“ A Resentment And A Coffeepot ”
“And from among your own selves shall men arise,
speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” – Acts 20:30
On the night of his betrayal, Jesus prayed that those all who believed on him might be one that the world might believe the Father had sent him. (John 17) The desire for control over others begets divisions among those who claim Christ, for it springs from pride – the root of all sin. A veteran facilitator of AA meetings said that all that is needed to start a new meeting is, ”a resentment and a coffeepot.” How many churches have begun the same way ? Our desire to control others is often poorly concealed behind, “scriptural reasons.” cf. Romans 14: 4, 10, 13, 19.
In Ephesians 4:3 Paul directed, “giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” He continued in vs. 13 , “till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God , unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:” Each of us are to keep the unity created by the Spirit, for none of us fully know Jesus when we are Reborn. Consider 1Corinthians 8:1-3
The desire to control others will be noticed by those who have the Spirit. John was exposed by Jesus (Mark 9:38-40), Diotrophes was exposed by John (3 John 9), and the Spirit will expose those who choose (heresy) things in addition to Jesus (1 John 2:26-7). We should guard our hearts from resentments that would separate us from others who have not attained the One focus of the faith, for others have been patient with us.
“These are they who make separations, sensual, having not the Spirit.” – Jude 19
#57, 8/7/06