THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT

THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT Ephesians 4:1-6 February 15, 2009 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction I heard Quaker theologian/philosopher Parker Palmer tell a story about abundance once. The way I remember it is that Palmer was a passenger on a plane that pulled away from the gate, taxied to a remote corner of the field and stopped. You know the feeling: The plane stops and you look out the window and see that you’re not on the runway and the engines wind down and your heart sinks. The pilot came on the intercom and said, “I have some bad news and some really bad news. The bad news is there’s a storm front in the West, Denver is socked in and shut down. We’ve looked at the alternatives and there are none. So we’ll be staying here for a few hours. That’s the bad news. The really bad news is that we have no food and it’s lunch time.” Everybody groaned. Some passengers started to complain, some became angry. But then one of the flight attendants did something amazing. She stood up and took the intercom mike and said, “We’re really sorry, folks. We didn’t plan it this way and we really can’t do much about it. And I know for some of you this is a big deal. Some of you are really hungry and were looking forward to a nice lunch. Some of you may have a medical condition and really need lunch. Some of you may not care one way or the other and some of you need to skip lunch. So I’ll tell you what we’re going to do. I have a couple of breadbaskets up here and we’re going to pass them around and I’m asking everybody to put something in the basket. Some of you brought a little snack along — something to tide you over — just in case something like this happened, some peanut butter crackers, candy bars. And some of you have a few LifeSavers or chewing gum or Rolaids. And if you don’t have anything edible, you have a picture of your children or spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend or a bookmark or a business card. Everybody put something in and then we’ll reverse the process. We’ll pass the baskets around again and everybody can take out what he/she needs. “Well,” Palmer said, “what happened next was amazing. The griping stopped. People started to root around in pockets and handbags, some got up and opened their suitcases stored in the overhead luggage racks and got out boxes of candy, a salami, a bottle of wine. People were laughing and talking. She had transformed a group of people who were focused on need and deprivation into a community of sharing and celebration. She had transformed scarcity into a kind of abundance.” After the flight, which eventually did proceed, Parker Palmer stopped on his way off the plane — deplaning, that is — and said to her, “Do you know there’s a story in the Bible about what you did back there? It’s about Jesus feeding a lot of people with very little food.” “Yes,” she said. “I know that story. That’s why I did what I did.” Sometimes, all it takes is a simple understanding of how important it is to get done what has to be done and even the most disparate group of self-centered individuals can become a unified, productive team. (Now, if the St. Louis Rams could just connect with that idea . . .) Of all the would-be united groups in the world, of all the organizations that have much good to do, the church of Jesus Christ has the most going for it, in terms of the importance of her mission, the availability of power and resource, the purity of her members temperament and motive. But, even more than that, look at the fundamental “given” in Ephesians 4:3. The church is not called to manufacture unity, to work it up through human effort at building esprit de corps and vision. No, the command is to “keep” the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Other translations use the word “maintain”. God has given divine unity to the church, just as Jesus prayed: “…that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you…that the world may believe…that they may be one as we are one…” (John 17:20-22) Unity is a divine gift we are to preserve. Unity is so important in the teachings of the New Testament that there is more attention given to that topic than heaven or hell. And in our text this morning we are told that we are God’s agents in charge of maintaining that unity. What steps does the church need to take to maintain this holy and awesome gift of unity Jesus died to provide? How will His church demonstrate the unity that will convince the world of the truth about Him? How can this church family protect and preserve our unity in the Holy Spirit? Let’s be reminded of a few of the life principles of unity clearly taught in the New Testament. 1. Focus on our common purposes Even in this small corner of God’s universal church we call MECF, there are a lot of ways in which we differ from one another. We are variegated in terms of background, social and economic strata, we vary in color, in giftings, in political persuasions and even in theological perspective. The last time I looked, we are inclusive of everything from Pentecostal to Presbyterian, Baptist to Brethren, Charismatic to Church of Christ. But, and I praise God with you about this, we are one. We have by His grace come to understand that we need not agree with one another in everything, only on things essential. But what things are essential? This may be a fresh approach for you, but in fact, what is essential to us as a church is what is germane to our mission. Because we preach Christ and Him crucified, we agree that the Bible is the Word of God, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that we are saved by grace through faith in His complete work of redemption. One of the keys to maintaining the unity of the Spirit is to keep our focus on our common purpose and the essential truths that support and propel that mission forward. We would all agree that there are a lot of doctrinal debates about lesser issues that are not essential. But we may agree to disagree about such things as we continue to dialogue and to teach one another. The saying has been attributed to a lot of different people, but whoever coined it, it is a good one: In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love. There is no doubt that the devil is extremely interested in tearing the Lord’s church asunder. His primary weapon is division. Knowing that, we take our stand, preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, resisting all his devious ways and demented schemes to divide us. Be strong in the Word of God and the Spirit of God, church, so that you are informed and empowered to stand against the wiles of the devil. I will be mentioning a few particular strategies given to us in the pages of scripture for warring against the evil powers. But suffice it to say here that we must not allow the small differences among us to ever upstage the vital purposes we have in common in our mission for Christ. Division is the spiritually mortal disease of the church and its only antidote is regular administration of large doses of truth and love. 2. Be patient and realistic with others When we study the pages of the New Testament and realize the high standard of relationships we are called to, then lay that perfection alongside the reality of the church, the comparison can be pretty dismal. It is easy to be discouraged by the mistakes of the past, the failures of others around us, and, if we are honest, our own serious shortcomings. We know we don’t love like we ought to . . . yet! We are not as forgiving a people, as encouraging a fellowship, as edifying a body as we ought to be. But we also realize we are called to grow in these graces. While we exercise ourselves in compliance with the things that maintain unity, we must be patient with ourselves, and especially with others. Face it, we are all sinners! And anytime I find myself feeling really fed up with others who are not as loving, mature and cooperative as I think they ought to be, it’s a good thing to remember how patient God is with me. In the scripture we are told we should “put up with” one another! Additionally, I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that when I find something really irritating in someone else, inevitably it turns out that I have that very same sin in my own life. More often than not, I am subconsciously picking on that fault in others precisely because I am angry about it being in me. Psychologists call that projection. I call it ugly, embarrassing and humbling. You know, I always expect others to be patient with me—much more than I am willing to be with them. I have to stop that. Let’s just admit we’re none of us where we want to be yet in terms of holiness and righteousness. Admission is a very healthy thing. “Confess your faults to one another and pray for each other that you may be healed.” Personal humility goes a long way in strengthening relationships and unity. Try it—regularly. But there is an opposite, equally mistaken, extreme called complacency. Faultfinding and impatience with others is not very Christlike, but neither is lethargy. It is a constant temptation to say Well I seem to be nothing but a failure in these personal matters, I guess I’ll just settle in to being mediocre. We know better—or at least we ought to. We are called to grow. That is what two thirds of the New Testament was written for! Nor is it right to give up on the church. Some people are given to leaving a church at the first sign of imperfection. As a teenager I used to think Why would I ever want to date, let alone marry, any girl who would consent to date someone the likes of me? But walking away from those we deem not good enough is, first, a sure sign I am blind to my own faults and, two, a horrible way to serve the Lord who died for me while I was a sinner. Bonhoffer said, He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of it... If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even when there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, & difficulty; if on the contrary, we keep complaining that everything is paltry and petty, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow... 3. Do encourage and don’t criticize Criticism is just too easy. It’s always easy to join in the same behavior as the devil, who is called the “accuser of the brethren.” Remember, when you find fault and criticize, four things happen instantly: I lose fellowship with God, I expose my own pride and insecurity, I set myself up to be judged by God, and I harm the fellowship of the church. A critical spirit is a costly vice. We would do well to remember that other Christians are not our enemy, and to criticize and judge them is to join sides with the real enemy. Worse yet, and the scripture has some scathing things to say about it, is when we go beyond thinking critical things of others and start spreading them around. Gossip & slander have no part in the Christian walk—none. 2 rules apply here: Don’t do gossip, and don’t listen to gossip. The second fastest way to stop gossip is to not listen to it. The fastest? Confront the gossiper in love. The very best thing to do—and as Christians, we are always looking for the best, right? The very best thing to do is to approach everything in our relationships positively. Be an encourager. You will bless others, and you’ll be liked! Hebrews 10:25b – …let us encourage one another… Alexander Solzhenitsyn spent part of his life in a Soviet Siberian prison. At one point he was so physically weak and discouraged that he hoped for death. The hard labor, terrible conditions, and inhumane treatment had taken its toll. He knew the guards would beat him severely and probably kill him if he stopped working. So he planned to expedite his death by simply stopping his work and leaning on his shovel. But when he stopped, a fellow Christian reached over with his shovel and quickly drew a cross at the feet of Solzhenitsyn, then erased it before a guards could see it. He would later record that his entire being was energized by that little reminder of the hope and courage we find in Christ. He found the strength to continue because a fellow believer cared enough to encourage him. 4. Quickly resolve conflict I’d be crazy if I believed there would never be conflict in the church. We’re all sinners, and wherever we gather there will be conflict. The key to being a healthy church, with healthy members in healthy relationships is this: quick resolution. As far as it is within your power, never let a bad feeling fester. You go and do your best to fix it. You may not be successful at fixing it, but you will have done the right thing if you go to the other person in love and humbly, honestly try to fix whatever is wrong. By the way, Jesus taught that if you feel you are the offended party, it’s up to you to make the first move. Jesus also taught that if you think you offended someone else, it up to you to make the first move. Your being the one to initiate conflict resolution has nothing to do with whose fault it is. The only question is this: Is there conflict? Fix it! The Bible, in the clearest and most helpful language, gives the steps to resolving conflict. Here’s a synopsis: U, U+2, U+B. You – you go to the person with whom there is conflict, present your perspective on the matter, humbly and lovingly, using “I” messages focusing on how you feel in the matter. You Plus Two – if you are not well received and you think it went dismally, take one or two others with you and try again. Choose someone the other party will respect and believe. You Plus Body of Christ – Tell it to the church. Reasonably, get a larger group—a group who knows and loves the other person, and who represent the church to him. Wise to involve elders here. These principles are, of course, spelled out in Matthew 18, where Jesus gives instruction to the apostles. We take this whole thing seriously at MECF – Covenant of Leadership Unity. At any level of recognized leadership, the leader is invited to read and sign our covenant. By signing it, the leader is basically saying, I agree to love, support, pray for and serve this church family, and to make myself accountable in a manner consistent with clear New Testament teaching. But these principles are not unique to leaders. Every believer is called to live under their direction. 5. Respect and obey your leaders I want to bring up this last point because it deals with the bottom lines of church authority, leadership and where the buck stops. As you will see, it also has to do with why churches are healthy and unified or unhealthy and divided. Hebrews 13:7, 17 reads like this: Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith… Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. When it comes to the health of a church family, church leaders are held to account. When it comes to problems, such as sin, false teaching and division, it is the church leaders, particularly the elders who are responsible to deal with the issues. When it comes to, for example, the second step of discipline, it is the elders who are called to step in. The other reason I mention it in connection with this teaching is the revelation we have at 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13. Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the LORD and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. I want you to pay particular attention to that last sentence and why it is placed there. There seems to be a vital connection between a willingness on the part of the believers to posture themselves under the authority and leadership of their leaders (indeed, to respect and love them) and the consequent level of peace in which the church can live.     [Back to Top]