Even if ‘mid-Acts-ers’ engrave a plaque with a school logo based on Eph 4:4-6, don’t be fooled into thinking they support bringing all God’s people together in a unifying message. Far from it! They believe only ‘certain’ believers (specifically, just those who have been saved since Saul of Tarsus’ conversion in Acts 9, and by his words alone) are made ‘one’ in Christ. But God wants us to have, and make an effort to maintain, a unity of the Spirit:
Eph 4:3-6 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, (also see Eph 3:6)
and one Spirit,
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, (the SAME Jesus .... not 'another Jesus')
one faith, (Paul preached 'the faith' which once he destroyed - Gal 1:23)
one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
God wants us to have a unity of the faith:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Chloe’s family told Paul about the strife in the church of God .... who were debating over which minster brought them into the faith. Quite frankly, ‘mid-Acts-ers’ .... it did not matter ‘WHICH MINISTER’ gave them the gospel .... whether it was PAUL .... or Apollos .... or Peter .... or Christ:
1 Cor 1:11-13 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith,
I am of Paul;
and I of Apollos;
and I of Cephas;
and I of Christ.
13 Is Christ divided?
was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
Christ is not divided .... and neither should His body be!
We are ONE body:
Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (also see 1 Cor 10:17, 12:12-13,20; Eph 2:16; Col 3:15)
Initially, Apollos knew only the water baptism of John the Baptist. Aquila and Priscilla expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. Then Apollos helped them much which had believed through grace (Acts 18:24-28). Obviously, Apollos preached the gospel to people at Corinth, since some of his converts were joined to the church of God there:
1 Cor 3:3-9 For ye are yet carnal:
for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions,
are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4 For while one saith, I am of Paul;
and another, I am of Apollos;
are ye not carnal?
5 Who then is Paul,
and who is Apollos,
but ministers by whom ye believed,
even as the Lord gave to every man?
6 I (Paul) have planted,
Apollos watered;
but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, (Paul is nothing.)
neither he that watereth; (Apollos is nothing.)
but God that giveth the increase. (also see John 3:30)
8 Now he that planteth (Paul)
and he that watereth (Apollos) are one:
and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9 For we are labourers together with God:
ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
Paul and Apollos are one. So why won’t ‘mid-Acts-ers’ be ‘one’ with those ‘in Christ’ before Paul (Rom 16:7)?
After Paul detailed the gospel that he preached "unto you" (at Corinth in 1 Cor 15:1-4 .... just like "unto you" in Gal 1:9) .... he listed many other ministers (1 Cor 15:5-7) and showed again .... it did not matter WHICH MINISTER they got the gospel from:
1 Cor 15:11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
UNITY .... NOT DIVISION .... has been enjoyable among God’s people for a long time. I think I’ll be glad in that. "What about you?"
Psa 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is NOT ‘right division’ to divide God’s saints from each other.
It is wrong! There are no verses that teach that foolishness. 'Mid-Acts-ers' are protecting their paradigm, charts, etc.
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
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