Insights Into The Covid-19 Church Era –Part XXXXIII
“They went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.” (Acts 15:30-31)
America and the church is divided. Polarized is a better term, for there seems to be no middle ground. The 1st century church had mastered the art of “consensus” with great success, but what happened? The church has become one of the most fragmented institutions on planet earth. Riddled with hundreds of different denomination or sects, each group believes they possess the divine truth and will not compromise. There is no middle ground, and they refuse to meet or concede to middle ground to settle an issue. What is this consensus?
First, it “is not” majority rules. Gandhi said, “I do not believe in the doctrine of the greatest good for the greatest number, for it means in its nakedness that in order to achieve the suppose good of fifty-one present, the interest of 49 percent may be, or rather should be, sacrificed. It is a heartless doctrine and has hurt humanity. The only real dignified human doctrine is the greatest good for all.” The goal of consensus is having everyone going in the same direction even if they agree or not, but that is not easy. Currently here in America forces opposing one another bang heads, causing tremendous headaches instead of one person turning in humility and both going the same direction. Peace seems almost incomprehensible today.
Second, it is not compromise. It is making a decisive decision that is best for the whole group at that moment and begins to move the group forward together. Our Congress and Senate operate on a two party system, and are getting little done because they refuse to compromise. They think compromise means “giving in” or “giving up” because of loss of power. Consensus is never about power; it’s about motion in the same direction.
Third, Godly consensus only works when both parties are willing to “lay down your life for the brethren.” This may require laying down your agenda, your cause, for the sake of the group. That takes humility. It’s not admitting that anyone was right or wrong; its admitting that you are willing to serve the other. You are allowing the Prince of Peace to bring peace through the dove of peace, His Holy Spirit, who will guide you to truth. What direction do you move? The direction the Holy Spirit guides you. That’s what led the church in the 1st century.
In the Pre-1st century Middle Eastern world there are only two kinds of people: Jews or Gentiles. You are one or the other. You could never be both, and there was no middle ground between them. This attitude still exists in the 21st century as the Arab/Israeli conflict still rages. There has been no compromise or political solutions between the two camps. Yet there was a settlement in the 1st century when believers met in Jerusalem to settle the “Gentile Question” that the newly birthed Church faced. Acts 15:7-11 records, “After much debate, Peter stood and said, ‘Brethren, in the early days God made a choice among you, that by the mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did us. He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? We believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.’”
The “us and them” mission became “our” mission since both had experienced the same goal: salvation through the grace of the Lord Jesus!” Even today, why do we place ”yokes upon the neck of other believers that we are unable to bear ourselves?” Debate over theology, church doctrine, church dogma, pre-, post-, or mid-tribulation theories, etc. have gotten us nowhere; laying down our lives for the brethren will get us anywhere and everywhere the Holy Spirit directs.
When the cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night moved, the Tabernacle and God’s people, Israel, moved with it. When the Spirit of God, His Holy Spirit moved, God’s people, the Church, moved with it. Only if the Church can come to a consensus today will it move when the Holy Spirit wants it to move. Let’s look farther into this topic in our next blog.