Designs of the Enemy

-


Scripture

2 Cor. 2:10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ.  11 And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Observation

There is one who has sinned and been less than faithful to God. In his earlier letter Paul had addressed this situation and told the church to take action. That action had been taken and now this one is showing signs of remorse and repentance. The church community doesn’t seem to know how to respond and Paul is giving them direction. The man is to be forgiven and invited back into the fellowship.

The designs of the enemy are to create division within the body of believers. A united fellowship, serving God together is something for the enemy to fear! There is strength in this united community — but if the community can be divided — that is the enemy’s design. Wesley commented, “for the loss of one soul is a common loss.” The entire body of Christ suffers over the loss of one individual.

Jesus had said that the world would know his children by the way that they love one another. Anytime there is a distraction that keeps God’s children from loving one another, the enemy has his way. Satan is working hard to outwit God’s children. His design is to create division within the body of Christ.

Application

I believe the enemy is working overtime to bring division to the body of Christ. The more that we can be fragmented, the less effective we become.

What was to define the body of Christ? The overflow of God’s nature through his people — holy love! You and I, we are all called to be God’s holy children, a reflection of Christ in this world.

There are wounded among the family of God. Paul knew it was important to reach out and restore the one who had fallen. Too often we think that restoration is about the person who has sinned, when restoration really may have to do with the remaining body of Christ. It may be that the lack of a forgiving spirit toward an individual creates such division within the body that the church cannot truly be the church.

The design of the enemy is to splinter Christianity. Let’s not be fooled! We need to have a generous and loving spirit within the body of Christ to be united in service to him.

Prayer

Lord, may we not give in to the temptation to bring division to your body. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more