Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” 7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.
“Divide et impera” Divide and conquer. It is in Latin because the phrase was used by Julius Caesar before the birth of Christ. It is a simple military strategy of weakening your enemy by destroying their united force. Paul used the tactic rhetorically to divide the united forces of the Pharisees, who believed in resurrection, and the Sadducees, who did not. The clamor resulted in Paul’s removal from their presence, possibly a life saving gesture. In the negative sense, Satan uses the tactic to destroy churches. The tactic has proven effective, drawing churches away from their mission by distracting them with silly quarrels that become serious divisions.
Our prayer is that, as we are getting closer to our goal of graduating from mission church to joining the BFC, we are constantly on alert for the last-ditch attack from the evil one. We are being watchful for the time tested tactic of dividing us with quarrels about details. We will thwart his plan with prayer, your prayer and ours, and by faithfully keeping our eyes on the mission of the church, to make disciples and love our neighbor. With these tactical countermeasures, we will be invincible against the foe.
Dear Lord, thank you for the unity of the Trinity which teaches us that unity in the church is your ideal. Help us to focus on the job and resist the enemy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church