CLEARING UP THE CONFUSION!

CLEARING UP THE CONFUSION!

1 Cor 14:33

33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

          This declaration by Paul is set like a gem in the midst of his instruction regarding the use of the gift of tongues. On the day of Pentecost God gave the church a wonderful tool with which to reach the world. He gave them the ability to communicate to foreigners in their own language. What fun it must have been to be able to rattle off a few phrases you had never previously learned! In fact it was probably the “fun” aspect of tongues that led to the confusion in the Corinthian church. Everyone was babbling at the same time. Nobody understood anybody. This led to many other unwanted results.

          In Genesis chapter 11 Nimrod had decided to build a tower so tall it would reach into heaven itself. After all, how high could heaven be? God grew weary with this and said to himself: “…let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.” (Gen 11:7-8) In this particular case, God actually was the author of their confusion.

          God knew that once communication breaks down, relationships are over, and all cooperative projects fail. It is very important that we understand one another. It is important that we agree on the definition of certain terms and labels. Our current struggle to reconcile Christianity with rapidly changing culture may be little more than two passionate men arguing in different languages. They do not fully understand the points about which they disagree and often do not realize they have actually reached an agreement! Throwing up their hands, both shout in their own language: “It’s all Greek to me!”

          The church is a community of believers who have joined together with a common understanding for a common purpose. It’s not perfect! We still struggle to understand one another but there is a beauty in this community that the world does not have. There is a kinship that is born of the Spirit. It is counter-cultural and cross-cultural in nature. It defies the differences that often separate us. The Spirit bonds us together. We are brethren.

1 Cor 1:10

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Dear Lord, let me be joined together with my brothers and sisters in Christ. May we think and speak the same thing that there be no divisions among us. AMEN