Tag-Archive for ◊ division ◊

22 Mar 2024 1 Corinthians (Program #23)

1 Corinthians (Program #23) – God’s Farm and God’s Building

The sequence in 1 Corinthians is really marvelous. Most readers of the Bible are aware that the church in Corinth was full of problems. The very same kind of problems that may plague our church today; division, jealousies, strive and ambition just to name a few.

In short the Corinthians were lacking in the genuine experience of Christ as life. So the apostle Paul after pointing out these problems then points them to life and building. Actually this loving care of the apostle in the word of God is for all of us.

1 Corinthians 3:9 “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s cultivated land, God’s building.”

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13 Mar 2024 1 Corinthians (Program #14)

1 Corinthians (Program #14) – The Spirit of Man and the Spirit of God Knowing the Things of God (2)

The church of Corinth was a church full of problems, perhaps more so than any other church in the New Testament. Yet the apostle Paul reveal more of God’s purpose to that troubled church than to any other.

We are going to see some of the precious matters in 1 Corinthians that are contrasted by the apostle Paul against such negative as division, incest and immaturity.

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04 Mar 2024 1 Corinthians (Program #5)

1 Corinthians (Program #5) – Christ Not Divided

In 1 Corinthians Paul deals with one of the most perplexing and damaging conditions or problems that can exist in the church, the problem of division. Even in the 1st century the church in different places began to form sects, identifying with one gifted person or another. Throughout history this pattern has been repeated again and again. And the result is the confusing situation that exists among God’s born again people today.  Yet in the 1sty century look how quickly and how definitely the apostle Paul addresses this problem in the very first chapter of 1 Corinthians. Listen verses 10-12 :

“Now I beseech you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be attuned in the same mind and in the same opinion. For it has been made clear to me concerning you, my brothers, by those of the household of Chloe, that there are strifes among you. Now I mean this, that each of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.”

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03 Mar 2024 1 Corinthians (Program #4)

1 Corinthians (Program #4) – Christ and His Cross the Unique Solution (1 & 2)

The Bible reveals that all believers have been called by God. If we were not for this calling we were never be saved. Salvation is not something we can stumbled into on our own

But what we have been called into? 1 Corinthians chapter 1 tells us  “God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Our calling is into the fellowship of His Son. But 1 Corinthians also tells us that the greatest frustration to that fellowship is division. Division became the problem in the 1st century church. And look today how great this problem is to the fellowship that should be our day by day enjoyment and experience. A fellowship that is in Christ and that should be universal among all the members of His one Body. The fellowship of His Son is our topic today.

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28 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #28)

Luke (Program #28) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in His Human Virtues with His Divine Attributes from Galilee to Jerusalem (7)

Peace is surely a vital aspect of the divine life of Christ. When we receive Him as our life and savior, we all experience peace within, peace with God, and even peace with one another. So what did the Lord Jesus mean in Luke 12 when He said, ” I have come to cast fire on the earth… Do you think that I have come to give peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” This is a mysterious portion of the Word to understand. Yet, surely it matches many of the experiences of His seeking ones. We’ll explore this passage on today’s life study of the Bible.

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08 Jul 2022 1 & 2 Chronicles (Program #8)

1 & 2 Chronicles (Program #8) – Living Christ for the Expression of God

After the division of Israel into two kingdoms, God was still able to point to some among His people that have not given up their proper standing and had maintained at least outwardly some devotion to His fundamental word.  God’s word at that time of course, consisted of the laws.  But many don’t realize the law came in two sections, both of which came through Moses.  The first section is the law of commandments, were the ten commandments we commonly referred to them.  These are the moral laws that God gave to His people cover all aspects of relationships.  The second section is called the ceremonial law, the laws governing the details of the offerings and the priesthood and the feasts that God established for His people.

Though the kings of Judah stood on the proper ground of Jerusalem and professed allegiance to all the laws of God, in reality they kept neither the moral law nor the ceremonial law.  The result was that ultimately they lost their possession and enjoyment of the good land that God had given them.  What can we, God’s New Testament people learn from such a tragic example?

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24 Jun 2022 1 & 2 Kings (Program #13)

1 & 2 Kings (Program #13) – The Reign of Athaliah and Joash over Judah

The history of the kings of Israel and Judah recorded in the books Kings and Chronicles includes many troubling accounts of corrupt politics, twisted and distorted religion and even murder between those vying for leadership over the kingdom of Israel and Judah.  As startling as problems of this magnitude may seen among God’s people, an honest consideration of the more contemporary history of God’s people, that is us, His New Testament believers, the church reveals that within the church today, at least in principle many of these same kinds of problem are still present.  But what is most critical for us today is to realize whether we are talking about that ancient history between the kings of Israel and Judah or leadership among those in the church today.  The root cause of many of these things is the same and that is the ease with which God’s people accept and tolerate division.

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25 Dec 2021 Colossians (Program #46)

Colossians (Program #46) – The Peace of Christ Arbitrating in our Heart

Allow me to ask a somewhat probing question. Are you at peace with God? Well, if you have received Christ as your redeemer and savior, there’s absolutely no reason not to be. Now, the same question with a twist. Are you at peace with all of God’s people? Aha, it’s not so easy to say, is it? Invariably within His one Body, there are and will be fractions and situations. These can ultimately lead even to more divisions and schisms within the body. So certainly, this is a serious matter. If we are enlightened a little, we know that we need Christ to make peace between us and God. But, how do we manage to make peace with His dear saints, His believers? By His mercy, we’ll get much help on today’s life study of Colossians.

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12 Sep 2021 Philippians (Program #2)

Philippians (Program #2) – The Church in Philippi

Have you ever wonder why there are so much dissension, division among genuine Christians?  It is not new among believers of Christ today, the apostle Paul addressed this problem in his Epistle to the Philippians as well as many other places. And we are going to visit Philippians today.  We promise you some new insights from God’s word.

Let’s look at Philippians 1:1, it says “Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons”. Philippians is the only book in the New Testament that uses this phrase “to all the saints with the overseers and deacons”.  We are going to find out how this phrase is a window into God’s administration, His plan for administration for the church.

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17 Mar 2021 1 Corinthians (Program #53)

1 Corinthians (Program #53) – Dealing with the Matter of Resurrection (2)

Of all the problems that had over taken the church in Corinth, perhaps the most serious was that among the church there, many question the reality of resurrection. Yes, more serious than division, adultery, and even more serious than fornication and incest. Why? You might ask. Because without resurrection, ours is a fake, totally in vain and even more a faith without vitality, the life power needed to overcome all of our problems.  Paul’s rebuttal to those who question resurrection is our topic of program today.

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