Over 3 years ago, God started to speak to me deeply on the great sin of division, slander, and gossip in the body of Christ. God started to have me in situations where great hurt was being done and I saw first hand the way the enemy used these tactics to destroy and hurt the testimony of Jesus Christ in others lives. One of many devotional articles I wrote during that time was called: God's Church Is Sacred In This Earth. The premise of the devotion was a warning that when we speak against the body of Christ we speak against God's Sacred Church of whom we are all a part.

Recently, God spoke to Francis Chan on that exact same verse (1 Corinthians 3:17) to give us a loving warning to the body of Christ against division.

Here is a recent statement Francis made in regards to people who divide and leave Church fellowship:

"There is this terrifying verse in 1 Timothy where Paul talked about two men who rejected the faith. Paul said that he had handed them over to Satan, by which he meant that he’d put them outside of the church (1:20). Basically, these men were actively opposing the works of God, so rather than pretending everything was fine, Paul removed them from the safety and blessings of the fellowship of believers. He was hoping that the misery of being separated from the church would lead them to repent. Are you catching the weight of this? Paul equated removal from the church with being handed over to Satan! It is crazy to me that we live in a time when people are voluntarily doing this to themselves! No church has placed them outside of the fellowship; instead, they’ve handed themselves over to Satan!"

What a sobering thought that those in our day in North America being critical of so much that is called Christian are doing to themselves what Paul the Apostle had to recommend Timothy to do to others as a last resort to have them repent of their pride and sins.

We are living in a day where we are judging others and not ourselves. We are finding it easy to be critical of everything but our own sins we ourselves struggle with.

Francis again shares on how God wants to send real unity to the body of Christ:

"Real love, unity and blessing were supposed to be found in the church. Many are having a hard time finding that, so they’re setting off on their own. Jesus said that the world would see the supernatural unity and love we share in the church and believe in Him through that. But we’re not experiencing it. We’ve given up on it. We no longer believe it is possible."

Perhaps we can start to change our minds and start looking towards others with seeing their good and not bad, speaking blessings over others and not curses. Remember we are fitted together in a temple of God with all saints of all ages. And Francis gives the example of someone taking a sledgehammer to this temple. What a fearful thing to do, of course we would depart from such an individual for fear of what God Himself would do to him. As the Scripture says, "Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them" (Titus 3:10).

You can watch the full video message by Francis Chan, "Are You Destroying The Church" where he gives this loving warning against division in the Church: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJph3Z6cfxM

I participated in a summer Bible study reading this book, and both the study was great and the reading was enlightening. The study itself was excellent, because it really helps to have other people to talk to about what's going on and how it impacts me through my identity as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Chan hasn't set out to write a book about Christian theology. Instead, he seeks to probe at the heart of the reader and ask them to search their heart and decide if their life truly shows the love they profess for God. And what does that mean, anyway? When did Following Jesus become a "ticking the boxes" or "going through the motions" exercise, instead of the manifestation of a genuine love relationship with the Savior?

This isn't always the most comfortable book to read. At times, I felt as though I couldn't live up to a standard that radical love for God seems to set. The truth is, I will always fail at that, in my own strength. Good news is God provides the resources for me to live a live of supernatural love. However, that wasn't the point of this book, and Chan clearly states that. Instead, he encourages the reader to seek out a daily, open relationship with God, and to let that impact every part of their life.

I take from this book, that being 'safe' in my walk with God doesn't represent the full dimensions of what being a believer in Jesus can bring to my life. I also ask myself what does my love for Jesus inspire me to do today and how can I tap into that love relationship with him. And from that flows the behavior that reflects my Savior.

Yeah, this is a sucky review. I know it. I'm glad that God loves me even though I don't get it right, most of the time.