Hidden Treasure: Things That Separate

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4 days ago
13 min read

David wrote in Psalm 119:162, “I rejoice at your Word as one who finds great treasure.” The Scripture is full of treasures, and our “treasure” for this post is found in Romans 15:1-2 where we read, “We who are strong, ought to bear with the feelings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors, for their good to build them up.” Please our neighbors? I don’t even know most of my neighbors. Why should I please them? Perhaps this phrase, “please our neighbors” doesn’t mean what we think it does.

Pleasing our Neighbors

In researching the Greek word that Paul uses, we find that this verb primarily conveys being pleasing or agreeable. It also implies a positive, selfless desire to serve and honor others. That sounds a lot like having the character of Christ in us. Isn’t that something we should all want to do?

But that leads to another question: Who is our neighbor? Is it the family with whom I share my driveway? Or maybe it’s the people on the other side of my property? Maybe it’s the people across the street? I wave at them as I’m walking or leaving my driveway, but I don’t know their names. Is it all of them, or perhaps none of them? Or is Paul referring to someone else or something different altogether?

Who is My Neighbor?

An expert in the Law had the same question in Luke 10:29. Here the expert asked who was considered his neighbor, and Jesus responded with the story about the Good Samaritan. We know that story. A Jewish man had been ambushed, beaten, robbed, and left to die on side of the road. Three people saw the man lying there that day. Two of the men who saw him were people who regularly served in the Temple. The third person was a social outcast, a Samaritan who was looked down upon by the Jewish community.

We understand from the story that it was the Samaritan who tended to the needs of the injured man at his own expense. At the end of the story, Jesus asked the expert in the Law which of these three was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hand of the robbers. And the expert of the Law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” This story is found in Luke 10:25-37. The point that Jesus was making here is that our “neighbor” is anyone we meet or interact with. To whom, then, is Paul referring when he wrote these words to the folks in Rome, “Each of us should please our neighbors, for their good to build them up”? The answer remains – anyone we meet or interact with.

If we look back in Romans 14, Paul addresses a controversy that has arisen within the local gathering there. Rome, being a polyglot of cultures like Corinth, had several practicing religions in the city. Several of those religions had sacrificial offerings that were made in their temples. As a result, there were far more meat offerings than the priests could consume. So, the extra meat was being sold in the local markets at a discount.

The problem Paul had to address was that some of the Christian believers were buying that meat because it was cheaper, and others in the Church felt this was wrong because of where it came from. So, the Church in Rome was struggling with division over the issue. That brings us to the main topic of this post: What are the things that separate or bring division into the Church today?

Sources of Separation and Division

We’re talking about those ideas and practices that drive wedges between people. These are things that get in the way of our relationship with God and our relationship with our neighbors. This has been an issue ever since Creation. We see this problem with Satan, Adam, Cain, Saul, David, and with so many others throughout Scripture. We have all probably experienced this kind of separation or have witnessed these types of differences or ideological wedges that cause tension within the Church. Maybe you are experiencing it right now.

The point that Paul is making here is not about whether the meat in the market is allowed to be purchased by the Roman believers. The bigger point here is allowing non-essential matters – that is, things that are not essential to our salvation – to cause division within the Body of Christ. This was a social issue. It was something that was happening in the larger community, but it was something that some believers felt strongly about. It was an issue that had the potential to divide that young church.

Social Issues

The Church today is facing multiple issues that are just as dangerous. There are issues that possess the same devastating potential to damage our local gatherings and affect or negate our work and witness in the community. A lot has been happening in our nation recently and in the world as a whole. A lot of changes and challenges have been lobbed at us as believers, challenging our beliefs and convictions. Many believers have been coerced or forced to make hard choices and are struggling with the possible outcomes of those choices. What are some of the causes of separation that the Church as a whole and local congregations face right now?

Politics

For the past few years, a major cause of division or separation among believers has been politics. I am loath to even mention the word, but people in this nation have become polarized and separated by their political affiliation. They refuse to talk to one another. They demean and denigrate those who disagree with them, and that does not only refer to those who are non-believers. I am not going to dwell on this topic, but I will remind you that Jesus was not an American, nor was he caught up in the politics of his day. You can decide what that might mean for you personally.

Doctrinal Differences

Another major cause of separation in the Church today is what is known as doctrinal differences. Differences in what we consider essential doctrines give rise to disagreement which, in turn, give birth to new denominations and sects within Christianity. These doctrinal differences include methods of baptism, the operation and existence of spiritual gifts, the five-fold ministry, communion practices, beliefs about prayer and Christian living, and what qualifies as sin and what doesn’t. These have all become trigger points within the Body of Christ. They are hills that some people are willing to die on. These differences have caused much division within the Church.

Personal Beliefs and Opinions

Personal beliefs among groups of believers also cause separation within the Body of Christ. One group of Christians believe one thing and another group believe something else. Soon they cannot worship together any longer. Sometimes it’s personal opinions that separate us. These personal differences can cause individuals to feel disconnected, misunderstood, or unappreciated. Eventually, they feel the need to leave this assembly and find someplace with similar opinions to fellowship.

We all understand that each of us have our own personal preferences about how we like things to be done. There are certain beliefs that we prefer and certain practices that we feel more comfortable with or agree with. These common preferences enable us to continue to meet and fellowship together. But there are other times when our differences of opinion and our conflicting preferences and beliefs become too much. This is when we feel the need to separate.

The point here is that if we allow differences of doctrine, beliefs, opinions, and preferences to fester or to grow it will cause a division. When we refuse to listen, refuse to be flexible, or even consider a different opinion, it will lead to a separation, whether it’s merely leaving to find a different group with which fellowship or orchestrating a church split to get your own way and prove you were right.

Sometimes, if we are honest with ourselves, we are just jonesing for a fight. This a slang term that means to be looking for or craving something. In this case, it means itching for a fight or a squabble. It’s an opportunity to make our opinion known regardless of the harm it causes, the division that it creates, or the separation that ensues. The important thing is that my opinion is heard and that my point is made. We allow, if not encourage, separations to exist.

Separation in our Society

In our society today, we see many families experiencing separation. Parents separate and then agree to meet at a neutral location to hand off the kids for their weekly or monthly visitation. It used to be true that this was more common among non-believers, but the statistics show that it is just as common among believers today.

In addition to families separating from each other, churches experience frequent and permanent separations as well. An Internet search for the various churches in your area could be quite eye-opening. How many of the same denominational churches exist within your county or your city? How many different denominations or church groups are there in your community? What has caused the need for so many churches in one community? Likely it’s differences in doctrines, beliefs, opinions, and preferences, just to name a few.

Another example of how separation edges its way into our life is in our friendships. Long-standing, close friendships can drift apart and become separated as can the relationships we form with those we are considering spending the rest of our lives with. Time and circumstances take their toll. Feelings and emotions get out of hand. The strength of the relationship is tested, and sometimes separation is the only answer.

We see a lot of people being separated from their jobs right now. Industries, government agencies, and private enterprises alike are feeling the need to cut costs and manage their bottom line often at the expense of their employees. The affected workers are then led out of the building and locked out of their places of employment. Occupations and careers that should have been safe and secure are abruptly terminated.

Effects of Separation

These examples point to the fact that each of us is vulnerable to the possibility of separation from our families, churches, friendships, relationships, and our livelihoods. What are the effects or the results of the separation? What happens after those harsh words are spoken? What happens after we’ve had our say or had the boom lowered on us? What is the fallout from the differences and divisions we have allowed to grow?

For more than half of married couples, the result is usually divorce. It used to be the unspeakable word. Now, the word is bantered about freely. “Divorce” is a word that once spoken becomes a distinct possibility or even a reasonable solution. It has become an acceptable end for any disagreement that might arise or any rough patch that we might find ourselves in. For those with money in our society, a prenuptial agreement is drawn up before the wedding in preparation for the impending likelihood of separation. Divorce? Separation? No big deal! It happens to everyone these days. The important thing is to keep a careful accounting of grievances and assets. You’ll need it when the separation comes.

Separating is easy, acceptable, and often preferable. And we see the same thing happening in our churches. Earlier in this post, I posed the question about the number of various churches and religious groups that you have in your area. Why are there so many? Is it because we don’t have a large enough building? Is it because all the seats are full? Not likely. The fact of the matter is that most churches these days have plenty of seats and space to spare.

Just like marriages, church affiliation is easily entered into and easily separated from. Attitudes toward attendance and commitment have changed drastically over the past several decades. The prevailing opinion seem to be: “I’ll stay as long as I feel welcome or as long as I’m needed”; “I’ll stay as long as things go the way I like or as long as I’m not asked to change”; “Maybe I’ll stay as long as they play the right music or they don’t ask for money”; or “I’ll stay as long as the preaching is what I want to hear.”

In the fellowship of which I am a part, some controversy arose some years ago about the color of the chair upholstery and about the type of music that was being played for worship. Some people were concerned about how long the song service lasted and whether people should raise their hands and worship or not. That local fellowship has endured two painful splits within the past 20 years, and two new churches were formed as a result. The separations cost us a lot of good friends and negatively affected our reputation in the community.

What about those long-term friendships? Are they safe for this kind of separation? No, they are not. They are just as susceptible to differences of opinions, beliefs, politics, and doctrine. They are just as susceptible as any other relationship that we are involved in. Each of us can value our preferences, our opinions, and our beliefs over the importance and the value of the relationship. And when the separation comes, it leaves us feeling isolated and alone, wondering how this could possibly have happened. We are left questioning why it happened and pondering where do we go from here.

Long-Term Damage

The fallout from the turmoil of separation can leave relationships strained and make conversations difficult because trust has been broken. If it was a public skirmish, it could leave our reputation in tatters, our good name tarnished, and our honor questioned. It can cause people to look at us differently, more cautiously and warily. This is true for individuals, couples, and churches.

Perhaps the most direct effect of a separation episode is that we are left with an uncertain future. When everything has been said and done and when the dust settles from the battle, we look around at what is left. We ask ourselves and we ask God, “What do we do now? What is our next step? How do we move forward from here?” I know this is true. I have done it more than once in my fellowship.

What is Your Mission?

If we will stop and listen, God will remind us of our mission, which brings us back to Romans 15:1-2. Reading from the Phillips translation it says, “We who have strong faith ought to shoulder the burden of the doubts and qualms of others and not just to go our own sweet way. Our actions should mean the good of others – should help them to build up their characters.”

And what does that look like? It means we ought to be helping those around us. It means being aware of their needs and having a heart and a mind to assist. It means making a conscious and concerted effort to meet those needs. We need to support one another, especially those within our own local fellowship. After that, we look to the needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the community, and especially to those in our community with no other means of support.

We also need to encourage each other regularly as we face our individual challenges. Paul addresses this in I Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you were doing.” The believers in Thessalonica were experiencing constant persecution from their community leaders and neighbors. We have never experienced that here in America, but we are living through some very difficult days where the social and political issues of our nation have come to the forefront.

As believers, we are being forced to make choices, choose allegiances, and risk relationships we have held for years. Our society has become increasingly isolated and divided among racial and ideological lines. It’s every man for himself with very little concern for those around us. The economic divide within our culture continues to widen. The level of discontent is rising, and the economic outlook isn’t any too promising. With inflation on the rise and joblessness increasing, the safety net for those experiencing difficulty is getting smaller. For many in our nation and our neighborhoods, the future is rather uncertain at moment. The path stretching out before us does not have a clear outcome.

These are social issues very much like the ones Paul was addressing in Romans 15. The Voice Translation puts it this way, “So, now what? We who are strong are not just to satisfy our desires. We are called carry the weaknesses of those who are not strong. Each of us must strive to please our neighbors, pursuing their welfare so that they will become strong.” Who are our neighbors? Everyone around us, particularly those who are in need, just as Jesus said.

A Word of Encouragement

Father wants us to be encouraged today. Though our present circumstances may seem bleak, we still have a bright future ahead of us. Our future is in our heavenly home, in the presence of our God and Savior for all eternity. There will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more tears, and no more concern.

Instead of focusing on those things that separate us or cause pain, let us focus on the freedoms that we have in Christ. In Christ, we have been set free from fear and doubt. We have been set free from worry and despair. We’ve been set free from the power of sin and free from death and the grave. We need to focus on these things rather than on the difficulties we face or the actions of the enemy. We need to focus on the opportunities we have rather than the limitations we perceive. We must choose to focus on what unifies us as believers rather than fixating on our differences of opinion or on those things that cause separation and disunity.

Paul writes in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” This is a tall order, but it is what we have been called to. Living at peace with everyone is the act of bringing people together as opposed to creating or allowing division and separation. Inasmuch as it depends on each one of us, let us live at peace, let’s encourage peace, and let’s restore peace with everyone.

Closing

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) May God fill each one of us with peace and joy in every and through every circumstance that we find ourselves in. May we overflow with that same hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, overflowing into the lives of our families, our coworkers, our friends, and the media among us. May we remember that we are truly blessed beyond measure.

Blessings to you and yours!

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, The Voice Bible

Scripture quotations taken from The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips

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