SHARING BREAD
1 If you have any encouragement from being united with
Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any
tenderness and compassion, 2 then
make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in
spirit and purpose.
Phil 2:1-2
(NIV)
Paul clearly sets forth for us in our verses for today four
specific ways believers in the Lord Jesus are to manifest spiritual unity. We are to be like-minded, we are to have the
same love, we are to be one in spirit and we are to be one in purpose. It is important that we are one in tenderness
and compassion whether or not we can be one in understanding. Our lives should evidence our personal
experience with the Savior. As believers
we have individually enjoyed such high privileges as these - being united with
Christ, being comforted by His love, having fellowshipped with the Spirit and having
enjoyed His tenderness and compassion. Paul
writes in Romans:
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give
you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you,
in order to bring praise to God. Romans
15:5-7 (NIV)
“Have
you ever thought about what a net is? It
is a bunch of holes tied together. Do
you know what a hole is? It’s ‘a
nothing.’ And that is exactly what we
are – ‘a bunch of nothings.’ But, if you
take ‘a bunch of nothings’ and tie them together, they become powerful. Just as a net is woven and interlaced, people
are netted and tied together with other people resulting in tremendous
power. Woven together in the unity of
the Spirit, we accomplish far more than any single individual could do by
himself. There is power in
cooperation. You do much better fishing
by net than with a hook and line.
Together we join hands and work the works God would have us to do.” Wales
Goebel
Believers in Christ are to live in harmony - in a spirit of
unity - as we follow the Lord Jesus. The
ultimate purpose of this unity is that it brings God much glory. This, of course, is the sole purpose of
Christians individually as well as the church corporately. Just as a parent is brought joy when their
children love one another so too a minister is brought joy when his flock are
like-minded and living in love towards each other.
“Unity in Christ is not something to be achieved; it is something to be recognized.” A. W. Tozer
Perhaps we are thinking it is impossible for us to get along
with some of the brothers and sisters in our spheres. They are so difficult, irritable, grouchy,
loud, obnoxious, bossy or whatever. But
have we ever stopped to think what we must seem like to Jesus? Seriously, the difference between any human
and Jesus is light years greater than any human and human – Billy Graham
included! Our focus is not to be on the
individual but on God Who enables us to love the unlovely – just as He did us. Remember Paul tells us we were no pretty package
when Christ died for us. Indeed, we were
all big fat sinners! Romans states:
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still
powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man,
though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
“If we focus on
our differences, our focus is on each other.
If we focus on unity, our focus is on God.” Anonymous
It can be
difficult to love those who are just, quite frankly, hard to love. Certainly that is why Scripture is constantly
calling us to bear with (doesn’t
sound too easy) one another and to forgive
grievances (also doesn’t sound too easy) – forgive as we have been
forgiven. Yet, sadly, all too often we
are just simply unwilling to pay the price and it costs us greatly. Un-forgiveness will rot the bones.
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly
loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience. 13 Bear
with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one
another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds
them all together in perfect unity. Col
3:12-14 (NIV)
“Church unity is
like peace. We are all for it, but we
are not willing to pay the price.” Willem Adolf Visser’t Hooft
What
I glean from this:
·
I am to
love my brothers and sisters in Christ. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the
children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child
of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. 11 This is the message you heard from
the beginning: We should love one another.
1 John 3:10-11 (NIV)
·
Unified believers
bring God much glory. Our bickering
makes us resemble the world.
·
Jesus died for me when I was still wallowing
in sin.
