by Macy Johnson
“Those who accepted Peter’s message
were baptized,
and about three thousand were added to
their number that day.”
(Acts 2:41 NIV)
There was
a big elephant in the room, and no one wanted to talk about it. The Methodist
church had divided and gone separate ways, or so it seemed. More than half of
the local congregation became Global Methodists while the remainder stayed with
the United Methodist Church.
Everyone touched
was broken and pulled apart. Their love for each other refused to allow them to
lay blame on anyone. Like a family torn apart by divorce or death, this church family
was in pain.
One day
over lunch a dear friend, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, shed new light
on the situation for me. She suggested that this separation might be one of God’s
ways to spread the gospel. People who had previously walked away from church returned.
We witnessed the Holy Spirit breathe new life into all Methodists.
The
meaning of “Divide and Conquer” is to win the battle by getting one’s opponents
to fight among themselves. That might be Satan’s strategy, but God’s is to “Divide
and Multiply.” By splitting a congregation, He created two new, more effective
bodies in His world-wide church.
“Barnabas wanted to take John, also
called Mark, with them,
but Paul did not think it wise to take
him,
because he has deserted them in
Pamphylia
and not continued with them in the
work.
They had such a sharp disagreement
that they parted company.
Barnabas took Mark and sailed for
Cyprus”
(Acts 15:37-39 NIV)
In the
case of Paul and Barnabas, the gospel spread exponentially, because God created
two new missionary teams out of one.
I will thank God for His sometimes painful, yet effective ways to pour His love on all people. I hope you will, too!
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