Schism or Specialization?

 

 

(You can listen to the audio commentary by clicking here http://hometown.aol.com/traqair/Todaysdev.mp3 )

 

Acts 5: 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

 

Usually, at Session meetings, I don't have to vote. In fact, in my twenty years as a pastor, I've only had to use my vote once with an issue that evenly divided all the elders. It wasn't a life or death moment, nor did it cause any resignation amongst the elders, nor divide the congregation. It was just one of those unusual times when I had to cast the deciding vote to complete the business.

 

There's a lot of talk right now about division and schism in the church. Mainline Protestant churches are declining by about 2% each year. Within a couple of generations, and certainly by the end of this century, the Church as we know it today, will be radically different from what we are currently experiencing. Some people are anxious about the future of our faith, whereas others don't want to see the changes coming. They are busying themselves into a frenzy of denial, which is equivalent to straightening up deck chairs on board the Titanic. The ship is sinking, but whilst we're afloat, we can always sit in the sun.

 

But our times are still in God's hands, and so, therefore, are all our churches. His Spirit has never left the earth and throughout the centuries, the Church has evolved into whatever God wants. Our whole history is full of separations, schisms and divisions, but they don't have to be thought of as negative. A schism could be God's way of getting His Church to specialize in different areas, different cultures, amongst different and diverse people.

 

One thing is for sure, and we only have to look at Gamaliel's words to recognize it: if these things are from God, then we will not be able to stop it, for we will only be fighting against God. Let's focus on discerning what He wants to do in the world, instead of what we want Him to do for our churches.

 

Prayer:  Lord God, these are troubling times for the Church, but You've seen it all before. We tend to get caught up in our own world, instead of looking at the bigger picture of Your Everlasting Kingdom. Enable us to see the path that You want us to specialize in ministry and mission, so that no matter what division or schism may arise, Your work, Your word, and Your will shall triumph. In Jesus' Name, we pray Amen.