MARKS OF AN UNHEALTHY AND WORLDLY CHURCH
(Nuggets from James 4:1)
Should the body of Christ ever be described or associated with the word - WORLDLINESS? NO WAY!
But what do we have today?
A WORLDLY CHURCH!
It's such an Irony that the same Church Jesus broke His body and shed His precious blood for has turned into a joke.
WORLDLINESS has become the order of the day, crept into the body of Christ and now has FULL SWAY.
Isn't it disturbing that there are wars, fighting and strife going on in the Body of Christ? Discord, feuding, animosity, hatred, envy, backbiting and betrayals are currently posing an existential threat to the Body of Christ, and this calls for serious concern.
If you back up a bit, in the final verse of Chapter 3, verse 18 precisely, Apostle James wrote:
"And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."
For more clarity, let's look at this verse from the Amplified Classical Version rendering:
"And the harvest of RIGHTEOUSNESS (of conformity to God's will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts]."
WHAT A TRANSITION!!!
How come He was talking about PEACE and then suddenly a sharp contrast, talking about WARS and STRIFE?
The sudden transition from the subject of peace to the opposite is deliberate. Its object is to startle and awaken the consciences of those who are addressed.
EARTHLY WISDOM as Apostle James talked about in verse 17 of chapter 3 produces bitter jealousy and faction, while the WISDOM FROM ABOVE produces GENTLENESS and PEACE. Then how do we explain the origin of the wars and fighting which prevail among brethren in the church? This ought to get you thinking. These things must be traced to causes which are earthly or demonic, and unfortunately, those who are guilty of them, instead of contending for the office of teaching others and winning souls to populate the Kingdom of God are busy championing causes that gender strife and divisions.
This is a STRANGE CONTRADICTION between the PROFESSION of so-called believers and their PRACTICE; they do not practice what they preach.
James was referring to private quarrels and law-suits, social rivalries and factions, and religious controversies amongst the then church. Sadly, it has worsened and spiralled out of control in this present church age. The rancour, greed, and worldly spirit which has infiltrated the church has caused terrible damage already and isn't stopping anytime soon unless the church takes responsibility, seeks God's face and prays for HEALING and RESTORATION of the Body of Christ.
Evidently the LUST, CRAZE, WANTONNESS and UNCONTROLLED DESIRE for POSSESSION is one the things that produce the STRIFE and CONTENTIONS. Appetite for wealth is at work among the church, self-centredness, selfishness, avarice and jealousy is the bane of the church today.
Having identified the cause, how do we solve this problem? We need collective effort of every true member of the Body of Christ to make this a reality.
You are part of the solution, you need to brighten the corner where you are. The little effort you put in will definitely go a long way to put things in place.
Be a sincere Christian, avoid unbelievers and do not be unequally yoked with them, preach to them instead and let your lifestyle challenge them; DON'T COPY THEM, DON'T IMPORT WORLDLINESS INTO THE CHURCH, DON'T BE AN AGENT OF DESTRUCTION TO THE BODY OF CHRIST!
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION IN THE BODY OF CHRIST NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM; BE A PILLAR IN THE CHURCH, NOT A CATERPILLAR.
MAY GOD HEAL HIS CHURCH.
This is HOLINESS CHALLENGE
DAY 310 OF 365 🔥
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