Recently during a time of taking communion and praying with my husband, I had a correction from the Father. We were praying for unity within the body of Christ when I heard the Lord say that we were praying the wrong way. He continued saying the Body is badly wounded internally and we needed to be praying for healing, reconciliation, repentance, and forgiveness towards each other before unity could come forth. He said there were too many wounded by each other and those kinds of wounds would never allow real unification to take place. Some may come together in church gatherings even though they were hurt by each other, but it is merely an outward appearance because on the inside they have unforgiveness, resentment, anger, and different negative emotions towards each other.
Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. - Luk 11:39 NIV
It is religious and pharisaical for followers of Christ to outwardly act like everything is ok with one another so they might appear holy and righteous. Isn’t that what this kind of behavior does for us? We look like we are righteous and forgiving when inside our hearts are filled with animosity and all sorts of ugly thoughts and feelings towards the people we are supposed to be joined to. Sometimes we will even say things like “well God knows my heart” as if that means we are doing the right thing by mingling with fellow believers and harboring ill feelings towards them at the same time. It is true, God knows our hearts and sometimes what’s in them only God can find and dig out and heal.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 10 "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve." - Jer 17:9-10 NIV
When we are born again we are given a new heart and spirit, the heart has the law of God written on it, and when we break that by wounding another or not forgiving, then we are causing a heart sickness to both our self and another. This is sin and sin causes injury, death, and decay.
Internal Damage or Outward Injury
As I continued listening to the Father about the condition of the body I began to get a vision of internal damage within a human body. I saw hernias, aneurysms, broken hearts, infections within the organs, and various other internal wounds and blockages, while on the outside of the body I saw bruises. I realized these two were not related, not exactly. In other words, the inner sickness was not caused by the external bruising as those injuries were from the world, those outside of the family of God, but the internal issues were caused from the wounding of a brother/sister to brother/sister within the Body of Christ. These inner wounds were causing internal bleeding, and without an emergency intervention by the Great Physician, many are going to die!
Apostle Paul saw this very problem when he wrote to the Corinthian church his concern for what he would find when he went there. Look at what he said;
For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. - 2Co 12:20 NIV
“The church as the Body of Christ is the one new man to accomplish God’s eternal purpose.” ~ agodman
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. - Rom 12:4-5 NKJV
As one Body with Jesus Christ as the Head, every joint supply (Eph 4:16) a need and when one part is sick the whole Body suffers to some extent, especially when gossip enters in. When people begin speaking poorly of one another others listen carefully because the words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts. - Pro 18:8 NIV
When ugly and hurtful words are released about another, it causes conflict, and the hearer receives it into the deep parts of the soul and becomes contaminated, causing both the one hearing and the one being gossiped about to become inflicted.
But the word of God tells us that only A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. - Pro 16:28 NIV However, if we would choose to remain silent about a matter and handle it boldly but lovingly with the person we are offended with peace would come, and restoration can happen because without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. - Pro 26:20 NIV
I believe everyone at some point of their lives has been guilty, perhaps numerous times, of gossip and perhaps it even led to slander, but this is an extremely damaging behavior and can cause grievous effects on all those involved.
All of the problems, which quite frankly are a sin, are caused because of lack of growth and spiritual maturity. Paul said 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need [someone] to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes [only] of milk [is] unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. - Heb 5:12-13 NKJV
If we truly understood how much God hates divisive behavior perhaps we would turn from such things and seek righteous living. For the LORD hates pride, lying, shedding innocent blood, the heart that devises wicked plans, those who run to evil, those who testify falsely about another, and those who sow discord among brethren. (Pro 6:16-19)
We should grow in the Body of Christ into mature believers and followers of Jesus Christ so that we can be teachers and trainers of those who are young in the faith. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious. - 1Pe 2:1-3 NKJV
Let’s Pray,
Heavenly Father, You have been so gracious to us, so forgiving and not forsaking those who call on You but in exchange for Your grace we have sinned in the area of afflicting our fellow brethren and are in need of forgiveness. As I stand in the gap today praying for healing and restoration over the Body, the Bride of Christ, I repent for my part in causing eternal damage to Your Body and ask for Your help in keeping my tongue in check and my heart right. God, I pray that You renew a right spirit in me and create my heart to be clean as only You are capable of. For those in the Church who have forsaken righteousness by choosing not to repent or forgive I pray You will nudge their hearts Holy Spirit and cause them to seek peace and wholeness through You. You said if we will turn from our wicked ways and repent then You will hear and heal our land. Oh God hear our prayers and heal the Body that we are all in and attached to, and help me make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. In Jesus name Amen.
The church as the Body of Christ is the one new man to accomplish God’s eternal purpose. http://sumo.ly/YAC via @agodman