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No
Divisions
Calvin
who saw that the
Devil's chief device was disunity and division and who preached that there
should be friendly fellowship for all ministers of Christ
made a similar point
in a letter to a trusted colleague: "Among Christians there ought to be so
great a dislike of schism
as that they may always avoid it so fast as lies in
their power. That there ought to prevail among them such a reverence for the
ministry of the word and the sacraments that wherever they perceive these things
to be
there they must consider the church to exist...nor need it be of any
hindrance that some points of doctrine are not quite so pure
seeing that there
is scarcely any church which has not retained some remnants of former
ignorance."
Charles W. Colson
The
Body
1992
Word Publishing
pp. 107-108.
During World War II
Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them.
Among the Brethren assemblies
half complied and half refused. Those who went
along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not
faced harsh
persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted
someone died in a
concentration camp. When the war was over
feelings of bitterness ran deep
between the groups and there was much tension. Finally they decided that the
situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For
several days
each person spent time in prayer
examining his own heart in the
light of Christ's commands. Then they came together. Francis Schaeffer
who
told of the incident
asked a friend who was there
"What did you do
then?" "We were just one
" he replied. As they confessed their
hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control
the Holy Spirit
created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved
their hatred. When love prevails among believers
especially in times of strong
disagreement
it presents to the world an indisputable mark of a true follower
of Jesus Christ.
Our Daily Bread
October 4
1992.
Being much concerned about
the rise of denominations in the church
John Wesley tells of a dream he had.
In the dream
he was ushered to the gates of Hell. There he asked
"Are
there any Presbyterians here?" "Yes!"
came the answer. Then he asked
"Are there any Baptists? Any Episcopalians? Any Methodists?" The
answer was Yes! each time. Much distressed
Wesley was then ushered to the
gates of Heaven. There he asked the same question
and the answer was No!
"No?" To this
Wesley asked
"Who then is inside?" The answer
came back
"There are only Christians here." (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)
Source Unknown.
Charles Wesley wrote some
of his hymns to promote his brother John's doctrine of entire sanctification.
The second verse of his "Love Divine
All Loves Excelling" asks God
to "take away our bent to sinning." This was too much for Calvinist
Augustus Toplady. In a magazine of which he was editor
Toplady wrote an
article in refutation
detailing a picture of man's potential for sinning. He
arrived at the mathematical conclusion that a man of eighty is guilty of many
millions of sins
a debt he can never hope to pay but for which he need not
despair because of the sufficiency of Christ. He closed the article with an
original poem. "A Living and Dying Prayer for the Holiest believer in the
World." This poem
now one of the most beloved hymns of all time
and know
under the title
"Rock of Ages
" was born out of party spirit
Frederick John Gilman
The
Evolution of the English Hymn
Macmillan
1927
pp. 223-225.
It is said that when the
British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s
Admiral Phipps
commander of the British fleet
was told to anchor outside Quebec. He was given
orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive
then support them when
they attacked the city. Phipps' navy arrived early. As the admiral waited
he
became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby
cathedral
so he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships' cannons. No
one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out
but
when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack
the admiral
was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the
"saints."
Daily Bread
October 6.
An issue of National
Geographic included a photograph of the fossil remains of two saber-tooth
cats locked in combat. To quote the article: "One had bitten deep into the
leg bone of the other
a thrust that trapped both in a common fate. The cause
of the death of the two cats is as clear as the causes of the extinction of
their species are obvious. When Christians fight each other
everybody loses.
As Paul put it
"if you keep biting and devouring each other
watch out or
you will be destroyed by each other" (Galations 5:15)
Peter A. Alwinson.
But what does he (Paul)
wish them to learn? That no one be puffed up for his own teacher against
another
that is
that they be not lifted up with pride on account of their
teachers
and do not abuse their names for the purpose of forming parties
and
rending the Church asunder. Observe
too
that pride or haughtiness is the
cause and commencement of all contentions
when every one
assuming to himself
more than he is entitled to do
is eager to have other in subjection to
him.
John Calvin
Calvin's
Commentaries
Vol XX
Baker
1979
p. 158.
But what does he (Paul)
wish them to learn? That no one be puffed up for his own teacher against
another
that is
that they be not lifted up with pride on account of their
teachers
and do not abuse their names for the purpose of forming parties
and
rending the Church asunder. Observe
too
that pride or haughtiness is the
cause and commencement of all contentions
when every one
assuming to himself
more than he is entitled to do
is eager to have others in subjection to him.
John Calvin
Calvin's
Commentaries
Vol XX
Baker
1979
p. 158.