Why should we be careful in reintroducing people who were once divisive influences to the church?

 

Some people would rather cling to their own conception of what God is like, regardless of their conscience, the facts of reality or the Word. The result is that they darken their own minds while claiming particular wisdom.

  • Romans 1:21-22 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead.

 

People who do this inevitably become characterized by at least some sins listed in the following verses.

  • Romans 1:28-32 When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God’s death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

 

Those who are characterized by these sins have willingly yielded themselves to their sinful nature.

  • Galatians 5:19-21 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

 

In contrast, the traits in the following verses describe people who are led by the Spirit. Do we consistently see these fruit in the lives of those who left? If not, what does that tell us?

  • Galatians 5:22-23 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.

 

We can make determinations of the quality of a person’s spiritual walk by these fruit. In fact, we are specifically commanded to make that determination.

  • Matthew 7:16-20 You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don’t pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles. A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.
  • Romans 8:5-8 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
  • 1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.

 

The Master specifically warned us to protect His flock from false prophets, false teachers or “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. These kind of people are not looking out for the best interests of the flock but for their own. They are concerned that THEY be recognized, THEY be comforted, THEY be listened to.

  • Matthew 7:15-24a “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don’t pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles. A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.

 

Just because a person sounds godly (using religious language) or has done things for God’s church doesn’t necessarily mean that they are God’s. The reason, the underlying motivation for their works is a major determining factor.  These people sit, listen and then try to find something wrong with the teaching so they feel justified in their ways. What God is looking for is obedience.

  • Matthew 7:21-24 Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. On judgment day many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.’ Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise.

 

Paul commands us to not participate in fighting and jealousy; to “make no provision for the flesh”, no allowances for indulgence in evil, fleshy things. 

  • Romans 13:13 We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior. Don’t participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy. But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don’t think of ways to indulge your evil desires.
  • 2 Timothy 2:22-23 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights.

 

We must not put stumbling blocks in the way of our brothers and sisters who have chosen to worship and work with us. We must make sure we don’t introduce a divisive and disruptive element into the lives of new Christians in our midst.

  • Romans 14:13 So don’t condemn each other anymore. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not put an obstacle in another Christian’s path.

 

Because Ireland is a damp, cool island, reptile experts doubt that any snakes were ever native to the place. Far more interesting, of course, is the legend that St. Patrick ran all the snakes out of Ireland in the fifth century. As the story goes, he preached a sermon from a hilltop that drove them all away.

But recently snakes have been slithering back into Ireland. Snakes are turning up in some very unexpected places these days: in attics, in people’s cupboards, under the sink in the bathroom. One family was watching TV when a snake crawled out from underneath. 

So how are snakes getting onto the once snake-free island? People are bringing them there as pets! They’re trendy. Believe it or not, it’s stylish and smart to have a snake — especially around St. Patrick’s Day!

Doesn’t that sound just a bit perverse to you? Why mess with an ecology that is historically free of snakes? Putting the slithery creatures in places from which either climate or saintly presence had banished them? But hold on a minute...

Now that I think about it, it seems a characteristically human thing to do. Put Adam and Eve in a garden paradise and they ruin it by introducing sin and rebellion. What is there about a situation of safety that fairly screams for some people to take an irresponsible risk? Why would an Irishman import a snake to his lovely land? Why would an otherwise upright soul tempt fate by importing the vices of a decadent culture? Proverbs 6:28 warns against the folly of trying to walk barefooted on hot coals and expecting not to get burned. It’s worth thinking about.

  • Proverbs 6:27-28 Can a man scoop fire into his lap and not be burned? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?

 

Yes - we should be hospitable and welcoming to sinners. We should be known for our compassion and mercy to those who have not yet met the Master. But we are not to introduce unrepentant, divisive elements into our midst. In fact, it should be the opposite! A person who claims to be a Christian and yet lives in unrepentant sin is a different matter.

  • 1 Corinthians 5:6-13 How terrible that you should boast about your spirituality (they were allowing unrepentant sin to continue in their midst), and yet you let this sort of thing go on. Don’t you realize that if even one person is allowed to go on sinning, soon all will be affected? Remove this wicked person from among you so that you can stay pure. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. So let us celebrate the festival, not by eating the old bread of wickedness and evil, but by eating the new bread of purity and truth. When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or who are greedy or are swindlers or idol worshipers. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. What I meant was that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a Christian yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Don’t even eat with such people. It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your job to judge those inside the church who are sinning in these ways. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”
  • Jude 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren’t contaminated by their sins.

 

 

We are to avoid those who create dissension. They are serving their own interests and could cause a lot of damage through their religious-sounding talk.

  • Romans 16:17-18 And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things that are contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.
  • Proverbs 26:23-26 Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a common clay pot. People with hate in their hearts may sound pleasant enough, but don’t believe them. Though they pretend to be kind, their hearts are full of all kinds of evil. While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, it will finally come to light for all to see.

 

Introducing division within the Body of Christ feeds the enemy’s plans for it, displays a very poor image of brotherhood and Christianity, not to mention the image it displays towards the one we serve, Christ Jesus our Lord.  It portrays the very willful act of blatant refusal to love one another, and walk according to His commandments.  The Bible is clear that those who sow discord are self-absorbed, self-pleasing, having minds that are not renewed but are still carnal, they have no knowledge or understanding of serving, seeking only what is pleasing to the flesh and not the spirit, are busy bodies and neither know nor have truly received the love of Christ Jesus! 

  • 1 Corinthians 3:3 For you are still controlled by your own sinful desires. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your own desires? You are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord.
  • James 4:1-3 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn’t it the whole army of evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can’t possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. And even when you do ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

 

How does one sow discord?  Discord is sown through gossip, through lies and untruths spoken against another brother or sister, through one who is bound by a lack of forgiveness towards another brother or sister and speaks evil of him/her to other believers with the intent on causing strife and division.

  • James 3:14-18 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don’t brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.

 

This kind of behavior is an abomination to the Lord!  There is not an ounce of love found in such behavior.  There is no glorification of the Father in this evil and it must be uprooted and banished from the Body of Christ for it has no place in it’s members!   Take heed of those who behave in this manner for the Lord is not pleased with them. They are involved in what He refers to as an abomination.

  • Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests:  haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent,  a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong,  a false witness who  pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brothers.
  • Proverbs 16:28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.

 

We are taught to get rid of these elements, not introduce them into the flock! Why introduce fuel to the fires of disunity? We are told to throw them out, get rid of the fuel of gossip and quarrelsome people, to watch out for them, to stay away from them, to not let their bad example be an influence.

  • Proverbs 22:10 Throw out the mocker, and fighting, quarrels, and insults will disappear.
  • Proverbs 26:20-21 Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops. A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.
  • Romans 16:17 And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things that are contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.
  • 3 John 11 Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.

 

We must be careful to heed the warning the Master gave.

  • Matthew 12:25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom at war with itself is doomed. A city or home divided against itself is doomed.”