Divisions in the Family of God

As I interview law enforcement personnel for a local online newspaper there is a reoccurring theme of team work and comradery. Most officers describe their relationships similar to a family, a sports team, or the military, “They’ve always got my back. We’ll do anything for one another. We’re all like family.” I’m almost envious of the fellowship enjoyed by this close-knit group of people who, at work and off-duty, keep their common goal in the forefront of their mind. Paul noted a lack of family atmosphere when he spoke to the Corinthians concerning the Lord’s Supper, “In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. … So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment” (1 Cor 11:17-21, 33-34 NIV).