"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought." I Cor. 1:10.
Over Memorial Day weekend, I was walking in the woods and noticed a magnificent tree. It had to be almost 200 feet tall. I could barely get my arms even half way around it. I stood mesmerized by the magnificence and grandeur of it. I thought to myself, this tree must have existed as a little fledgling tree almost 200 years ago. To observe this tree was to gaze upon something majestic, something wonderful and awe-inspiring.
The next day, I was helping a friend cut up some wood for his fire place by utilizing a powerful wood-splitter. We could take very large stumps, place it in the log-splitter, press a lever and a powerful hydrolic splitter would instantly and seemingly effortlesly divide years of unity in that stump. It was incredible to watch this powerful machine in action. As the splitter would come down, I would consider the rings on the stump which spoke to years of existence. Each of those rings could tell a story of what that tree had endured, but in an instant it was to become undone, because I wanted to use this wood for myself. Once I decided those trees were to be for me, splitting the log and those years of unity became inevitable. The result of my intention was telling. I looked over at a pile of wood that had been split by this powerful splitter. There was nothing majestic about it. There was no longer anything compelling about it. In its divided state, it only spoke to my consumeristic intent.
This same dynamic has been occuring in churches for centuries. The Apostle Paul was addressing the Corinthian Christians who were becoming divided over personalities. However, he wanted them to be focused on one personality, Jesus Christ. Before, he spoke of their need for unity in verse ten, he spoke of the name of Jesus Christ ten times in the previous nine versus. Paul wanted to stress what/Who should be the sole focus of the church.
When the church stays focused on Jesus Christ, then the church can stand tall, majestic and be awe-inspiring for all to see and to be drawn. However, when the church becomes about personalities, facilities, preferences and individual opinions, the church becomes divided because it becomes something which we consume rather than about Someone who consumes us.
May we all be extremely cautious of caustic language and consumerisitc intent in the church. May we continue to stay focused on Jesus, stand tall and majestic for all to watch and see the power of Christ within us and be drawn to Him.
Beams Away!
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