Embracing Grace: A Call for Unity in the Body of Christ
Acts 11:2-3
And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.
Some things never change! Unfortunately, there are still those “of the circumcision” (those who do not understand the true freedoms of grace) who still contend (or fight) with the brethren over who it is that they meet with in ministry. I hope that for most of our readers, this nonsense is a foreign concept to you. I hope that even the thought of fighting or arguing over who we “should” reach and who we “shouldn’t” reach is as repulsive to you as it is to me. However, I am sad to admit that there will probably be a good number reading this very devotion who not only recognize this kind of thinking in today’s world but who perhaps are surrounded by it or who even willfully participate in it. Oh sure, the issue today isn’t technically circumcision or uncircumcision, but it’s still the age-old issue of legalism and grace. It is sad to think that one sector of the body of Christ can feel like they are so spiritual and doctrinally correct that they will not even consider worshiping with and ministering to another sector (a.k.a. denomination), but it happens every day, in many denominations! Before you write me off as a heretic, let me first declare that I do in fact understand the necessity of rightly dividing the Word of truth, but to date, I have yet to see anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who is able to “rightly” divide the believers! When divisions brew in the body of Christ, there is always a wrong done somewhere by somebody. It is not our job to encourage division in the body of Christ, but to encourage unity. Furthermore, we cannot be selective in who we are willing to minister to, nor from whom we are to receive ministering, so long as God has sent them into our lives. I know pastors and preachers who have been friends for years, who would no longer fellowship with one another if they gave each other full disclosure of their itineraries. Dear brethren, we must be willing and able, without fear of the brethren, to be able to share the Word wherever there is an open door, regardless of whether they are “circumcised” or “uncircumcised”. May God bring back unity in the camp lest we die!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.
Some things never change! Unfortunately, there are still those “of the circumcision” (those who do not understand the true freedoms of grace) who still contend (or fight) with the brethren over who it is that they meet with in ministry. I hope that for most of our readers, this nonsense is a foreign concept to you. I hope that even the thought of fighting or arguing over who we “should” reach and who we “shouldn’t” reach is as repulsive to you as it is to me. However, I am sad to admit that there will probably be a good number reading this very devotion who not only recognize this kind of thinking in today’s world but who perhaps are surrounded by it or who even willfully participate in it. Oh sure, the issue today isn’t technically circumcision or uncircumcision, but it’s still the age-old issue of legalism and grace. It is sad to think that one sector of the body of Christ can feel like they are so spiritual and doctrinally correct that they will not even consider worshiping with and ministering to another sector (a.k.a. denomination), but it happens every day, in many denominations! Before you write me off as a heretic, let me first declare that I do in fact understand the necessity of rightly dividing the Word of truth, but to date, I have yet to see anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who is able to “rightly” divide the believers! When divisions brew in the body of Christ, there is always a wrong done somewhere by somebody. It is not our job to encourage division in the body of Christ, but to encourage unity. Furthermore, we cannot be selective in who we are willing to minister to, nor from whom we are to receive ministering, so long as God has sent them into our lives. I know pastors and preachers who have been friends for years, who would no longer fellowship with one another if they gave each other full disclosure of their itineraries. Dear brethren, we must be willing and able, without fear of the brethren, to be able to share the Word wherever there is an open door, regardless of whether they are “circumcised” or “uncircumcised”. May God bring back unity in the camp lest we die!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill