When you went to school, did you like math? I didn’t. Just the word “math” made me start to tingle around my ears, and I got a twitch sometimes.

But did you know that there’s spiritual math in the Bible? And I want to give you one of its axioms: multiplication is always defeated by division.

What do I mean by that? Well, the Bible says that the early church was so blessed by God that it multiplied. Believers multiplied. Love was multiplying. Pastors were multiplying. The gospel was multiplying, spreading everywhere.

But the Bible warns us that no matter how great multiplication is, one thing can kill it: division.

In the early days of His public ministry, Jesus was showing such power over evil spirits, with people being delivered and lives being changed, that the religious experts were jealous of Him. So they said, “You know why He has power? He’s in league with the devil” (see Mark 3:22).

Jesus responded with what became a famous warning:

How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. (Mark 3:23–26, NIV)

Jesus could have said, “Hey, I’m Jesus. Do you know where I came from? Heaven. How dare you say that I’m in league with Satan?” But He didn’t. He wanted to teach something so important that it needs to be repeated to pastors, new believers, veteran believers—anyone who cares about the kingdom of God: Division kills. It fights against multiplication and blessing.

Division equals weakness. I played basketball in high school and college. We had some excellent players, but if one of them was complaining in the locker room, “That coach . . . ,” or, “Why don’t I get more time?” the team could often play better without him. He brought division.

This reality was so meaningful to the early church that Paul the apostle wrote, “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them” (Titus 3:10, NIV).

“No, come on,” you might say. “God never said that. Everyone has a weakness.”

No, the Word of God says, “Mark those who cause division.”

Some people destroy churches not by doing drugs or drinking or meeting people in motels but with their tongues: “You know, she doesn’t like you. She acts like she likes you, but trust me, she does not like you.”

But Romans 16:17 says, “Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”

“No, that’s just the way Sister Jones is. She’s just got a big mouth.”

No. She’s a troublemaker.

When my wife has new choir members, we tell them, “Look, we’re all imperfect. But if we find out you’re causing division in the choir, causing factions against each other, we’re going to deal with that.” Why pray and get up on stage and sing and hope that the Holy Spirit will anoint it when He’s grieved by gossip and slander and division?

Do we realize how important this is? I have one family with three children. Anyone who would divide one daughter against another or my son against one of my daughters would get a reaction from me. Yes, they would. Parents want to see unity.

God wants to see unity too. Psalm 133:1 says, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Notice, not uniformity. We don’t copy people. We don’t lose our personalities. It’s unity God loves, all His people together with one heart.

You want to help your pastor? Be a peacemaker. Cause unity. Pray for unity.

Pastors have the highest rate of heart attacks of any profession. Do you think it’s because it’s hard to prepare sermons? No. The pressure, the anguish, the high blood pressure is from strife in the church.

Think of the larger body of Christ. How much more would we get done if we didn’t have the division of denominations?

“No, I’m a Baptist.”

“No, I don’t deal with those dead old Baptists. I’m a charismatic.”

“Those hallucinating charismatics? No, they’re all lost. I’m a Nazarene.”

There’s only one body. One church. But because of our divisions, we’re weakened. We replicate labor and money because we’re fussing and fighting.

The psalmist cried out, “Unite my heart to fear Your name” (Psalm 86:11, NKJV). Yes, our hearts can get divided. The psalmist knew it. He also knew that he couldn’t unite his heart in his own strength. So he prayed to God.

Maybe God is talking to you right now. You need to pray, like the psalmist did, “God, unite my heart. I’m pulled five different ways—I want to serve you; I don’t want to serve you. I want to live right; I don’t want to live right. Unite my heart. Make me as one.”

Let’s remember, unity equals strength—in the church, and in our own hearts. Multiplication is hurt by division.

Prayer

God, today, this very day, give us united, strong hearts. Unite our churches, and unite our country, and stop racial division and every other kind of terrible thing that wrecks and ruins the peace that You want us to enjoy.

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