Thursday, May 19, 2022
There
are rules which govern mathematics. For
instance, for an equation to be valid, or true, both values on either side of
the “equal sign” must be equal.
1 + 1 =
2
No
matter how many times you do this problem, adding two ones will always equal two! Because of this rule (and others too numerous
and increasingly complicated – much too complicated for my brain) division and
multiplication are inextricably related.
To do one is to mirror the other.
An example:
2 x 2
= 4 mirrors 4 ÷ 2 =
2
What
does this have to do with the Kingdom of God here on earth? Everything.
In the case of Paul and Barnabas, God divided their opinion about Mark
in order to multiply their missionary impact.
It is a
common understanding that an argument in church is counter-Christian in
nature. However, that is a far cry from
a matter of differing opinion about which way to do something. The rules governing truth require us to
recognize that two contradictory opinions cannot both be right. Therfore, there only three possible outcomes,
relative to truth:
1. Party A is right, Party B is wrong
2. Party A is wrong, Party B is right
3. Party A and B are both wrong.
It is
never a matter of victor over loser in God’s Kingdom, but humility to
understand God does math more perfectly than human wisdom. Sometimes He uses the division of thought between
believers to create multiplication of His plans for spreading the love He has
for us. It was this way with Paul and
Barnabas’ dispute over the usefulness of John Mark on the next road trip. Instead of one missionary team of three
(Paul, Barnabas & John Mark), God had two missionary teams of two each,
adding the usefulness of Silas to the mix.
I
cannot recall how many times I’ve been asked the question about why so many different denominations and doctrines, preacher? My stock answer has become: Sisters and
Brothers…it’s God-math!
For You Today
In my journey, God
took a rebellious teen, who was raised in a northern Congregational church, and
later joined a Methodist tribe, moved to a non-denominational fellowship, then
moved to the South (Florida) and joined a Southern Baptist church, studied in a
Southern Baptist seminary, to pastor Southern Baptist churches, only to wind-up
in the United Methodist tribe.
Now, if you can use
a calculator and press the right buttons to figure out what God was
accomplishing, you’re on a higher pay grade than I. But remember, just like God’s Word never
returns to him void of the accomplishment He plans[1],
so it is with what He does with our days and movements.
[1] Title image: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
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