House Divided I

Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house.

 - From Luke 11

I can condense the wisdom that I have internalized, in my life, into about a dozen or so precepts. These are sayings, or books, or concepts, that were so impactful upon me, that I will never forget them. They define the parameters of my values and worldview.

My own proclivities are probably "conservative", although I would gladly lock arms with Liberals in some areas, if they weren't so wont to insult good people.

The most defining value of my life (that is, one that sets me apart from most others) is the concept of unity. My friend, Steve Jones, in the late 1980s, prevailed upon me to give up the idea of denominationalism in Christianity. This is a principle that I now hold passionately. It amazes me how few others see the importance of unity in the Body of Christ. They cling to their local Church, and denomination, as though their lives depended on it. 

On the night that Christ was betrayed, he prayed that His Church would be unified. He was so passionate about this, that He was physically affected by it. Blood came forth, instead of sweat. Christ obviously knew how important it was, He knew how unlikely it was, and He knew how dangerous it would be, for His people to be divided. 

When the Lord prays with tears, and begs the Father for something . . . it should become our priority. 

It isn't.

Today, we have Christians taking sides with a political party, against their brethren in the Church. 

This is wrong. It's more than wrong . . . but I am not ready to call it what it is. Not yet. 

Billy Graham spent his declining years in prayer for a spiritual awakening in America. Nice thought, that.

It won't happen, as along as people define themselves as Democrat or Republican, before defining themselves as Christian.

Oh, they have their excuses:

"If a Church person has evil views, then I am not on their side."

"I go with the Party that does what Jesus would do."

Blah, blah.

When you stand publicly, against a fellow believer, over politics . . . then you have committed a grave wrong. You mock the Church in the eyes of a world that hates the Church. You have made spiritual awakening less likely. You have even hurt your own political cause, by marginalizing your party's opponent, thus empowering and giving life to him.

I start a new ten-part theme now:

"House Divided."