Now the large group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common.    Acts 4:32 HCSB

Our ladies’ Bible study group at church is in the book of Acts. This scripture passage paints a beautiful picture of what unity in the church looks like. The believers or church members were of one heart and one mind. This means that they were all loving the Lord with all their heart and loving their neighbors as themselves as Jesus instructed in Matthew 22:37 or the greatest commands. There was no greed and no strife among them.

Now you must know that the devil hates this. He hates for churches and families to get along. He will do all he can to bring discord and to destroy unity among believers. Our instructor pointed something out in our study last night that was so good, I had to share it with you. It was something I had never thought about. The devil can’t attack the church from the outside, he must get in through a person inside the church. It has to be an inside job.

If you have ever been a member of a church that has had problems or even split, then you know that it all begins with discord among the members. Churches split over things like who runs what committees, who is in charge of the kitchen and even over the color of rooms or carpet or whatever else members can disagree about.

Our pastor often points out that the devil would rather infiltrate a loving church than a bar or a porn shop. Why? Well, he’s already gotten control of those kinds of places. He wants to gain control in our churches. He wants to infiltrate our churches and cause discord among the members.

In the early church, there was unity. There was no discord among the members because they were of the same heart and the same mind. Most importantly, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we want one thing and one thing only. We want God! We want to further His kingdom! We want to love Him with all we have. These people weren’t seeing their possessions as their possessions. They were seeing them as blessings from God which they wanted to share with those in need. It wasn’t the government taking from the people. It was the people freely giving. They were living out their love for their neighbor or the second greatest command.

I have been in a church that was unified, and I have seen that church separated. My friend there is nothing sadder than an absence of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of church members. As our instructor pointed out last night this is where God’s armor is so important. We must read and understand Ephesians 6:10-18 where Paul talks about God’s armor. We must daily put on God’s armor to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11).

If your church is growing and everyone is getting along, beware. This is when the devil wants to attack. The devil’s attempts to attack the early church were useless. This was because the members were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were busy loving God with their whole heart and loving their neighbors as themselves. They were unified in their love for Christ. They were sold out to God. They had no time for the devil.

We can’t control what other people do, but if you are in a church that is doing well don’t let the devil use you to mess it up. Put on God’s full armor and be prepared to stand against the devil when he tries to encourage you to be in discord.

The devil needs for the destruction of a church to be an inside job. We are told in 1 Peter 5:8 the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Don’t let it be you. Be alert. Put on the full armor of God. And remember James 4:7, Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Yes, it is that simple.

I am grateful for a pastor and Bible study leader that study and speak the truth from God’s Holy Word. I am so grateful that we are fed this on a regular basis. But I know I must do my part. I must guard against the devil and not allow him to enter in through any door that I may open. I encourage you to do the same.

Have a great day!