The beatings will continue until moral improves-Reformation

Mark 9: 38-40

38John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” 39But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. 40“For he who is not against us is for us. 41“For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.

 The reformation is a personal topic to me, for several reasons.  The first of which is because I am a convert, and if you trace my lineage back you’ll find on one side of my family that we came to America as Quakers and our names can be found on the first Quaker church in Philadelphia. My family was a small part of the reformation.   The second is that because I have converted, people who loved me now shun me as they believe I have gone in league with the literal devil.  Nothing could be further from the truth, of course, but it’s caused me to have to love God and be more obedient to him than I am to those people who shun me.  It’s not as easy as it sounds when you don’t have much in the way of a family or support system, but obedience to my call-comfortable or not-has to be more important because Jesus said in Matthew 10: 36-38 that we are to love God more than we love the members of our own house.  That means we need to be obedient to His call more than the opinions of others.  Not always easy or comfortable, but needed if we are to live a Holy life.  All that in mind, the reformation and church divides are deeply personal to me. 

As I contemplated writing this, the above bible verse came to mind.  Before we explore it let’s talk numbers.  Right now, as you read this there are at least 50 types of “Independent Catholic” sects.  Those are groups that identify themselves as Catholic, with some kind of twist.  These are not recognized as Catholics by the Catholic church but they consider themselves practicing Catholics.  There are twenty four Eastern Rite Catholic churches, who are recognized by the Pope, but have their own leader.  They are in communion with the Roman Church, but that hasn’t always been the case.  There has been schism between the Roman and Eastern Churches before.   There are 22,000 independent Christian sects and 9,000 protestant sects give or take.  In other words, the church is shattered.  But it’s not enough that it’s shattered, we have to fight and judge each other and keep shattering.  It’s happening now even in the Roman church, where people are infighting and talking of schism.  All of it reminds me of the few concise words the Apostles speak in the first verse of my scripture reading, “There are people preaching in your name and we tried to stop them.”  The tremendous ego of the apostles cracks me up in that simple phrase.  I imagine a bunch of ticked off men pouting that only they were allowed to talk about Jesus.  It’s one of those moments that if you read it you can’t doubt that scripture was written by men with divine inspiration, because if I was an apostle I’d have been tempted to write myself a little less arrogant in that moment, but no they are Adam naked and very real. 

The problem with the shattering is that as Jesus said in Mark 3:24-25 that a house divided against itself cannot stand.  We have seen 500 years of that proof as a few factions became many became what we have today in the tens of thousands of shattered pieces.  I’ve seen and experienced a protestant church split over some problem or what amounts to a tiny doctrinal issue.  Half the church goes one way, the other founds another kind of church.  We are straining gnats out of the milk of the Gospel and swallowing entire herds of camels, and if we boil it down to the most essential reason it happens because we (individual or in small collectives) can’t imagine that anyone else might be more knowledgeable or authority than we are/do.  We are the ultimate authority over whatever matter we are wrapped around the axel about, which can be categorized as….rebellion.  Rebellion is an insidious sin, because we oft times don’t see it as that, we merely see ourselves as invincibly correct. 

Scary stuff, especially if you consider that Mark 9: 42 Jesus says, ⁴² “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”  So if we think we are right, and convince others we are too and they follow us we are going to be held accountable. 

I imagine Jesus knew this time was coming though because we are human, and even the men who got to walk with him directly did the same thing we are doing to each other today.  He tells us in Mark 9: 39-41 how to handle it all, and it’s no different than he tells us how to handle each other in general, because He understands something we humans don’t seem to be able to grasp-that is that you can’t fix a glass with a hammer.  So the truth is, if they are for Jesus then they are not against us, and if they aren’t against us why are we fighting them?  When we live our faith, our truth, and do so in love of God first and to act as God’s hands in the world as we are supposed to, then the truth of God attends to itself.  It is then we become obedient witnesses to others, whether they are believers or not.  We can’t keep living the “Beatings will continue until moral improves” philosophy and expect to put the glass back together. 

Now, for my protestant brothers and sisters, who believe church unity, or one unified Christian church is the vehicle for the apocalypse and the beasts religion, let me explain something.  The enemies church isn’t going to talk about Jesus, or contrition, or grace, or agape love, or serving God by serving one another.  That church is going to preach the gospel of self, of us not needing God, of pleasure above servitude, of self-determination, and that there is no truth beyond what we create.    Summed up the foundation of that “church” system will be laid on the concept of “Do as thou wilt.”  That should sound familiar to everyone with an eye to see, as it is the pervading darkness that is creeping over the world as we waste time fighting each other. 

It’s time to call for healing.  It’s time to draw together as the Bride we are meant to be.  We cannot change what happened 500 years ago, and we can’t fix it with the same thinking we used to create the fracture.  It’s time to pray for a renewal of unity to drive out the encroaching darkness.

Just some food for thought and prayer…

Heavenly Father, you asked us to Love each other as you loved us, and we have failed.  I ask for your forgiveness for my part in that, and guidance in how to be the light the world needs for your glory and the good of all your Holy Church.  In Jesus name, Amen! 

Here I am, Lord, send me!

Lisa Brandel