======================================================================== (CLIP) WHY HAS GOD ALLOWED SO MANY DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCES IN THE CHURCH by Zac Poonen ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon addresses the various disagreements and conflicts within Christianity, such as differing views on baptism, speaking in tongues, Sabbath observance, church leadership, and more. The speaker reflects on the absence of an additional chapter in the Bible to resolve these disputes and shares the insight that love is tested and demonstrated when believers disagree. Using the analogy of a broken egg being put back together, the importance of unity in diversity within marriages, relationships, and the body of Christ is emphasized, highlighting the need for mutual yielding and cooperation like the joints in a body. Topics: "Unity in Diversity", "Love in Disagreement" Scripture References: Ephesians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Romans 12:4, Colossians 3:14, 1 Peter 3:8, John 13:35, Ephesians 4:2, 1 Corinthians 1:10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon addresses the various disagreements and conflicts within Christianity, such as differing views on baptism, speaking in tongues, Sabbath observance, church leadership, and more. The speaker reflects on the absence of an additional chapter in the Bible to resolve these disputes and shares the insight that love is tested and demonstrated when believers disagree. Using the analogy of a broken egg being put back together, the importance of unity in diversity within marriages, relationships, and the body of Christ is emphasized, highlighting the need for mutual yielding and cooperation like the joints in a body. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I once asked the Lord this question. I said there are so many areas in which Christians, even born-again Christians, disagree. For example, baptism. There are people who say you can be baptized as a child. Yeah, there are some born-again people in the Catholic Church and the CSI church, really born-again people, but they take an infant baptism. Then there are people who say you must be baptized in the name of Jesus. We baptize in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And then there are disagreements about baptism in the Holy Spirit. Should we speak in tongues or not speak in tongues? There are people like the Seventh-day Adventists who say you must keep the Sabbath. So many disagreements. Should we have a pastor or should we have elders? See, all these things need only one-line answers. And I said, Lord, if there was one more chapter in the Bible, you know, Revelation chapter 23, which has infant baptism is wrong. Problem solved. People who are filled with the Spirit don't have to speak in tongues. Problem solved. There should be no pastor in a church, only elders. Problem solved. And you just need a chapter with about 30 verses. So many problems in Christianity would be solved. I said, why didn't God add such a chapter? Didn't He know as He looked into the future, the amount of conflict there will be? Will the church go through the tribulation or not go through the tribulation? Verse 6, the church will go through the tribulation. Problem solved. What is the other problem you have? I'll give you the other verses, whatever it is. Just one chapter. Why didn't all-wise God, who knew the whole future, not put that chapter in the Bible? The Lord gave me an answer. It blessed me. The Lord said, when people don't see eye to eye with each other, when they don't agree with each other, their love is tested. And they can show their love in a greater way when they don't agree with each other, than when they agree with each other. And I've seen that in working with my fellow elders here. That my love is tested, not because they say, yes, yes, yes. I don't say, yes, yes, yes to them, and they don't say, yes, yes, yes to me. Thank God. We love one another when we disagree. Not because we hate one another, but I view things in a certain way, and they view things another way. And I say, we don't know who's right. God has put us together. It doesn't matter, we love one another. Our love is tested. You know, if you have got a wife, who's completely the opposite of you, you can be absolutely certain, God only chose that wife for you. Yeah, my wife is completely different from me. Completely, in many ways. She's so friendly with everybody, I make enemies everywhere I go. I remember one man, who knew us very well, he was not very happy with me. But he used to come to our church now and then. He sent a greeting for my birthday. And the best thing he could think to say about Brother Zach on his birthday was, Brother Zach has got a good wife. I tell you honestly, I remember on my 50th birthday, somebody read that out. I said, great, I agree with that. No, we are different. So when newly married couples, or people who are engaged to get married come to me, I draw a little diagram for them. I draw on a piece of paper, I draw an egg. And I say, now I'm going to break that egg with my hand. And here's the broken egg. I draw two halves with all the jagged edges. Jagged edges are pretty pokey. You try and take one of those broken eggs and put it on your cheek, it hurts. And I say to this boy and girl, do you know you're like that? You think you're all very nice and you love one another, but you've got all these pokey edges that would hurt each other. But now I'm going to put them together. And see, wherever there's a jagged edge here, there's a depression there. And wherever there's a jagged edge here, there's a depression here. It's a whole egg again. See, that's how God wants to make you one. Dissimilar, but exact opposites becoming one. That is how God builds the body. But you must allow for that person to be different from you. And work with that person in his differences. For example, take this simple movement of an elbow. It says in Ephesians 4, it's a great verse there, speaking about building the body of Christ. Ephesians in chapter 4, it speaks about verse 16. The whole body, Ephesians 4, 16, is fitted and held together. Think of a body. We're not fitted with screws and nuts and bolts, no. We are fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies. And according to the proper working of each individual part, makes the growth of the body building up of itself in love. You know what a joint is? The shoulder is one joint. You know it's working perfectly when there's no noise. Here's another joint. Think of this as one brother, this is another brother. They work perfectly. When this muscle says, I want to pull, the muscle on the other side says, I yield. When the muscle on this side says, I want to pull, the muscle on this side says, I yield. But if both these muscles are stubborn, this muscle says, I want to pull, and the muscle says, no, no, no, it's my turn to pull now. You go around with the hand like this. You don't even think about it. But the joint is working so wonderfully. Think of a husband and wife work like this. You want to pull? I'm ready to yield. You want to pull? I yield. But when there's noise, you know whenever there's noise, it means arthritis. It's called arthritis. There's a lot of arthritis in many families. They move, but it's a pretty painful movement. Even in a church, it shouldn't be like that. That which every joint supplies. You know how many joints there are in the fingers? So many. All joints, but no sound. Perfect. This is why the church is called the body of Christ. Israel was never called by that name. Because they could never be this. Why? Because they did not have the Holy Spirit. Only one prophet had the Spirit upon him. Today, every one of us can have the Holy Spirit, which brings the life of Jesus into us. And when the life of Jesus flows, it connects us to the head, Christ. We function perfectly. You know why these things are working together? It's not because they're very intelligent. They are both obeying the head. The head tells this muscle, pull. And the head tells the other muscle, yield. And then the head tells this muscle, pull. And the head tells this muscle, yield. And they're obeying immediately. Think of someone playing a keyboard. Head is saying, come on, play. They're all working so perfectly. It looks so effortless, but everything is an order from the head. Instantaneous obedience. That's how someone plays the keyboard. This is why the church is called the body of Christ. Is your church functioning like this? Is your home functioning like this? You see how the devil is blinded? ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/m0g2V9v6P3k.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/zac-poonen/clip-why-has-god-allowed-so-many-doctrinal-differences-in-the-church/ ========================================================================