Can Two Walk Together?
“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3
Our world is full of separations, divisions, and divorces. About half of all marriages are broken because the marriage partners do not agree. They have different opinions, different habits and different ways of doing things.
Churches are divided because the leaders and the members do not agree. They have different interpretations of the doctrines and practices. Often they become even enemies of each other. Many persecutions have taken place by bigoted professed Christians.
The nations are waging wars because they do not agree on issues that seem important to them. Millions of young men are killed in these wars, and great property losses happen also.
The saddest thing is that so many professed Christians do not walk with God as Enoch did. “Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years.” Gen. 5:22.
God wants to be friends with us and walk with us on our life journey. But often we do not agree with God and for this reason our ways separate.
We may want to go to different places than where the Lord would want to go. The Lord would go to the prayer meeting and if we prefer to stay home; again we would separate from each other. The Lord wants to have a Bible study, but if we prefer to watch television, again there would be a separation.
If someone decides to walk with God, immediately Satan tries to put a stop to it. He shows attractive things to us that seem very pleasing like he did to Eve in paradise. And he is very successful in his deceptions. Millions of Christians who visit churches do not walk with God but they walk with Satan and they do not realize it, until they come to their destination, which is the lake of fire.
It is the Holy Spirit that unites the believers in perfect harmony. The fruit of the Spirit is love and where there is love, there is also unity.
On the other hand, Satan’s spirit brings discord and strife and divides the people. Among the evil angels there is constant strife and accusing each other. When these angels take control of human beings there can be no true peace or unity among them.
People with God’s Spirit and those with Satan’s spirit do not fit together. For this reason God has separated His faithful children from the people who are controlled by evil spirits. Abraham was called to separate from his kinsfolk so that their influence would not disturb his peaceful family life and his service to God.
We are sociable beings. We need friends and companions, but the right kind of friends. There is a saying, “like likes like” and it is true. If we love God and obey His commandments, only a person who also loves God and obeys Him can be a true friend to us.
Pharisees were very strict in outward obedience and ceremonies but they could not walk with Christ because they did not agree on religion. Jesus mingled with sinners and publicans which the Pharisees would never have done. For this reason they called Jesus to be demon possessed.
It is God’s will that His children are united and that they agree with one another. This unity is their strength and with the help of the Holy Spirit it is possible.
“After the descent of the Holy Spirit the disciples went forth to proclaim a risen Saviour, their one desire the salvation of souls. They rejoiced in the sweetness of the communion with saints. They were tender, thoughtful, self-denying, willing to make any sacrifice for the truth’s sake. In their daily association with one another they revealed the love that Christ had commanded them to reveal. By unselfish words and deeds, they strove to kindle this love in other hearts.” Test. Vol. 8, p. 241.
But this wonderful unity and love did not last very long. Satan was able to separate them from one another so soon.
“But the early Christians began to look for defects in one another. Dwelling upon mistakes, giving place to unkind criticism, they lost sight of the Saviour and of the great love He had revealed for sinners. They became more strict in regard to outward ceremonies, more particular about the theory of the faith, more severe in their criticisms. In their zeal to condemn others they forgot their own errors. They forgot the lesson of brotherly love that Christ had taught. And, saddest of all, they were unconscious of their loss. They did not realize that happiness and joy were going out of their lives, and that soon they would walk in darkness, having shut the love of God out of their hearts.” Test. Vol. 8, p. 241.
This has been repeated many times in the church of God. Satan hates the unity and love among God’s people. The Jewish people were divided into five different groups. The Pharisees and Sadducees continued to argue together about their doctrines. It was a favourite pastime for them to discuss their teachings with other groups. They hated those who believed different. Also, apostle Paul was filled with this hatred against the early Christians until he met Jesus on the way to Damascus. For the first time he realized that there was a religion of love. There was no anger or hatred in the voice of Jesus when He said, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” At that moment he decided to change his traveling companions. He started to walk with Jesus and His followers, and never turned back to the old religion any more. Now his previous companions hated him and even tried to kill him.
If we are planning to be together all eternity, should we not begin this friendship already here, in this world? Those who leave the church of God for any reason, indicate that they do not want to walk with them anymore or be in their company. They do not fit into the church of love that Jesus established.
“In the church of God today brotherly love is greatly lacking. Many of those who profess to love their Saviour neglect to love those who are united with them in Christian fellowship… It is not the opposition of the world that endangers us the most; it is the evil cherished in the hearts of professed believers that works our most grievous disaster and most retards the progress of Gods cause. There is no surer way of weakening our spirituality than by being envious, suspicious of one another, full of faultfinding and evil surmising.” Test. Vol. 8, p. 242.
Then what we need to do is agree on doctrines, practices, and this can be done by studying the Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophesy with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Next we need to learn to love one another. And to whom should we express our greatest love? Is it not the lost sheep? In the parable Jesus said that the Shepherd left the 99 and went to seek the one that was lost.
Agreeing and walking together is not happening automatically. We must become peacemakers and work on it, and with the help of God it can be accomplished. May the Lord help that the prayer of Jesus can be fulfilled among us:
“That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.” John 17: 21-23. Amen.
Timo Martin