Listening to pastors and other believers attack one another in discussions about effective ministry. Nearly every pastor I know (including myself), and thousands that I don’t know, have felt the excruciating pain of divisiveness and loss in their body over Covid and masks. It makes no difference what position the church or Pastors/Elders take, other leaders and a small contingency of each congregation vehemently and passionately disagree.
The greatest attack I’ve personally observed by the enemy (the world, the flesh and the devil) on the oneness and unity of the body of Christ and therefore on the potency and effectiveness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (according to John 17) has been the divisiveness over Covid 19 and mask mandates. The church has endured the carnal infiltration of me-centered, self-indulgent and idolatrous behavior from time to time but never in my lifetime have I observed such divisiveness in bodies of professing believers.
Differing opinions and perspectives are normal, even healthy. Even the greatest marriages have them. But we hear one another out, we talk it out and we work it out…together. But the current loveless stalemates of divisiveness and judgment among professing believers is grievous and shameful.
Believer, If God‘s Spirit cannot harmoniously unite you and your church over something like this in spite of your personal opinions, how does the church have any hope to share something as seriously eternal as the power of HIS death and resurrection for forgiveness, repentance, redemption, reconciliation and restoration as God‘s workmanship created in Christ Jesus?
If we cannot be gracious and loving toward each other in this manner, how DARE we call ourselves followers of the ways of Jesus? You have to love humanity enough to allow people who completely disagree with you to have value, in your opinion.
Minimizing me...making much of Jesus 