Controversy is at the heart and the epicenter of much of our culture today. Unfortunately, this includes the church as well. In one of his latest messages, Rabbi Jonathan Cahn tackles this problem and how we as the body of Christ are to react to controversy.
Looking at biblical principles, Cahn discusses how the first Christian controversy to take place was centered around Christian converts of Gentile backgrounds.
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Cahn sites Acts 15:1-5 as the first real controversy from the church as we know it today. This is when Paul and Barnabas went to go directly to the Gentiles and share the gospel with them. However, among the Jewish believers there were some disagreements as to whether or not it was necessary for male believers to be circumcised.
Acts 15: 4-5 reads: “When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared what God had through them. Then some of the believers of the sect of the Pharisees rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.'”
Cahn says that this type of controversy about how steeped in Jewish traditions believers were supposed to be led to the outlawing of Passover celebrations. This was because it was considered dishonorable to celebrate the day the Messiah was crucified, causing further disruption between Jewish and Gentile believers.
So, how are we to understand controversy among Christians in today’s world?
Cahn says that when victory is near, this is when the enemy wants to come in and create division between believers.
“Every time you have a victory in the Lord there’s always the enemy to start trying to mess it up,” Cahn says. “There’s opposition and there’s attack and there’s controversy and that’s when you have to stand because God will even do something greater when you’re getting attacked.”
Cahn also says that with controversy comes debates. Some of these debates are from God, and some are not. In his example from Acts, the controversy led to the council of Jerusalem which led to the spread of the gospel across the world. However, we frequently see controversies today pulling believers apart instead of closer together.
In a time when we are surrounded by controversies between believers, we must stay focused on Christ and take into consideration all pieces of evidence when issues are presented. It is critical that we listen to the Holy Spirit and read God’s Word for His guidance.
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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.
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