Woven Together Or Torn Apart?

[Meg]

In prayer this morning, I was asking about the long history of strife in the Christian church in particular and in organized religion in general. The word in English translation in the Bible, "submit" was ringing in my head, so I pulled out Strongs and looked it up. I limited my search to the New Testament, because this is where the word submit is used as an instruction for how to seek unity with God and with one another, and because I wanted to know precisely what it is we're hoping to achieve here and how. The result wasn't exactly what might have been assumed... I spell the Greek with Roman (ie normal) letters.

For starters, the Strongs reference number is 5178. The Greek word is Synchraomai. The Strongs definition is

To associate with, to have (friendly) dealings with

Unless I am badly mistaken, that would be our root worrd for synchronize, which means

1. To occur at the same time; be simultaneous.
2. To operate in unison.

synchronize - definition of synchronize by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Another word for this might be to cooperate...

The Scriptures which use this exact word, according to Strongs are:

Romans 8:7, 10:3, 13:1, 13:5 1 Corinthians 16:16 Ephesians 5:21, 5:22, 5:24 Colossians 2:20, 3:18 Hebrews 12:9, 13:17 James 4:7 1 Peter 2:13, 2:18.

Thats everything listed in Strongs.

Luke 11:17

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself
will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. ...

It seems not just to me, but to the unbelieving world at large, that Christianity is a house divided. I can't help but think that a misunderstanding of the concept of Synchraomai is at least part of the problem.

[mikhen7]

In prayer this morning, I was asking about the long history of strife in the Christian church in particular and in organized religion in general. The word in English translation in the Bible, "submit" was ringing in my head, so I pulled out Strongs and looked it up. I limited my search to the New Testament, because this is where the word submit is used as an instruction for how to seek unity with God and with one another, and because I wanted to know precisely what it is we're hoping to achieve here and how. The result wasn't exactly what might have been assumed... I spell the Greek with Roman (ie normal) letters.

For starters, the Strongs reference number is 5178. The Greek word is Synchraomai. The Strongs definition is

Unless I am badly mistaken, that would be our root worrd for synchronize, which means synchronize - definition of synchronize by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Another word for this might be to cooperate...

The Scriptures which use this exact word, according to Strongs are:

Romans 8:7, 10:3, 13:1, 13:5 1 Corinthians 16:16 Ephesians 5:21, 5:22, 5:24 Colossians 2:20, 3:18 Hebrews 12:9, 13:17 James 4:7 1 Peter 2:13, 2:18.

Thats everything listed in Strongs.

Luke 11:17


It seems not just to me, but to the unbelieving world at large, that Christianity is a house divided. I can't help but think that a misunderstanding of the concept of Synchraomai is at least part of the problem.

Meg, good post. You are on to something. I think the word you are looking for is "Syncretism" Syncretism | Define Syncretism at Dictionary.com

It is what happened in ancient Israel and is what is happening in the church today. I posted on this back in July 2010 Truth Inspires: One Lord, One God, One Truth - No Syncretism

I also speak about in in my book.

You are dead on in seeing this occurring in the church today. It is nothing more than spiritual adultery and it also happens in the believers life. We must ask God to help us to see where we are allowing it to creep into our own lives as well.

God Bless

[Meg]

–noun
1. the attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties, as in philosophy or religion.

The question then, is what is the source of the division? For unbelievers and casual Christians, the ready answer is, as expressed in your Blog Mike, polytheism. But for the church itself, the answer must be something else entirely.

There's something going severely wrong, and the root cause is accusation. Accusation is the major turnoff for Christianity. I have been reflecting for the last couple of days on a particular friend who was honestly disappointed that I became a Christian. I long suspected that his motive had to do with hoping I might stoop to adultery, as shallow as that sounds, that was what seemed "obvious". There had been some flirting in my pre-Christian phase of our friendship, but I know the man fairly well, the mutual respect ran deeper than that. I weighed his attitude against what I have good reason to think might have come of a long talk with another friend of long ago, someone I knew much longer, with whom I didn't flirt. full confession, both guys were fairly liberal, especially the person I had known longer. Both men know how I think and what sort of person I am by nature. My friend from Colorado would have been pretty shocked to hear I became a Christian. I'm not generally thought of as the religious fanatic type, and indeed I'm not.

This has been tearing me apart for years. I love the percepts set out in the Bible, and I love Jesus Christ. When I first started reading the Epistles and how they were intended to illuminate the difference between right and wrong and how that should apply to how we deal with our lives and with each other, I was thrilled! I could see pretty clearly the steps the liberal Hip generation had taken in the right direction, but I could also see why God's ways were higher, better, made more sense than the genuine efforts the liberal revolution had made to create a more loving society than the one we saw around us.

You see, one thing the people I had always bonded with never expected was blind submission to stated authority. An expectation of blind submission is the way a totalitarian regime is inflicted upon its citizens, and my generation rejected that out of hand -- for good reason. We were certain that absolute power corrupts absolutely, so we had a very different value system. Our mistake was in trying to decide for ourselves what was right and what was wrong, and without God, that became based on sensation; "If it feels good, do it" was the guideline based on consenting adults. That failed miserably.

So, in conclusion, if we can and will really trust the Word to apply, not just to each other, but to ourselves, if we look at the original idea, Synchraomai in its intended meaning, we are now looking at the much sought-after dynamic of the early Church. we're tearing ourselves and each other apart by demanding submission to some earthly authority, rather than seeking to synchronize ourselves first with Jesus Christ through understanding the importance of His percepts, then with each other by employing His percepts in our relationships with each other.

We can't decide what "right" is supposed to be. We're too captured in the moment, in the sensation. At some point, if we are to truly seek the Lord, we must accept Him as He is, as He thinks, as He wills, not as we wish, hope or even dare demand He might be.

[mattfivefour]

The answer is people walking int he flesh trying to live for Christ. We have to abandon ourselves to Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to work the changes in us in order for our lives to manifest outwardly the nature of Christ within. But abandonment to Christ requires the denying of self ... our hopes, our dreams, our wills, our rights. all of those things—some of which may indeed be good in our eyes—are the flesh, our old nature. As long as we cherish, or cling to, our old nature or even merely permit it to exist, we will see the works of the flesh manifest in our lives. And it is those works of the flesh that separate brethren, that bring disharmony, discord, and dislocation to the Body of Christ.

Every Sunday, people in churches around the world sing "I Surrender All." Truth be told, the majority should be singing "I Surrender Some."

If we had more Christians who remembered their first love, more pastors who shepherded those in their flocks and gently led each member to the point of absolute surrender so that the Holy Spirit could have free reign in them, we would have more churches that were indeed operating as God desires. And, I submit, those churches would set this world on fire (putting the entire world into commotion—Acts 17:6) just as did the churches of the apostles.

[Elijah's Mantle]

:edit out

[mikhen7]

The answer is people walking int he flesh trying to live for Christ. We have to abandon ourselves to Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to work the changes in us in order for our lives to manifest outwardly the nature of Christ within. But abandonment to Christ requires the denying of self ... our hopes, our dreams, our wills, our rights. all of those things—some of which may indeed be good in our eyes—are the flesh, our old nature. As long as we cherish, or cling to, our old nature or even merely permit it to exist, we will see the works of the flesh manifest in our lives. And it is those works of the flesh that separate brethren, that bring disharmony, discord, and dislocation to the Body of Christ.

Every Sunday, people in churches around the world sing "I Surrender All." Truth be told, the majority should be singing "I Surrender Some."

If we had more Christians who remembered their first love, more pastors who shepherded those in their flocks and gently led each member to the point of absolute surrender so that the Holy Spirit could have free reign in them, we would have more churches that were indeed operating as God desires. And, I submit, those churches would set this world on fire (putting the entire world into commotion—Acts 17:6) just as did the churches of the apostles.

Amen!

[Meg]

If we had more Christians who remembered their first love, more pastors who shepherded those in their flocks and gently led each member to the point of absolute surrender so that the Holy Spirit could have free reign in them, we would have more churches that were indeed operating as God desires. And, I submit, those churches would set this world on fire (putting the entire world into commotion—Acts 17:6) just as did the churches of the apostles.

I've heard some good sermons preached around here, but the congregants just don't seem to get it. For the life of me, I don't understand. I ran across an old magazine article that says they asked Evangelical college students who they thought was setting an example of Christian service, and they all said Bono of U2 in other words, the young folks are lacking a clear picture of what a real Christian ought to be. I bring up someone I followed on TV for years, whose ministry really showed me the very things y'all say should be taught, only to find out he'd been speaking at all the wrong conferences. This isn't just a matter of mixed messages, the would-be Christian testimony is so confused, its a wonder anyone can get Saved in this environment, and tragically, no surprise that a lot of people are just totally lost. How do we balance that?

[Elijah's Mantle]

edit out

[myinnuendo999]

The Truth is what causes divisions. What unites true Christians is far greater than what divides us-Jesus the Truth.

Matt. 10: 32-39 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. 34"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn" 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw—36a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' 37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

You cannot have true peace apart from righteousness. The world cannot give this kind of peace and you cannot find it from within yourself. It has to come from God.

When we make peace with God, then we have Jesus who is our Peace" the PRINCE of peace" in us. Before we make peace with God, we are enemies of God. The world Hates the Truth and all who believe in the Whole Word of God. This Sword of righteousness and truth is peace that divides with the Sword of the Spirit because the TRUTH brings TRUE peace. The world is hurt by the Sword because they have not made peace with God and so the Truth hurts and they hate it. Jesus is the Truth. Righteousness and Peace go hand in hand. Psalm 85:10-- "Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” So this kind of peace comes from being PURE-our sins are washed away whiter than snow we are cleansed by the sinless blood of Jesus. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”--Matthew 5:8.
James 3:17 ”But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. So, they go hand in hand.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”--Matt. 5:6. This righteousness from God is what comes from making peace with God. The World hates righteousness and truth and so to be friends with the world is to be enemies with God because the World hates righteousness because there is only ONE Righteousness and Jesus is our Righteousness. and so that is why Jesus said I came NOT to bring peace but a Sword-Word of God which is TRUTH, and it divides the righteous from the unrighteous and causes war.

sorry if I'm a bit off base ---

[king'sbloomingrose]

Great post, myinnuendo!

[Meg]

The Truth is what causes divisions. What unites true Christians is far greater than what divides us-Jesus the Truth.

Matt. 10: 32-39 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. 34"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn" 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw—36a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' 37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

You cannot have true peace apart from righteousness. The world cannot give this kind of peace and you cannot find it from within yourself. It has to come from God.

When we make peace with God, then we have Jesus who is our Peace" the PRINCE of peace" in us. Before we make peace with God, we are enemies of God. The world Hates the Truth and all who believe in the Whole Word of God. This Sword of righteousness and truth is peace that divides with the Sword of the Spirit because the TRUTH brings TRUE peace. The world is hurt by the Sword because they have not made peace with God and so the Truth hurts and they hate it. Jesus is the Truth. Righteousness and Peace go hand in hand. Psalm 85:10-- "Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” So this kind of peace comes from being PURE-our sins are washed away whiter than snow we are cleansed by the sinless blood of Jesus. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”--Matthew 5:8.
James 3:17 ”But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. So, they go hand in hand.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”--Matt. 5:6. This righteousness from God is what comes from making peace with God. The World hates righteousness and truth and so to be friends with the world is to be enemies with God because the World hates righteousness because there is only ONE Righteousness and Jesus is our Righteousness. and so that is why Jesus said I came NOT to bring peace but a Sword-Word of God which is TRUTH, and it divides the righteous from the unrighteous and causes war.

sorry if I'm a bit off base ---

You are right, absolutely right. Or more top the point, the Scriptures you posted here are right. I guess things start to fall apart when people reject the hard choices. This is when it finally makes sense. From Bono to Jakes, when the choices became hard, both men didn't find enough courage to stand. Or maybe they didn't see the value of the inspiration. Jakes did more right than Bono ever wondered might be possible, but it appears to me that both men valued the praise of men above the praise of God and thus abandoned the Truth for the praise of men.

Standing in Scripture has often proven very difficult for me. Standing in Scripture means giving up something that seems to vindicate us, to benefit us or to please us. As I said before, there has been an enormous body of very solid preaching, not just in our generation either, but repeatedly throughout history. No one will get away with accusing God of not trying. The only remaining answer is that humanity is giving up when Scripture says something they don't want to hear. In the years before I got a computer again, a decision I rejected until the Holy Spirit made it clear that I should venture back online, I noticed again and again that the people in the churches weren't exactly reflecting the percepts I was finding in the Bible.

Some notable examples... I went to dinner with a group of church ladies, and as one woman boasted of terrorizing the passengers in her car with her dangerous driving, everybody laughed. When I volunteered at a church library, I was accused of having a "crush" on the director. I fled that church because the poor man had two pre-teen daughters. The woman who leveled the false accusation had left her own husband for another married man, thus destroying two marriages. A Sunday School teacher defended swearing. A woman who boasted of her seventeen years as a Christian also repeated tales of her sordid involvement in a church split. These are just some examples, likely typical of the church environment in most places. Given the choice between worldly wants and the restrictions of God's Word, the Bible is left by the wayside. The very idea of being crucified with Christ is abhorred... And yet, when we do surrender to Christ, He invariably grants us an approach to how we perceive ourselves and each other that has no equal anywhere else. It has been pointed out, for example, that democracy is impossible without Christianity. Historically, that statement proves absolutely true. Some people have come to expect supernatural blessings from God, but what Scripture actually portrays is the simple fact that if people would only stop trying to prove that human logic is smarter or more satisfying than God's clear instructions for how to run everything from a family to a community to a nation, everyone would have enough, and the land would really prosper. But people get greedy and impatient, and exactly when they do, everything starts to fall apart. Case in point, the United States in the appalling shape it is in today.

[Robert]

If I may:

"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?" (James 4:1-12, NASB, emphasis mine)

Folks want to BE right rather than do WHAT is RIGHT. They would rather wound a brother or sister almost to destruction rather than suffer a wrong for the sake of the LORD, and it is this that drives the sharp, cold wedge of division into the body of Christ. This is of the flesh, and it agrees with what Mattfivefour has said.

"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." (Romans 12:9-18, NASB, emphasis mine)

Yes, we can be right in what scripture says, but if we do so with a cold uncaring heart and callously wound those that are our brethren, then the letter and not the spirit has prevailed. We can also err and be wrong in scripture ans still seek to be vindicated in our views, which also causes division and wounds brothers and sisters in Christ. At that point, it is the fact that we seek our OWN rather than Christ's that we are wrong, and that rather than being His servants, we seek to be masters. When we are rightly related to one another, we can disagree on issues but still be warmly bound and in right fellowship with one another, because we place the well-being and greatest good of our brothers and sisters above our own. But when the love of self and the pride of the flesh is given reign, you end up with a situation like that Diotrephes placed the church into, where John had to write a letter and subsequently visit to set things right.


"If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also." (1 John 4:20-21, NASB, emphasis mine)