I would like to offer up, a possible explanation as to why there can be so much confusion, division, and yes...even deception that exists in so much of the ‘church world’ today ... despite everyone preaching/teaching out of the same ‘Book’. I have heard and read for years that there are over 400 ‘Christian’ denominations that exists around the world today. It seems everyone is building their own tower telling us how to get to heaven, yet everyone is speaking a different language. Genesis 11 reveals a similar effort that took place among men who were building a tower to heaven themselves. It was called ‘Babel’.

Interesting side-note here, but that word (Babel) in Genesis 11:9 literally means: ‘confusion by mixing- (Strong's concordance)'. It is also where we get the word ‘babble’, that you are familiar with where one definition is: talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way; "they babbled on about their vacation"; or -the sound of people talking simultaneously; "the answers were difficult to hear amid the babble of conversation".

I found this example interesting as well: the continuous murmuring sound of flowing water- "the babble of a brook". Now if you really want to explore this line of thought some more, jot down Revelation 12:15, Isa. 59:19, Matt.7:24-27 and 24:38-39 and see if that doesn’t fill in a few blanks for you. And let’s not forget what Jesus accused the Pharisees of doing with God’s word...as they began to ‘add all their words of tradition’ to God’s commandments so after a while, God’s word was laid aside and rendered ‘ineffective’, if you can imagine that. (Mark 7:9,13)

So here is a ‘word picture’ that came to me to illustrate what I believe is happening today in so many ‘churches’. All I can do here is share it with you and then step back and allow the Holy Spirit to confirm to you whether there is any truth to this or not. I certainly know what my limitations are when it comes to sharing/teaching what I do here daily.

I have stated in times past that I am no fan of putting together jigsaw puzzles. Lots of folks are and more power to them; just not my cup of tea for a host of reasons. But let’s use a giant 2500-piece puzzle for my illustration today. And for the sake of my analogy, these puzzle pieces represent God’s word as laid out in the Bible. When put together, a picture emerges and if done correctly, that puzzle picture will match the one on the 'cover of the box', yes? (2 Pet. 1:20)

Well somewhere along the way, those 2500 pieces got separated and mixed up, or divided into separate boxes, each box containing anywhere from 50-100 pieces. We ended up with a Baptist puzzle, a Lutheran puzzle, a Catholic Puzzle, a Calvinist puzzle, a Pentecostal puzzle, (which really puzzled some folks) and the list goes on. You get the idea so feel free to add your ‘label’ into the mix if I left it out. Some folks even added a ‘supplemental’ puzzle box to the mix thinking it might help their cause.

So now, every Sunday, depending on what ‘church’ you make a habit of attending, when it comes time to study or hear the preaching of the ‘word’, that puzzle box which best represents your ‘church’ is opened up and the person up front shares those pieces with the congregation. Now keep in mind, there is only a limited amount of pieces in that box so as you can imagine, you really can’t ‘finish’ the puzzle and see the whole picture if you are missing so many ‘other pieces’. But by golly, you sure are familiar with that limited 'picture’ you can see from the pieces shared and talked about with you weekly.

As fate would have it, from time to time, someone else from another group will try and share a few of their pieces to their puzzle with your group, which obviously causes problems because it becomes apparent that their pieces could not possibly work there given they paint ‘another picture’ from the one you have become so familiar with. In other words...they don't 'fit' with your 'doctrine'.

Now if you have ever labored over a large jigsaw puzzle, you know how you can be working on one section that seems to be coming together. Then, someone working alongside of you hands you a piece they thought...might be a part of it, but you conclude quickly it doesn’t. And yet, you know better than to just discard that piece and throw it away as if it is useless. Who does that? That would only create frustration later on as the picture emerges with more pieces coming together.

And yet...how often do we do that with God’s word? We see verses (pieces) ‘pop up’ and they make no sense at all, given they don’t ‘agree with or ‘fit’ our picture’ so we just flat out reject them saying there is no way that can be a ‘legitimate piece’. Let’s face it, after some time, with only limited pieces in your ‘church box’, there is no way you can get a complete picture of what on earth you are endeavoring to accomplish there so now the teaching shifts. Instead of trying to figure out what the picture is, the focus becomes on teaching the ‘history of puzzle pieces’ and how those pieces were constructed, going in to great detail investigating the materials and dyes used to make your puzzle pieces. Then, after the sermon or lesson is over, those 50 pieces are put back into the box until next week, when we will start the limited process all over again. You do know what the definition of ‘insanity’ is, yes? Doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results?

Let me close out with a couple of specific examples of how we do this. I only offer this up because I can see where some might accuse me of taking verses ‘out of context’ when I ‘link’ them up with other verses from the same Bible.

So your ‘church puzzle box’ has John 1:12 as one of its ‘pieces’ that might vaguely suggest if you ‘receive Christ’ you become a ‘child of God’. But the church down the street, in their puzzle box, has Romans 8:14 as a piece that says ‘whoever is led by the Spirit is a child of God’. Does it not make sense that those two ‘pieces’ from ‘different boxes....fit together’ which makes the picture a bit more clear? Or how about Romans 6:14 that talks about how we are ‘not under the law, but grace’. Do we not see how that fits with the ‘puzzle piece’ found in Galatians 5:18 that clarifies those who are ‘led by the Spirit are not under the law’?

Friends...we are living in an hour where the Holy Spirit is wanting to put the whole puzzle together for us using ALL the pieces (Acts 20:27), and it is only by His Spirit that the ‘eyes of our understanding might be opened’ (Eph. 1:18; Luke 10:21; 24:32,45; Matt. 13:11). And here’s the real revelation...the picture that emerges is going to be shockingly different than the one on the cover of many of our little boxes we have all gathered around for years. Let us not forget that established group of religious ‘experts’ got it wrong the first time Jesus came; who’s to say we won’t get it wrong again this second time He comes back?

[ I realize this will come across as my own 'personal take' or opinion, and should be viewed as that until the Holy Spirit confirms it to be truth (or not).  But for now, 'I cannot help but to speak the things which I have seen and heard'. (Acts 4:20 ]

Meanwhile...what are we going to do with 'these pieces'? - John 8:34-35; 1 John 2:6; 3:6-9; 5:18