"The Schism"

 "There was a division therefore again among the for these sayings." (John 10:19 KJV)

  ""I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against - or two in favor and three against."" (Luke 12:49-52 NLT)

 We must understand what peace it was that Jesus brings, because peace with the world is not what we should be looking for! We get to have peace with God! Peace because the guilt is gone, and we have been justified and made holy in the eyes of our Heavenly Father! 

 I had sushi with a friend of mine yesterday, as we shared some nuggets of inspiration among one another, while partaking in some raw fish. I was reminded about the night I dealt with the verse from John 5:11, when the lame man Jesus healed was scolded for carrying his mat in the Temple on the Sabbath. If you were following what I discovered, you might recall that the man's reply did not include the main command that Jesus gave: "Stand!" 

 I shared with my friend the ordeal that led up to the moment of discovery, and how it was that I stood over my wife, reading the same portion of Scripture, again and again, getting more and more excited to see what it was that I was missing. I was so intent on finding what it was I was missing, that I began to read loader and slower, as my wife stared at me as if there was really something very important going on; she even had a look of either fear or amazement. 

 When I finally saw it, that's when the spiritual battle began to intensify. Something I did not get a chance to share with my friend; mostly because I did not want to scare him, as he might have thought that I lost my mind. 

 Yesterday, I was reminded again that every word that God speaks must not be added to or taken from; we must not change His word to suit our desires or wants; and we should never take away from the main point of what or why He says something. Including the order, it is said, the principle it represents, the condition that follows, or the purpose, small or great, that is behind it! 

 The thing that reminded me of that was a brief message I heard, where someone was quoting Jesus as He calmed the sea, and they said, "Jesus said, 'Be Still,' and the sea became still." As I heard him say that the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I realized the quote was not correct. Jesus actually said, "Peace, be still." 

 If you know the situation that was going on and where it was that Jesus was taking the ship, then you should also understand the reason for the storm, because it was intended to stop them. Which, if you are paying attention, "peace," was not just a slogan or a word of comfort, it was a command! The 'peace' was for the powers of darkness to cease, the 'be still' was for the winds and the sea. 

 Anywho! This simple little verse, often repeated over and over, reminds us that not everyone hears the message the same; and if they do listen to the same message correctly, they will not have the same reaction to what they have heard. No matter how clearly the message is spoken, the point will not always produce the same result...

"Paul realized that some members of the high council were Sadducees and some were Pharisees, so he shouted, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were my ancestors! And I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead." This divided the council - the Pharisees against the Sadducees - for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these. So there was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees jumped up and began to argue forcefully. "We see nothing wrong with him," they shouted. "Perhaps a spirit or an angel spoke to him." As the conflict grew more violent, the commander was afraid they would tear Paul apart. So he ordered his soldiers to go and rescue him be force and take him back to the fortress." (Acts 23:6-10 NLT)