The bygone era in which I was raised contained an oft-quoted maternal challenge: “If all your friends ran off a cliff, would you do it too?” We always prefer to think we wouldn’t but we should stop flattering ourselves. Truly independent thinkers are rare enough to draw vilification straight from the gate.
In settings where conformity and submission are considered desirable traits, as in Christian churches, there is more pressure to abstain from critical, independent thought. We just call it “unity.”
A couple of references from the Book of Ephesians are enlightening. There is one passage that speaks of how Christians should behave with gentleness, longsuffering, bearing with each other in love and “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” ~ Eph. 4:3. Further in the chapter, we can read about roles Jesus himself has given us, apostles, prophets, evangelists, etc. “for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of knowledge of the Son of God, . . .”
There are also passages about division, not all of them censorious. In Titus 3:10, we are told to reject a “divisive man after a first and second admonition.” Christians are also warned to “watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have received.” In Corinthians 1:10 “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” Clearly, Christians aren’t meant to quarrel and jealousy seems to be cited as the source of strife. (Corinthians 3:3)
One-upmanship is never appreciated unless you are the one who is doing the upping. Yet, what if a separate, reasoned, informed stance is promoted within the church and there’s no motive except to save lives and/or souls?
Is ignorance the overwhelming glue that ties a church together? Must we close our eyes, plug our ears, hold our noses and swallow the government-mandated evil swill of submission to a clutch of Satanists?
I’m not just talking about the current bio-weapon of choice which Bill Gates of Hell calls a vaccine, although if you read my other posts, you know I’d rather take a bullet than the shot. The fact that this jab changes the victim’s DNA is not even in dispute and also the patents which claim control over the injected are already in place, so the church should wake the hell up.
I’m also talking about the ‘woke’ church. How abortion laws should be left untouched. How transgenders are fine, how homosexuality is not really a sin. How the founders of Black Lives Matter are making a valid point. Never mind them laughing at all the hapless white people saying “But, but why don’t y’all stop killing each other?”
You want to brand me as divisive? Fire away. I’m still going to take scriptural integrity and spiritual fidelity over singing Kumbaya with a bunch of folks heading straight to the grave.
For anyone who sees a lack of unity as a sign of immaturity, remember Jesus saying, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” ~Matthew 10:34
At some point, the Church has to stop taking the name of God in vain. I don’t mean the shallow interpretation of not using God’s name as a cussword. I mean don’t call yourself a Christian and then be anything but. We have to actually DO what God says. We have to follow Him. Then we can be unified. Then Jeremiah 32:38 kicks in: “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; ‘then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.”
Until that threshold is achieved, Jesus has something to say about the times we’re currently in. In Revelation, the Church is called to repentance and there are listed consequences if we don’t. I know some Christians assert that everyone has their name written in the Book of Life and that Christians’ names are never blotted out. Only unbelievers are erased, they tell themselves. That could never happen to ME. Uhm, check this out – Jesus is talking to YOU.
Rev. 3:5. “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”‘
As for the rest “All who dwell on the earth will worship him [the Beast], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
It would seem there are three categories:
- Name Written in Book of Life
- Name Written in Book of Life and Blotted Out
- Name Not Written in Book of Life
The lemmings don’t just run off a cliff, they get blotted out afterward. I’m imploring you to break loose from the herd because that cliff is now in plain view. Stop running and stand.
