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You should be aware that many of our frontal attacks against the church and Christians have proven unsuccessful. It seems that for every Christian we eliminate, more rise in his place. It is as if their blood is like a seed—producing more every time one dies. Thus, it can be wise for us to pursue a more indirect, but often more successful, plan of attack. Rather than fighting against them, we ought to get them to fight against each other.
We know that the Enemy has said that the strength of the church would be their love for and unity with each other. Therefore, if we encourage them to undermine that love and unity, we can weaken and even render impotent the testimony of the church. In other words, we must frustrate their fellowship. Here are some techniques that have often proven successful in achieving that goal.
First, encourage each one to put himself first, at the expense of others. Encourage each member to look to his own interest, with no regard for the interest of others. Yes, in the beginning, they had all things in common, and they sought to outdo one another in showing honor. But that was a different time. Remind them that that was then, this is now. Today, convince them that self-preservation is the first and greatest endeavor.
Second, encourage them to forgive but never forget. If you can get them to hold grudges, not only will you be able to reassure them that they will never be hurt or offended again, but more importantly, you will in the process weaken and undermine their genuine fellowship with one another. Remind them that God may cover their sin, but they don’t have to cover the sins of others, regardless of what the Enemy says.
Third, encourage them to draw attention to the faults of others, even under the guise of sharing prayer requests. When someone fails, make sure others are quickly made aware of it. Rather than speaking words that build each other up, encourage them to speak slanderously and divisively to one another, thus making fellowship uncomfortable and unwanted. Remind them how delicious gossip is. Remind them, “Gossip is good.”
This assignment will not be easy. Christians have been clearly instructed by the Enemy in how they should relate to one another. In fact, there are nearly fifty New Testament references to “each other” or “one another.” These include the oft-repeated command from the Enemy Himself to “love one another.” Consequently, you may not prevent them from hearing these words, but you might be able to prevent them from believing this teaching. And if you can distract them from believing our Enemy’s words here, their fellowship will suffer, and you will have made your job easier by getting them to do it for you.