Psalm 55

Psalms 55:12-14 (ESV)

[12] For it is not an enemy who taunts me—

then I could bear it;

it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—

then I could hide from him.

[13] But it is you, a man, my equal,

my companion, my familiar friend.

[14] We used to take sweet counsel together;

within God’s house we walked in the throng.

 

An attack by an enemy is one thing, but an attack by a friend is something else altogether. I read a disturbing article yesterday that confirmed my warning at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. The Enemy’s strategy is not to stop us from meeting as a church. It is not to make us wear masks. It is not to make us get vaccinated. His strategy is more devious than that, and it is working. His strategy is to divide the Church over these issues.

The article that I read was from a secular magazine, written by a self-identified conservative Christian. It pointed out that pastors are leaving the ministry, churches are dividing over issues like masking, and church leaders are being viciously attacked by those within their own churches. Between the violent political divide in our country and the angry response to Covid regulations not only is our country divided, but the church is divided.

The disturbing part of this is that Jesus said that the world would know that God sent him because we have love for one another. What does our division demonstrate to the world? If a Christian leader gets vaccinated they are branded as one who has given into the government. If a Christian leader expresses compassion for immigrants they are branded as sellouts to wokeism. If a Christian leader does not jump on the bandwagon of a certain political party or political figure, depending on the political leanings of their accusers they are accused of being either evil and closed minded, or evil and opposed to Christian liberty.

Likely neither is true, but we have stopped functioning as thinking, listening, caring followers of Christ and have become unthinking, unlistening, uncaring followers of political ideals and ideologies. Pastors hesitate to share even privately what they think about matters of Covid, politics, immigration, race, and poverty for fear of being branded something they are not and attacked without reason. It is time we start thinking. It is time we start listening. It is time we start caring. It is time we stop reacting to everything out of fear of what might be, and start acting out of love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It was the united compassion of the early church that changed the world. It is the divided lack of compassion today that is undermining the very gospel we claim to hold so dear. David’s word seem all to real in our world today. “It is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.”