Diabolical - Agenda #1 - Divide and Conquer, Part 2

You've probably heard God has a wonderful plan for your life. Well, did you know that Satan has a plan for your life as well? That's right, Satan's plan has three easy steps. He wants to kill, steal, and destroy everything you love and cherish, and he will stop at nothing to accomplish his agenda.

The good news is we know his tactics and his methods. Today I'll help you learn how to protect yourself from his diabolical plan and keep you from falling prey to his schemes. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. I'm Dave Drouin, and Chip's our Bible teacher for this international discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like Christians. On this program, Chip continues his series, Diabolical, Satan's Agenda for Planet Earth, including you, by sharing ways the disciples in Acts chapter 6 defended themselves from Satan's schemes and how you can too. But just before we get started, let me encourage you to download Chip's free message notes from livingontheedge.org. This resource contains Chip's outline, scripture references, and much more.

His notes will help you take what you're about to hear and apply it to your everyday life. Well, now here's Chip for part two of his message, Divide and Conquer, from Acts chapter 6. To understand really what's going on here, the early church is thoroughly Jewish at this point. And in Jewish culture, every Friday morning they would go out two by two to the market, people who sold at the market, and home to home, and they would ask for donations for the poor for that day. They would then go to the outer court and there would be, it says waiting on tables, don't think of them like, you know, at a restaurant. There were these tables. And the apostles were at these tables, different groups would go around, and then they would bring food and some money. And if you were desperate, people didn't get paid by the month. People got paid for that day's work. So some people came at the end of the day, they didn't have any money, didn't have any food for tomorrow.

And so they would come and they could get a meal or some money right then, or if you were a widow, I mean there's no social systems whatsoever, you would get 14 meals that would give you two meals a day for the next seven days. And so it was the oversight of this that the apostles were doing along, so it's a pretty operational strong job. So they step back and delegate that and they get to the core issue which was how do we stay on track, let's not allow these differences where they're starting to blame one another. This could have divided and ruined the church. Notice also here that the cure is new wine demands new wineskins. The presenting problem is, hey, these widows aren't getting enough food. The disciples response is our goal has to remain the same.

We can't allow the differences to divide us. So leaders step back, re-evaluate roles and priorities to make sure the needs get met. Now one of the things you got to remember about how this would play out though is let's just take this and let's say there's a lady even in that day, to live in your 80s at that day would be tremendous, and let's just say there's a widow named Gladys. And let's say the church will just, you know, it's probably been three or four months and Gladys she came, you know, got her 14 meals and every time she came, she came to Peter's table because he's such a nice young man now and she really likes Peter. You know, he used to be a loudmouth and he used to be a little impulsive and his life's really changed and so Gladys is used to coming up and getting food from Peter and, oh, he's such a nice young man, he reminds me of my son, you know, my grandson actually, but. And then she comes the next day and it's Stephen and she goes, hey, where's Peter? Well, he's praying and working on some passages, you know, we got a movement to take the entire world and that's kind of his responsibility. I want Peter to give me my food.

It's not good food and Peter, if he really cared and loved me, he would be here doing this. Now, you understand when you change priorities, the ripple effects, if people don't see the big picture. In fact, what you see in this passage is in the first half of this passage, you see differences that could have divided and you get wise leadership and we'll talk about our practical application in a minute. In the second half of the passage, you'll notice now that Stephen, it's more than these guys just waiting on tables, you basically have part of Judaism having a worship service in Hebrew, another part of Judaism having a worship service in Greek. But now this group is giving oversight and as they're giving oversight, Stephen now begins to have ministry more than just this. In fact, pick it up in verse 8 and you're going to see that something happens but the division and the desire and the differences get people doing some very, very ungodly things.

Watch how the enemy gets into this. Now Stephen, verse 8, a man full of God's grace and power did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the synagogue of the Freedmen, as it was called. They were Jews from Cyrene and Alexandria as well as men of the providence of Cilicia and Asia. So these are these Greek-speaking people who've come into town. Stephen is one of them.

He's doing these amazing miracles. He's authenticating that Christ is the Messiah. These men began to argue with Stephen but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the spirit by which he spoke. And so they're saying, wait a second, Stephen, what are you talking about?

You can't change anything about the law. And Stephen would say, no, Christ fulfilled the law. Well, what about the temple? And Stephen would say, no, yeah, we had a temple and that was a former day and this temple is important but we are now the temple of God. And so Stephen is applying all that Jesus said and is causing this huge division. And every time he speaks, they attack and he just goes back and says, well, doesn't this Old Testament passage say that?

And they can't refute it. But see, here's what happens. When change or growth begins to mess with your world and my world, there's certain traditions and habits that keep us comfortable and sometimes we don't want any truth. And we don't want the change in the implications of truth.

And the enemy gets in and instead of it being different or I need to grow, the enemy gets in and says, you know what, you got to take that person out. And so notice what happens. Then they secretly persuaded, now these are Jews. They know the commandments.

These are people that we love God, we honor God, Yahweh, you know. So they secretly persuade people to speak against him and say that Stephen has been speaking words of blasphemy against Moses and against God. So then they stirred up the people.

Notice division. And the elders and the teachers of the law and they see Stephen and they brought him before the Sanhedrin, which is the ruling council of the Jews. And they produced false witnesses who testified, this fellow never stopped speaking against this holy place and against the law for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs of Moses handed down to us. And they've taken some truths and just tilted it in such a way.

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looking intently at Stephen and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. First part of the chapter, differences, potential division, wisdom, the church continues to grow, roles change, paradigms change, people understand we need to stay on track. Our differences aren't wrong. It's just a different day.

I need to be flexible. I need to respond. I need to hear God's voice. The second group, just the opposite. The change threatens their power, threatens their security. Well, let's talk about you and me.

So where do we go from here? What are specific ways that principles that we can apply because this division to conquer, he wants to ruin your marriage. If you're a single person and dating someone or you're a single person and you have some really good friends, he wants to ruin your friendships. A little miscommunication here, less communication here and a text here and a voicemail there. Oh, I think she meant that. She said that.

I don't. He wants to destroy you. You need to understand that agenda is flowing towards you 24 seven. So here's some practical principles at the first signs of disunity. Number one, don't be defensive. Listen objectively.

I love the apostles. I mean, they could have said, wait a second, we saw him rise from the dead. Don't you worry about these widows? We'll take care of this. And instead it was, listen, maybe there's an issue we don't understand. We're overwhelmed right now.

We can't meet all the needs. They listened objectively. If you have any sense of division, if you have any resentment, if there's someone that you're not getting along with, just let's stop. And before you blame and shame and it's all them, just, just, just listen. Second, get to the core issue and refuse to blame. Get to the core issue. The issue was not the widows. The issue was the system was broken. The unmet needs wasn't because someone was trying to do something intentionally wrong, but that's what they were thinking, right? It wasn't that they missed your phone call. It wasn't that, you know, they married you and then tried to make your life miserable, right?

Get to the core issues. I mean, it's crazy. I mean, I mean, you get attracted and you find that you're living with this person you thought would be really, really wonderful and then you find they do like really what you think is stupid stuff like the toilet paper is to go this way, not that way. And then you come in and the toothpaste is squeezed from the middle and you're going, man, what's with her? I told her seven times, it's from the bottom and you wind it up because it's wasteful. Ooh, I sleep on this side of bed. Well, I want to sleep on this side of bed. I want it to be 70 degrees at night. You know, that's too much energy.

It's got to be 62. And it starts with stuff like that. And then it's pretty soon of your parents are this way and mine are that way. Well, you spent money over here. Well, anybody could wear that many pair of shoes. I can play golf now.

Bing bong, bing bong, right? Those are symptoms. Those are never the problems. In churches, it's the same. What there's differences. You have to learn to communicate. You got to step back and say, well, wait a second. What's the core issue here? What's the disconnect?

What's the value? What's it mean to love one another? In churches, it's never about we should have handles instead of slides. We should have organs and stained glasses and electric guitars.

Those aren't the issues. Everyone should have a key. No one should have a key. We should use this room instead of that room. Why are they kicking us out of this room?

All of those are symptoms. Differences provide in an environment of rapid change and growth, an opportunity for division to occur in the most subtle of ways. And we feel justified and self-righteous in speaking evil of others and blaming others. And it divides marriages. And it breaks up friendships. And it ruins small groups. And it goes on Facebook.

And we text it to one another. And we have no idea that, yeah, hahahaha. It's diabolical. And Satan gets his agenda done.

And no one's thinking about demons or evil or the exorcist. He doesn't need to. He's got us pushing his agenda. You got to get to the core issue. Third, seek outside help.

There's a third alternative. The disciples said, you know what? We're all Hebrew Jewish boys.

We got a Hellenistic speaking problem. Why don't we get the seven wisest, most godly, smartest, Hellenistic, Greek speaking Jews and ask them what we ought to do and how to do it? And then why don't we delegate it? And why don't we stay in what only we can do and address this issue that way? There was a third alternative. It wasn't feed them more or do them less. It was it's time to change the paradigm.

The new wine demands new wine skins. We got to change. Truth never changes.

Methods, roles always change. And so for some of you, you know what? You've been banging on each other. There's a third alternative. It's not you're right or she's right. Go to a quality Christian counselor and sit down and get the issues on the table and get down to the core. There's a third alternative. You know, in a friendship, you know, find a good friend that you both trust and sit down and stop sending stuff to people and stop talking to other people and go directly to them with a humble heart, not blaming, not defensive and say, I know we're brothers or we're sisters or whatever in Christ and God wants unity and we don't have it. What do we need to do?

Get outside help. It's a third alternative. We all don't have to worship the same. We all don't have to have the same style. We don't have to like the same music, but we have to allegiance to Christ and those coming to Christ and those who come to Christ mature and those are mature, loving and caring for people.

The fourth is be flexible, except roles and priorities will always change in healthy growing environments. Our elderly lady, Gladys, who likes to get her stuff from Peter just needs to know, you know something? God's agenda is bigger and more important than her personal preference. And by the way, we all have to do that all the time. You got to do that with friends.

You got to do that in a small group. You got to do that in your marriage. Have you ever stopped to ask, what is God's agenda in this conflict that I'm having in my marriage? What is God's agenda in this conflict that we're having in the small group?

What is God's agenda in these parts of this Ingram guy and he's just doing some stuff and one week I like him and the next I just hate him. But I can't say that because it's so ungodly. So I just email sort of these passive aggressive little things to other people and tell them, I'm not sure this is really where we ought to... We're not all going to agree on everything. We're just different. And a lot of this isn't right or wrong. But we got to be flexible. We can accept, you know, every season roles change, priorities change, things are going to be different. When things are growing, they're alive.

When they stop growing and they're the way we like them all the time, here's what you need to know. You're dying. Fifth, refuse to fear. Change means different, not wrong. See the disciples, they weren't afraid of the conflict. Here's the deal, it's normal. Conflict is not even bad.

It's just normal. But the synagogue of the free man, they were afraid. They were afraid of the power. They were afraid of the shift. They were afraid that their roles and their way was going to get changed. And so it produced some very, very negative, unhealthy, ungodly behavior. Finally, beware our perceived loss of control and power makes us vulnerable to divisive words and behavior.

I mean, they lost power, didn't they? And pretty soon, they're followers of God and they're getting false witnesses. They're followers of God and they're making up stories. Have any of us ever done that? Any of us ever made up stories about how it's going, you know, with the relationship or how it's going in a marriage or kind of, you know, we talk with one another.

I'm always amazed. I do a lot of studying in coffee shops and I do not try and listen to people but some of them just talk so loud. And I mean, you ought to try this sometime. I don't know if I should say that but maybe not on purpose listen. And just like ask yourself of the five conversations that I heard, was there even one where two people weren't talking about someone else that didn't measure up to their expectations or did something to them? I studied for about three hours in the Starbucks around the corner and, you know, people here, people here, people there and, you know, I was there for two hours so they rotate, you know, new group came. And I just, and I'm studying this.

I mean, you know what, my dad-in-law, I just don't know what she's thinking about and that boyfriend living and I just, you know, she has no respect for me. You know, I don't know. My supervisor, I tell you what, this whole job, I mean, it was just like, and I just wonder if Satan isn't laughing and dividing. And here's what scares me. I know when I've been faced with differences and when I've been wounded and when I don't like the change, I have been that person. And in sophisticated ways with an occasional Bible verse wrapped inside of it, I have made other people look bad. I had a season of my life where I thought my view was the truth and I was convinced. It was such a disease in my life earlier I actually wrote on a card, my perspective of this situation is not necessarily the truth. It's simply my perspective.

It may or may not have anything to do with reality and I read it over and over and over and over. So when something comes to me or a person comes to me or I look at something, I can just be at least try and be like the disciples and step back and say, no, wait a second because my immediate reaction is that's dumb, that's ungodly, this is the way it is, they shouldn't do that. And I've responded in that way at times only to find out I didn't have all the facts.

That as objective as I think I am, I'm not. I actually come from a background and a language and a set of values and I look at things like this and sometimes they're not like this, they're like this. And what I know when there's conflict and differences and division emerging whether it's in my marriage or with a close friend or with a group of elders or with a staff member or with someone out on a basketball court, what I know is that whatever I'm feeling that makes me want to blame and divide is Satan's at work and I need to realize, you know what, this is how I see it but how I see it isn't necessarily reality or true. And so I don't want to be defensive and I don't want to blame and I want to ask some questions and with humility I'm going to say our unity matters more than me getting things the way I think they ought to be and I ask what's God's agenda? Some of you need to probably go to a counselor and get some of those differences on the table. Some of you may walk out of here and say you know something, I've never thought of myself being divisive but I talk about other people all the time and I complain and I grumble and I mean I do it in very sophisticated ways that when something comes out of your mouth or my mouth and when we're done someone looks at the person we're talking to less than when we opened our mouth, it's divisive. It can be slanderous, it can be gossip and you can take that and go to the front of your notes and write it in the box that says diabolical because that's what God thinks of it. You think there's a reason why there's 575,000 different denominations?

I don't know how many there are, I just made that up. Every time someone gets wounded we'll start our own group, we'll start our own group, we'll start our own group, we'll start our own group. Could it be that the real issue of the vision that we talked about of a powerful supernatural work, the problem isn't out there, the problem isn't the hardened hearts of this secular community, could it be the lack of unity and the acceptance of what I would call moderate disunity that we live with and a sense of superiority of those that are outside of Christ or different than us, could it be that that very thing is what holds and limits the power of the Holy Spirit to pour out blessing through us and transform this place the way He has done in the past? And that maybe the next step isn't the big thing out there, it's the first thing in here. And every single one of us saying, boy do I need to apologize to someone? I can tell this person, there's coldness between us, do I need to ask someone, are things right between us?

Is there an issue we need to deal with? And just say God, my perspective, I have no idea whether it's right, true, wrong, here's what I know, there's agreeing to disagree and coming together around unity and forgiving even what you don't understand is way, way better than allowing any kind of disunity that you know, that is Satan's agenda, divide and conquer. I had one of the sweetest moments with God and another human being that I ever had here about three months ago. I had a very divisive, painful, I could give you pages and pages and pages of me feeling how I was wronged in many ways with this individual. And I think he could have had a list equally of me. And I took years to thank God, pray for Him, I'm practicing being a Romans 12 Christian and doing all that. And I happened to be doing something in a city where I knew he was. And early in the morning, God prompted me, why don't you call him and ask him if he wants to have lunch? Oh Lord, you know, I've already forgiven him, I just don't wanna be around him, you know, and I've forgiven him and you know, well, Chip, this is sort of not a negotiable, you know, I'm not giving suggestions.

I want you to understand that unity really matters to me. And I'd heard some good things about him that I actually rejoiced so I know I'd really forgiven him. And we sat in another city for two hours and I had lunch with a man and we both came to a point of tears where he looked at me and I never thought I'd hear this. He goes, Chip, I am so sorry, I don't know what happened. I really don't even know what happened.

And I don't even know what I was thinking. But man, it got ugly, didn't it? I said, it did. I said, John, same here. I know you're a godly man, I know you love God, you know. And we look at each other and we prayed together and then he asked about my family and I'll never forget walking out of there and getting in that car and driving back to the hotel and tears coming down my face thinking, we have a redemptive God. We have a forgiving God.

He can take the worst and pull it back together. And I thought, oh Jesus, that's your agenda. That's his agenda for your marriage and your small group and with your kids and with your friends and with a co-worker that doesn't even know Christ.

That's his agenda. It takes power, but you've got it because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. I sense the real need to take the very words of Jesus, his last prayer on the earth.

And it's interesting and I want you to lean back wherever you are and just listen as we've thought about how diabolical division is and what it does. This is what Jesus prayed for his disciples and this is what he prays today for you and for me. Holy Father, protect them by thy power of your name, the name that you gave me, so they may be one even as we are one. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message that they, all of them, may be one. Father, even as you are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me that they may be one even as we are one. I in them and you in me, may they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Do you hear what Jesus is praying? Now let me ask you what relationship, what situation, what person in your life is there a need for repair? There's bitterness, there's unforgiveness, there's disunity, there's resentment. Where is unity being threatened?

Where is division occurring? Today, I want you to identify that one person in your life and then I want you to ask God to give you the grace and the power to say, I will not allow the enemy's agenda to kill and to steal and to destroy through division. Own whatever part you need to own. Ask God to forgive you. Ask Him to help you to be humble. As I shared, I went through a very difficult time having to own up to my part of a very hard situation. Ask Him to give you that grace and then ask Him to give you the courage to do whatever it takes, as far as it depends on you, to bring about unity.

Father, I pray in Jesus' name that right now you bring people to the minds of those that are listening and that you would give them courage and faith and grace to take steps that repair, that unite, that the world may know that you sent your Son Jesus. Amen. That's a great word, Chip.

Thanks. Well, you are listening to Living on the Edge and this message, Divide and Conquer, is from Chip series Diabolical, Satan's Agenda for Planet Earth, Including You. Many Christians are naive to Satan's schemes and head into their day-to-day lives unprepared and unprotected. But in reality, Satan does his best work in subtle ways, an unassuming attraction, a little doubt here, a little cynicism there, or a calendar loaded down with religious activity. These are dangerous and effective ploys, and we're all vulnerable because we're all targets of Satan's agenda. Chip's heart for this series is to open your eyes to the devil's truly diabolical plots, both confrontational and unseen. As you listen to this series, we hope you'll feel properly equipped to defend yourself and your family. For all the series information and resources for Diabolical, visit livingontheedge.org or call 888-333-6003. That's livingontheedge.org or call 888-333-6003.

App listeners tap special offers. Well, Chip, the story you told about reconciling with your friend was such a powerful reminder of why unity is important. And what's key about unity is that it empowers us to get over ourselves and start serving, whether it's in our family or even in places we would never expect. Yeah, Dave, have you ever listened to someone talk about helping a pastor in another country? I mean, maybe a very poor country like India or a pastor in China with all the restrictions, or, you know, maybe in the Middle East and Iran or Iraq, and you thought, I wish I could go. I mean, I wish I could go and help that pastor or help the people in that church.

But it's just impossible. It's a restricted country or, you know, with your job, your life, your family, you can't go. Well, what I want you to know is that as you both listen to Living on the Edge and as you give to Living on the Edge, you're actually going. One of the most amazing things that has happened in the last five years is this extension of Living on the Edge all across the globe, but especially to pastors.

I've been to China seven times in the last four or five years. We do things in the Middle East. I've met with people in Yemen and sat across the table from people who there's a contract out on their life. I want you to know that as you give to Living on the Edge, God has taken what we're doing to pastors and to people that are hurting and literally giving them God's Word and strength and encouragement. During the crisis of COVID, I'll never forget being on a call, a Zoom call, and they asked me to speak and there were 300 cities from India going through all the horrendous things that you see on the news. And they said, we need help. We need encouragement.

And so I met with those people and did webinars and seminars and then we translated it into 16 languages. If you care about the world, about those that are hurting, as you give to Living on the Edge, it's being extended here and all across the globe. Thank you so much for all of you who've given so sacrificially. And thank you to those of you that say, I'd like to get in on that. You can do it now.

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Thank you for praying and doing whatever the Lord leads you to do. You know, a great way to stay engaged and connected to Chip and Living on the Edge is with the Chip Ingram app. You'll get free access to all of Chip's recent messages, his message notes, and much more.

Not only that, but it couldn't be easier to call or email directly from the app. We'll be with us again next time when Chip continues his series, Diabolical. Until then, this is Dave Drouie saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge.