DIVIZION BRINGS DESTRUCTION-By Jim Cymbala

Christianity can be condensed into four words: Admit, Submit, Commit and Transmit. -Samuel Wilberforce

Division Brings Destruction
  By Jim Cymbala

    “And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebub,’ and, ‘By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.’ So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end’” (Mark 3:22-26).

    Jesus’ opponents saw that He had power over evil spirits but they would not attribute His authority as from God, so they said the most hideous and blasphemous thing. They argued that Jesus had power over evil spirits because He was in league with Beelzebub. Jesus responded, in effect, “Men, think about what you are saying. You are saying I am on the side of Beelzebub, and yet I am casting Beelzebub’s evil spirits out of people. Do you think Satan is that ignorant?”

    Jesus then laid down a crucial principle that we all must remember. Any house divided against itself cannot stand. In all division there is an inherent weakness that will tear away at the fabric and at the substance of the entity, and eventually if not checked it will destroy it. I do not care if it is a church, if it is a nation, if it is a basketball team, if it is a political party – nothing divided against itself can stay vibrant and strong. It automatically begins to weaken and in the end it will come tumbling down according to Jesus.

    This truth is so little understood in the body of Christ. When I first went into the ministry I was shocked by the evil of the party spirit. I was taken aback that ministers would rejoice in the scandal and the problems that other churches would have. And if another church was blessed, they would downplay the blessing of the other church if it was not their own group. So you have the body of Christ supposedly believing in the Bible where Jesus prayed, “Father…that they may be one just as We are one” (John 17:22),and yet instead of praying for one another and rooting for one another, we are competing against each other. God will never bless that!

    In the New Testament the sign of a division within the body of Christ was a sign of carnality. “…For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?” (1 Cor. 3:3-4). In Galatians chapter five, Paul listed along with murder, wrath, adultery and fornication, that one of the works of the flesh is a party spirit. Would you not say this is one of the great sins that we do not repent of and that we do not talk of? We are all part of one family – the family of God! When your church is blessed, I am blessed. When your church hurts, I hurt because we are on the same team. But this is not something the body of Christ excels in. We have forgotten what Jesus taught in our text:“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”

    The Holy Spirit is like unto a dove and any division in the body of Christ grieves Him and He withdraws His influences. If you have division in your church you will get nowhere until the division is dealt with. No kingdom divided against itself can stand. The kingdom of darkness understands this principle, the sports world does, the corporate world does, but not the church. We have division and strife all the time, and it is tolerated. Then we wonder why there is a lack of conviction of sin, why there is a lack of anointing on the preacher’s sermons, why the church is not moving ahead.

    A first spiritual principle the Lord gives us for church work is thatanything divided against itself cannot stand. That is why the Bible says to mark those who cause divisions among you, and after warning them to have nothing to do with them (Rom. 16:17; Titus 3:10). What church practices this? We put up with all kinds of nonsense. If those promoting division have money and they tithe, most pastors look the other way. But we are to mark those who cause divisions among us (Rom. 16:17) and we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). Our silence regarding this sin allows destruction in the body of Christ.

    …At the church I pastor, we hire staff members not by skill first, but by spirit – do they love God, are they filled with the Holy Spirit, can they minister and pray with others? This is a unity issue,because if you get a troublemaker, even if he or she is skillful, that one can pull down the whole house.

    I tell anyone who is hired on our staff two things. First of all, we do not allow any “moods.” If you come here in a bad mood, we will ask you to go home. Or you can tell the people around you, and they will have a prayer time until God lifts you up. But we will not allow bad moods because we have people we need to minister to, and we must be ready and in a good mood. We are doing the Lord’s work and representing Him. Doesn’t He deserve this?

    Secondly, if we ever find out that you have talked about another staff member when that person was not present, it could be grounds for dismissal; there will be no warning. We are fighting the devil and trying to make inroads into the lives of people who are going through so much. If you are going to break trust and cause division among us, you will not be able to work here. If I have a problem with you, I am not going to tell another staff member, I am going to come to you. And if you have a problem with me, come to me, and if I offended you, I will apologize. But we will never permit a staff member to talk about another one behind his/her back.

    This is only right. Does not the Lord deserve that kind of integrity in the way we work? Why grieve the Spirit with gossip, backbiting and division?

    Edited from a workshop at the 2004 Heart-Cry for Revival Conference. Used by permission.

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HERALD OF HIS COMING-CHRIST'S VICTORY AT CALVARY

            

   Christ’s Victory At Calvary
                                                                                           By Wesley L. Duewel

    Christians should rejoice again and again in the glorious triumph of Christ on the cross. Have you realized how total was Christ’s victory at Calvary? It was a victory for us because Jesus took our place, bearing our sin on the cross. He paid the price for our redemption. On the cross He paid it all! Calvary was an eternal victory for whoever wills to receive it (Rev. 22:17).

    But for Satan, Christ’s victory at Calvary was a devastating, total, and eternal defeat. At first, Satan thought he had won; that shows how limited his knowledge and understanding are. In reality, the cross destroyed Satan, sin, death, and all of Satan’s kingdom. Let us note the pictorial language the Bible uses to illustrate Satan’s ignominious defeat at Calvary:

    At the cross, Jesus drove out Satan, "the prince of this world" (John 12:31-33). Today Satan is a usurper. The cross passed initial judgment on him. His claims were destroyed; his claimed authority was invalidated. His defeat was so complete that he has lost his place and authority. The Greek word ekballo means "to drive out, expel." The cross doomed Satan to ultimate expulsion from our world, though he is still active and desperate in his anger and futility. He is the archon, the ruler of this age only until God enforces the judgment of the cross after Christ’s return.

    At the cross, Jesus "disarmed the powers and authorities" (Col. 2:15). The word disarmed is from the Greek apekdyo, a double compound meaning "to put off completely, to undress completely and thus render powerless." At the cross, Christ undressed all demon authorities. It is a picture from the ancient oriental custom of stripping the robes of office from a deposed official. At the cross, the leaders and authorities of Satan’s forces and kingdom were stripped of their authority and honor. They now have no authority to oppose, intimidate, or harass you.

    But that is not all; there is even more in this picture. Paul says Christ "made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" (v. 15). This again is an illustration taken from ancient history. When a conquering emperor returned from a great victory, he was often given a triumphal procession. The victor and his army marched through streets lined by cheering thousands. While the musicians played, chariots and soldiers carried the looted treasures of the defeated king, and he and his general or other selected prisoners were led in chains, their shame openly displayed.

    The Greek word edeigmatisen means "to make a public exhibition." During the interval between Christ’s death and resurrection, when He announced Satan’s defeat at the cross to the evil spirits in prison (1 Pet. 3:19), in symbolism Christ marched triumphantly through the spirit prison, with Satan and his demonic rulers chained in inglorious defeat behind Him. He made a public spectacle of their defeat, says Paul, and now every demonic being knows his cause is defeated forever, his satanic lord’s authority stripped from him, and his own doom waiting for the appointed time (Matt. 8:29).

    At the cross, Satan and his unclean spirits were destroyed (Heb. 2:14). The word destroy is from the Greek katargeo, which means "to put out of action, to make useless." It is used repeatedly to show how through the death and the return of Christ (parousia), the powers of destruction that threaten man spiritually are put out of action. In First Corinthians 15:24, this includes all dominion of demonic authority and power. In verse 26, death itself will be the last enemy to be rendered useless. All these are "coming to nothing" (1 Cor. 2:6), including Satan himself and his demonic leaders (Heb. 2:14).

    As a result of Calvary, the Resurrection, and the Ascension, Christ is enthroned. He is raised "far above all rule and authority, power and dominion ...And God placed all things under His feet..." (Eph. 1:21-22). These terms for heavenly beings may include both the holy angelic beings and the fallen ones, now the demons. Christ is seated at the right hand of God, far above all heavenly beings of whatever rank, and certainly above all fallen spirit beings of whatever rank. Potentially, these fallen beings are "under His feet," for they have already been defeated. But they are bluffing as if they were still undefeated, trying to assert their dominance over us.

    These demonic beings know they are defeated and what their end will be; that is why they fear us and our prayer so much. They know we have authority from Jesus. But when you resist them in His name and power, they will not only back away, they will actually flee from you (Jas. 4:7).

    In summary, Satan may roar like a raging lion, trying to frighten you, but he is a defeated usurper. He has no right, standing, authority, or legal place in your life.

        a. He is being expelled, driven out by Jesus (John 12:31).

        b. He is disrobed and disarmed and has been made a public spectacle as a defeated foe in Christ’s triumphal procession. Christ has displayed the disgraced Satan as His prime trophy, revealing to all beings in heaven and hell that Satan has lost (Col. 2:15). The counterfeit roaring lion has been defeated by the true Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ, Son of Man, beloved Son of God (Rev. 5:5).

        c. His power is destroyed, and he and all his forces are put out of action as far as any true power is concerned (Heb. 2:14; 1 Cor. 2:6; 1 Cor. 15:24).

        d. He and all his demonic cohorts are put under Jesus’ feet potentially and will soon be put there absolutely (Eph. 1:21-22). In fact, he will be actually crushed (syntribo) beneath your feet also (Rom. 16:20). Syntribo means "to break to pieces by crushing" – a total, crushing defeat.

    Thus, Jesus says to us, as He said to His disciples, "I have given you authority...to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you" (Luke 10:19). Unworthy though we are, we should humbly but confidently accept this authority, acting upon Christ’s glorious victory at Calvary as we defeat and bind Satan’s power in His name.

    Quoted from the book, Touch The World Through Prayer, by Wesley Duewel. Copyright 1986. Used by permission of the Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana. Dr. Duewel’s books may be purchased by calling (317) 881-6751 Ext. 361.

http://www.heraldofhiscoming.com/other/home.htm
 April 2012 Issue
                                                                                                                                   More
Christ’s Victory At Calvary
By Wesley L. Duewel
Resurrection
Spiritual Victory Through Christ
By Rich Carmicheal
Our Responsibility Has Never Been Greater
By S. M. Zwemer
Undo The Devil’s Work
By W. C. Moore
Overcoming Opposition In Prayer
By F. J. Perryman
The Wonder Of His Name
Prayer And Fasting: Keys To Strong Faith
By Andrew Murray
The Authority Of The Blood
By C. Nuzum
Fasting With Prayer
Appropriating The Promises
By Victor M. Matthews
The King Is Near At Hand
By A. B. Simpson
Guarding The Minds Of Our Children
(Doing Battle On Our Knees)
By Kim Butts
Samuel Morris – The Power Of A Spirit-Filled Life (Part 6)
By Lindley J. Baldwin
Herald International - Sharing God’s Love For The Children Of The World
National Day of Prayer - Thursday, May 3, 2012
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