The Down Side of Denominations

November 1

(Acts 21:17-26 NIV) "When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly. {18} The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. {19} Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. {20} When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. {21} They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. {22} What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, {23} so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. {24} Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. {25} As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality." {26} The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them."

(Galatians 3:28 NIV) "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he went to James and the elders of the church to report on his ministry among the Gentiles. They praised God, but there was a problem. The church in Jerusalem had also been growing, and they were insistent that the Law of Moses should be observed. This differed from Paul’s teaching that circumcision was no longer needed for one to be obedient to God, and that salvation was by faith alone. This may be the first denominational disagreement. The Jewish Church and the Gentile Christians worshipped the same Jesus, but they practiced their faith differently. Some just cannot seem to get by this. This is the downside of denominations. Rather than focusing on our commonality in Christ, we tend to dwell on our differences and diminish those who are different. Be cautious! This does not usually end up advancing the Kingdom of God. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day