UNITY IN THE CHURCH
Philippians 2:1-11
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”
It is important for us to understand what are fundamentals and what flows from those fundamentals. From what Paul wrote, being united with Christ (or “fellowship” as John tells us, or “abiding” as Jesus told the disciples), and walking in the Spirit, are fundamentals. These fundamental relationships should give a Christian the sense of love and security to reach out and work on their relationship with others in the church. In other words you always need to ensure that your fundamentals are well in place so that you have the foundation or platform to do more.
Unity in the church can be a minefield for any Christian. From the dominant western culture of the twentieth century, we have been raised to believe that our individuality, our individual rights and interests are of primary importance and this has often blurred the lines between what we think ought to be done, and what rightly needs to be done. The truth however is that we must all acknowledge the primacy of our Lord, whom God has exalted to the highest place. We must learn to bow and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. This in turn will guide us in our approach to the needs of the community and the place for individuals to grow and contribute their unique strengths, because then we are guided by his love for us.
It is when we get this right, when we align our principles and ideals with this truth that we can, as disparate individuals, unite to be like-minded, with one spirit and one mind. When we love and honour the one Lord, and we love each other in the humble and unselfish way he loves us, we will find the path that we can all take together as one.
In any endeavour to forge like-mindedness so that the church supports each other and works together, certain ideas, goals, even convictions, will have to give way. The agreed upon strategy, or vision, or priorities, or methodologies, may be successful or may not be. Those are not our primary concern; at some point we will have to come to a common understanding. There must be, however, no room for ego in our pursuit of the interests and glory of our Lord. But, especially for those who have to give way, we must know that it is God who brings the victory and not our carefully laid plans. Our love is for God, and our faith is in him—not our thoughts and ideas and plans.
When we humble ourselves, when we set aside selfish ambition and vain glory, when we value others above ourselves, when we look to the interests of others and are willing to even sacrifice our own, God sees, God knows, and God will respond to our sacrifice. Ultimately it is God who blesses our endeavour and gives us the victory. Glory be to God!
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.”