Humans in church....

Humans in church....

Several years ago I had the opportunity to take several classes at the seminary level. The final one was “Christians in conflict, finding resolution”. Little did I know when I signed up that our own church body was going to split wide open...so I had a first row seat in watching the disintegration, the heart and soul hurt, the anger, the denial, the accusations, the harshness, ....as I was study books, people...my semester paper was written on splitting churches...a healing project for myself ...

As I was reading  the following article I was reminded of this trying time again...the cliques who can split a church by their exclusiveness, their judgements, their lack of love...my titles were different, “the old guard” and the “ young entrepreneurs”, but the following was the same...

Over the years there has been healing for most who lived through those times and times like them, and hopefully growth in Christ...awareness that splits can happen is huge and we must cling to our unity in Christ...bearing with, encouraging one another rather than being exclusive in our cliques....

Thank YOU that you show us the way....to unity...in love...

https://www.crosswalk.com/slideshows/10-cliques-that-exist-in-every-church.html?utm_source=Daily%20Bible%20Living&utm_campaign=Daily%20Bible%20Living%20-%20BibleStudyTools.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2979628&bcid=dad4cb6ffa9cb8224d8b23b17fc6f551&recip=488704412%20

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 

He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:1-13