Church Divisions

I have somewhat of an ongoing debate with my husband regarding which denomination is better; Charismatic or Baptist. 

But I am not really Baptist either.

Most of my life I have gone to non-denominational churches.

I have never understood why, if we are ALL the body of Christ, and there is "one Spirit, one life, one baptism: etc. why then are we all split up into different denominations?  Why can't we be unified?  Why are there so many church divisions?

I am not anti any denomination per se.  I am anti any religious person that is prideful and wants to add something to Scripture that isn't there.  For some reason people in these smaller sect churches tend to be more prideful and add doctrines to Scripture.

That was why Jesus always got mad at the Pharisees.  They wanted to push their own agenda.  They wanted to control people with their own extra added on rules and doctrines.  They wrote a whole other book just of laws that THEY made up for people to memorize in addition to the Old Testament.  They wanted to micro-manage people.  They were prideful and they wanted control over people. 

People now are in a certain denomination because they want to push certain agenda on people.  They have these extra doctrines that they like such as the baptism of the Holy Spirit in charismatic churches and in Baptist churches that baptism is necessary for salvation.  It is not.  Jesus said to the thief on the cross "Today you will be with me in paradise."  And he was never baptized. 

Neither is the baptism of the Holy Spirit necessary.  The fact is, we are ALL baptized into the Holy Spirit when we are saved.  What charismatics are actually talking about is what is Bible calls just being filled with the Holy Spirit.  This we are supposed to ask for every day, continually.  We need to always be filled up more and more with the Holy Spirit, because this how we get more and more spiritual gifts, and how we are able to walk the Christian walk better.  God's Holy Spirit guides us, directs us, convicts us, speaks to us, helps us know how to pray etc. 

Tongues are just one of the 12 or 13 spiritual gifts.  

I do not have tongues, but I have other gifts.  I just took a class on spiritual gifts and I'm pretty sure I have teaching, giving, exhortation, mercy, serving and maybe administration.

Therefore, I'm good.  :)  I don't need any more. :)

When I was praying about tongues awhile ago I felt God was saying to me, "But I have given you so many gifts already!  Aren't they enough?"  And yes he has.  And I am quite content with the gifts I already have. 

But pride in churches is all over the place.  Pride leads to church splits, division and all the various denominations that we have. 

Then there is the pride of Calvinism. 

First of all, their belief that God saves some and not others arbitrarily is extremely prideful.  Then they get all puffed up on thinking about themselves being God's elect.  And they start to think, "ha God chose me but not you!" 

They don't care about witnessing because "God will save who he will save anyways.  Why should I have to do anything?"

And they get lazy in their Christian walk because once they know they are the elect nothing they do matters.  Why read the Bible?  Why pray?  Why do anything?!  Because "I'm already saved right?  I'm secure." 

See how this can lead to EXTREME pride and extreme laziness? 

I know this is the mentality because I've been there.  Most of my life I believed in the once saved, always saved idea, theory, and I wasn't very motivated to read my Bible or pray or live a good Christian walk devoid of sin either.  I always thought, "Well I'm saved no matter what so why does what I do matter?  What is the motivation for being good?  Why grow in my knowledge of God?  I'm secure right?"  haha. Ah I was so prideful. :)

But "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  And "work out your salvation with fear and trembling."

Just about every church event or service I have been too lately seems to bring up the once saved, always saved theory.  Which irks me because the fact is, no one can really know for sure if that is totally correct. 

There are verses that say seem to say both sides.  Jesus says "In the last days many will fall away."  But he also said, "No one can snatch them out of my hand."

I had a revelation today though in a church service at a Baptist church. 

Children can disown their parents. 

Children can choose to cut of the relationship and stop talking to a parent, as I have my dad. 

We can do the same with God. 

Once we are saved he will never un-adopt us as his children, but we can disown him and run back to the world.  We can end the relationship.

Jesus says, "Any branch that does not bear fruit is cut off and throw into the fire."  But it was once a branch.  It was once connected to the vine, being Jesus. 

Thus, the story of the prodigal son.  And where would the son have gone if he died when he was away? 

I have always believed he would go to hell.

That story represents a Christian, who was a child of God, that disowns God and walks away from him.

God will always welcome a child who ran away back.  But if the child never comes back what then? 

I believe he or she would then go to hell.  They made the decision to leave God, to cut off the relationship, and so they will be punished for it. 

"IF you remain in me I also will remain in you."

It's not, it can't be, that you say the prayer and now you have your magical golden ticket into heaven so you can sit back and relax.

No, that leads to extreme pride and that leads to laziness in the Christian walk.

"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling."  Why would that verse be in their if we had nothing to worry about in regards to being saved or not?

The fact is, we do.  Sin is a slippery slope and we need to be careful. 

May God increase mine and your wisdom about this.  Amen. :)