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One church in Georgia has split 47 times since it began in 1899! The most recent split was over whether to check e-mail on Saturday or Sunday! Splits can devastate a church. It is why the Apostle Paul sought to heal one in ancient Galatia. After he taught that God saves people by faith in Jesus Christ, false teachers came along to teach that God would save them only if they kept the Law of Moses. Paul wrote to correct this. He stressed that God not only saves us by faith; He helps us break bad habits by faith. Here are some of Paul’s words from Galatians 5: “I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.” God offers us eternal life when we trust in His Son Jesus who died on the cross to pay our sin debt. When we invite Him into our lives, He comes to live. As we rely on His Spirit within us, He gives us power to say no to bad habits and yes to good habits. As we yield to God’s Spirit, He helps us live in harmony with our brothers and sisters-so we can avoid church splits.
