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’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’

 (1 Corinthians 1:10-12)

Paul is asking the children to play nicely and get along! They can clearly make a choice to agree. We can’t all agree on everything, but the issue that was causing division was one that all Christians must agree on.

 

Rome

Paul had to write to the Roman church to warn them against those who would divide them by their smooth talking:

¹⁷ I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. ¹⁸ For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people.

(Romans 16:17-18)

Good practical advice there – watch out! Keep away! These people are phonies, they are self-centred.

 

Crete

When Paul wrote to Titus in Crete, it seemed the same problems were bubbling up there over petty arguments. To Titus he was clear as to what to do:

⁹ But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. ¹⁰ Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. ¹¹ You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

(Titus 3:9-11)

More simple advice – avoid division!

 

Getting practical

So what can we do? How can we avoid the enemy coming in with some strategy to divide us? It only takes a little wedge to drive people apart. I’m sure you’ve seen it. Maybe you’ve seen the character ‘Scrat’ in the Ice Age films, the guy who’s always chasing that acorn and never seems to get it. There’s a scene where he wedges the acorn into an ice sheet and causes two tectonic plates to shift. Entire continents are formed. It’s just a silly cartoon, but it illustrates a point. One small acorn sized comment, action, inaction, or gesture can cause great division. You are not an island – what you say has an effect on other people. You can shout at the TV and no one cares but you must not treat people that way. You are not an island. But you can create them!

So back to the question, what can we do?

1. Ask yourself, Am I helping?

Let’s go back to the threefold focus of the church:

Love God, love people, make disciples.

First, we can ask ourselves if any given comment or action helps or hinders these three aims.

But let’s get more practical.

2. Love like Jesus

Let’s just think of the idea that we are to love people. And let’s narrow it down to just other Christians. What did Jesus say about that?

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

(John 13:34-35)

“As I have loved you” is a pretty high bar! Jesus loved everybody, unconditionally. We need to be like Jesus would be, to each other! Think about how Jesus has loved you. If we all did that, I think we’d be a pretty unified bunch!

But if that’s not clearly defined enough, why not check out what Paul said about this kind of love:

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

What can we do to fulfil this law, this new commandment? Here’s one tip!

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.

(Galatians 6:2)

It’s great to be on the prayer chain, and it’s great to send thoughts and prayers, but let’s be the ones who show our love for one another in practical ways. Let’s show up at the hospital instead of just praying. Let’s help each other move house.

Then we might move from creating burdens to carrying them!

 

What are we known for?

I’m the first to admit to finding this difficult. But if we really want to see an army of believers that can change the world, we need to ensure the enemy does not get in with petty squabbles and irrelevant arguments amongst us.

I don’t know what you thing Christians are noticed for, if anything. But imagine a community that behaved like that. By this everyone would know that we were his disciples.

How do they know us? By our denomination? Our rules? This is going to take work!

Loving like Jesus, carrying each other’s burdens, that’s the kind of love that gets us noticed.

Division in the church achieves 2 things for the devil

1. It splits up his enemy (us) limiting the damage we can do
2. It deters others from joining us

The reverse is also true

1. United in love we are an amazing display of God’s glory
2. By this, everyone will know us as his disciples, and many will want to join us

 

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