1 Corinthians 3

Divide and conquer. This is a tactic that has been used throughout the ages. Actually, it has been around before the beginning of “our” time. Think about it, according to scripture, Lucifer was a beautiful angel and held status in the heavenlies. He became prideful, wanted to challenge God and His ways and stirred up divisions within that realm…all because he wanted the power and glory that belongs to God alone. He didn’t want to submit to the will of God, so he set out to divide and conquer. We all know what happened and if we believe the Word of God to be true, he and his followers were cast down to earth and the divide and conquer antics have ramped up ever since.

Military minds use the divide and conquer strategy to trap and encircle their perceived foes. Sports teams use it – business models use it and Satan is still using it today. We know what his tactics are, but do we see them enough to avoid them? The enemy likes to use the weapons of jealousy, envy, quarreling, boasting, elevating man and turning focus onto self and/or the world – away from God’s truth on how we should live.

In reading 1 Corinthians chapter 3, we see there is nothing new under the sun. The church of Corinth was amongst the most spiritually gifted and yet, the church was full of division. You can read for yourself but in short – the church was still operating in the ways of the world. They were prideful in their own eyes because they thought of themselves more highly than they should. They were a boastful bunch, lacking humility. They were carnal in their thinking, lacking understanding about true wisdom. They were jealous and envious of one another, missing the meaning of what true servanthood looked like. They had elevated opinions, lacking the knowledge that the only elevated opinion should be that of God’s. Paul loved these people and he loved them enough to speak the truth. He reminded them of all the good and yet he pointed out the areas and issues they needed to address and correct.

Now, when we think about the letters to the Corinthians, we look at them through the lens of history; however, I’d like to suggest that Paul’s instructions to the church back then should come into focus for today’s church body. Speaking of church body……what does that consist of? It consists of individuals who are at all stages of spiritual maturity. The problem I see when looking at this chapter is that Paul is speaking to those who “should be” more mature in their walk but weren’t. Instead, they are bogged down with jealousy, boasting, quarreling and doing things in a manner that has no eternal value. Oh, they may seem glorious and beneficial at the moment, but as Priscilla Shirer stated, “if you get the applause of man, enjoy it because that is your reward.” Paul, as a representative of God, wants us to avoid the applause of man and strive towards things that will stand the test of time. Sounds harsh doesn’t it but you can’t run from the truth. Well, you can but we know how that usually turns out.

How many times have we witnessed divisions in the church? Some divisions have resulted in a total denomination split, hence the bazillion different “religions”. We see church “spin offs”. If the church body consists of individuals coming together for the purpose of promoting God and worshipping Him, all these differences and conflicts tell me that if we will individually get it together – then as a “body” – we would be more effective in the mission of reaching the lost – not making it about promoting a “church”.

We have the tools to resist and fight the divide and conquer mentality that is still so prevalent in the world today. According to Paul, we have everything we need in Christ Jesus and His Word. The Word of God should be our war manual. We ALL have a part to do for the kingdom of God. No one is more important than the next. We mustn’t allow the god of this age to lure us into comparing ourselves to one another or to minimize what gifts we have been given. Jealousy has no place in the church, envy – no place, bickering – no place, comparison to another human – no place. We must develop mature attitudes, based on the Word of God and stop playing around behaving as the world does.

The time for entertainment, superficial messages, watering down the truth of the Word is over. The war for the souls of men and women is real and it is amping up. It has been going on for ages and will continue until the return of Jesus. Let’s make sure we aren’t indulging in the temporal but rather striving and pressing in for things that matter on the other side of eternity. Let us not be worldly/carnal in our daily lives expecting the church body to be any different. We ARE the church. We are God’s army, and we must operate as a well-oiled machine. If we, as God’s people, will operate in unity, humility, maturity and grace - stopping all the back biting, slander, discord, jealousy, superficial relationships, prideful, stubborn and worldly ways, looking to appease man…..imagine how many souls – POWs if you will – could be rescued from the enemy and from hell. How many lives could be changed if we correct what needs to be corrected in our own camp. Let’s strive for the applause of Heaven rather than the applause of man.

We are at war and war isn’t fun, easy or convenient; however, we are equipped to do hard things through Christ our Lord. Let’s battle the enemy instead of one another!!!

Lord, forgive us for making anything about anything other than YOU. Forgive us for allowing the ways of the world to creep in. Open our eyes to every area that is displeasing to You. Give us the courage and direction to move closer to You rather than to the world. Help us to desire You and You alone. Thank you, Lord for Your Word that is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. Forgive us for making it about us when it is all about You. Thank you, Lord, for the greatest war manual ever written. All glory and honor be Yours. In Jesus name AMEN.