Demonic Division

If God’s pattern of Church growth is multiplication through discipleship, then the enemy’s strategy would be just the opposite - division through discord. 

Though the enemy has always sought to divide God’s people, I’ve discerned a more intense effort in this season. You’ve probably seen it too:

“If you don’t agree with me, unfriend me.”

“Now I see your true colors.”

“You’re toxic.” 

"You’re a part of the problem.” 

“You’re ignorant.”

Those are the kinds of phrases being thrown around between believers. People are becoming offended and hurt because they somehow weren’t aware that other opinions existed besides their own.

The temptation and the tendency of man is to demonize those who express contrasting beliefs. Now, of course, if someone denies the fundamentals of the faith - truths like the resurrection of Jesus, the need for repentance from sin, the deity of Christ, or the authority of the Bible - then there is a time for separation. When something directly contradicts the Word, there’s no room for compromise. 

But, for the most part, if we agree on Christ then we agree. 

We may not all agree on how to get there, but we all want to get to a better, more godly Kingdom reality. We may not even all agree on what the actual problems are. One believer’s proposed solution might be another believer’s idea of a problem. 

But we must choose to not demonize fellow believers or even assume the worst about their motives. This is the role of grace for one another. 

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. (Colossians 3:12-15, NLT)

Unity is the mark of the true Church.

Now, I can already hear potential objections to what I’m teaching here. People may say things like, “If they truly loved me, they would see things from my perspective.”

And therein lies the problem. There would never be division if we only disagreed on the things that didn’t matter all that much to us. The contention arises when there is something that contradicts our deeply held beliefs. It is because our deepest beliefs stir up the most intense emotions in us that division works in the first place.

And it’s easy to try to spiritualize our disagreements. We blame their “bad spirits” or claim that God has somehow exposed them for who they “really are.” But maybe - just maybe - you’ve disconnected because of pride. 

The Church, the body of Christ, is united by something much deeper, something much stronger than any one perspective, belief, or mindset. As important as any one issue is to you, it cannot be more important than our call to unity. It’s what distinguishes us from the world.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. (John 13:34-35, NLT)

The world looks on in bewilderment. They can see that though we each have deeply held beliefs, we have something deeper still that unites us. When they see that the truth of God’s Word is more important to us than any other source of thought, they will know we belong to God. 

So long as we stand on the side of holiness and truth according to God’s Word, we stand together.

Jesus is God. Jesus died for our sins. Jesus rose again from the dead in bodily form. Jesus sits at the right hand of God. The call to repentance, the need for salvation, the authority of God’s Word - those truths unite us. We may disagree on the peripheral, but let’s unite for the sake of the primary. 

The truly Spirit-filled can rise above the political chaos, rise above the emotionally-charged bickering, rise above the pettiness of worldly concerns. Don’t pollute your anointing or dilute God’s power on your life by preaching your opinions instead of God’s Word. 

There’s a world that’s dying and going to hell - and Jesus is still the answer. The gospel is still the mission. Let’s stop the bickering and come together for the sake of souls. 

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The Unity of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit belongs to every believer. 

He is for the experienced and the new believer alike. The Holy Spirit is not a reward for the super-spiritual (if every there was such a group). The Holy Spirit is the only chance any of us have at being spiritual.

The Holy Spirit is for both the spiritually strong and the spiritually struggling. He does not abandon us when we fail, and we never stop needing Him, even when we succeed. 

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” (Acts 2:38-39, NLT)

The Holy Spirit, the Promise of the Father, is for all Who believe. 

Though I sometimes fit into the Charismatic category, I assure you that neither the Holy Spirit nor His baptism is reserved exclusively for Pentecostals or Charismatics. We do not have a monopoly on His Person or power. He is non-denominational. His fiery essence burns away the dry brush of barriers between brethren. He offers His assistance to all Christ-centered stripes, creeds, cultures and methodologies. The Holy Spirit cares more about the Christ in your heart than the name of your church. He’s for all who call Jesus Lord.

The Holy Spirit is multi-cultural and multi-generational. 

He works in the TV preacher, and the missionary on the foreign field.

He is not racist, sexist or prejudice. 

He is for the young and the old…

The poets and the intellectuals…

The mature believers and the new converts…

The wealthy and the poverty-stricken…

The left and the right and the middle…

The sick and the healthy…

The introvert and the extrovert…

Ministers and business people…

The creative and the cerebral…

The organized and the spontaneous…

Parents and spouses…

Son and daughters…

The Holy Spirit is for all believers, and His love brings us all together.

Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13, NLT)

The Holy Spirit in me loves the Jesus in you. If Jesus is your king, if God is your Father, if the Holy Spirit dwells in you, then we are one. 

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Only One Nature

You’ve often heard it said that the believer has two natures, two identities that battle for the foreground his being. An intense, inner struggle between sin, self, and spirit rages deep within the soul. However, I contend, based upon what the Bible says, that the believer is not dual-natured. Rather, the believer has only one true nature – the spirit.

The Bible clearly teaches that the born-again believer has crucified his former self with Christ.

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20, NLT

In the book of Romans, Paul the apostle asks a rhetorical question regarding living in sin.

By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? - Romans 6:2, NLT

The answer to his rhetorical question is simply that “the believer who is dead to sin cannot live in sin”. You’ve been made completely new.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV

But this is where it can become confusing: while we know that we are dead to sin, we still experience a very real struggle to resist the temptations of the world.

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
- Galatians 5:16-17, NLT

How can this be?

What do you do when your new mind seems to be thinking old thoughts? Where should you turn  when your new nature behaves according to old patterns? This is the frustrating part, indeed. Paul the apostle describes this battle.

I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. - Romans 7:15-25, NLT

So on one hand the scripture describes the believer as being completely dead to sin, yet on the other hand the scripture describes sin putting up quite a lively battle. How can we reconcile these two realities?

The answer is found in one simple verse:

But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
Romans 7:20 (NLT)

Paul the apostle, in the verse above, is not dismissing himself from the responsibility of his own sinful actions. He is simply choosing to not identify with the sin nature. Sure the sin nature puts up a fight, but the sin nature just simply isn’t you anymore.

Just because you struggle with sin doesn’t mean you have to identify with sin.

So when you sin, you are not acting according to “another nature” that you possess. Instead, when you sin, you are acting against your actual nature.

When you sin, you’re not a fake Christian; you’re a fake sinner. You’re not a wolf in a sheep’s clothing; you’re a sheep in a wolf’s clothing.

Avoid sin. Repent of sin. Feel sorrow over sin. Despise sin. But never identify with sin. You have one nature: you are of the spirit.

Choosing to identify with the Spirit rather than with the sin nature is an important step towards holiness. For overcoming the power of the flesh is not a matter of fight sin but of surrendering to the Holy Spirit.

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. - Galatians 5:16, NLT

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