The Curse of the Church Split
The Curse of the Church Split
"They were all together in one place… and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:1,4
The fear of a church split has stood like a curse over too many pastors and their people. It’s time to break the curse.
The intimidating thought, If I give the Holy Spirit control and welcome the manifest presence of Christ, it may split my church right down the middle, has made cowards out of too many good pastors and their people. Chill out! This intimidating thought is a bold faced lie. The opposite is true—when you welcome the manifest presence of Christ to your church, you will for the first time know deep, true honest unity in your church family as never before.
In the upper room prayer gathering in Jerusalem, they all gathered together in perfect unity, and they received the fullness of the Holy Spirit. There was true humility, true transparency, and a true encounter with the manifest presence of Christ. Rather than splitting the church, the manifest presence of Christ unified the early church and it will unify your church too.
We don’t have to hide, wear a mask, or pretend to be anything we’re not in the upper room. All guilt, shame and rejection are gone in God’s manifest presence. The spirit of control, cover-ups, posing and pretense are removed. Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition are history in the presence of God. There is no elbowing, biting, kicking, clawing or climbing over people in the upper room. Instead there is freedom, honor, respect, and yes, there is love.
It’s time to renounce the lie of the church split that has kept churches bound for too long. The Holy Spirit is not divisive—He is unifying.
Father God, I break the curse of a church split, thinking it would be caused by yielding control to the Holy Spirit. Today I put my church fully in the hands of Christ. I anticipate greater unity in my church than ever before.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
"They were all together in one place… and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:1,4
The fear of a church split has stood like a curse over too many pastors and their people. It’s time to break the curse.
The intimidating thought, If I give the Holy Spirit control and welcome the manifest presence of Christ, it may split my church right down the middle, has made cowards out of too many good pastors and their people. Chill out! This intimidating thought is a bold faced lie. The opposite is true—when you welcome the manifest presence of Christ to your church, you will for the first time know deep, true honest unity in your church family as never before.
In the upper room prayer gathering in Jerusalem, they all gathered together in perfect unity, and they received the fullness of the Holy Spirit. There was true humility, true transparency, and a true encounter with the manifest presence of Christ. Rather than splitting the church, the manifest presence of Christ unified the early church and it will unify your church too.
We don’t have to hide, wear a mask, or pretend to be anything we’re not in the upper room. All guilt, shame and rejection are gone in God’s manifest presence. The spirit of control, cover-ups, posing and pretense are removed. Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition are history in the presence of God. There is no elbowing, biting, kicking, clawing or climbing over people in the upper room. Instead there is freedom, honor, respect, and yes, there is love.
It’s time to renounce the lie of the church split that has kept churches bound for too long. The Holy Spirit is not divisive—He is unifying.
Father God, I break the curse of a church split, thinking it would be caused by yielding control to the Holy Spirit. Today I put my church fully in the hands of Christ. I anticipate greater unity in my church than ever before.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
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