Live in Harmony
Notes
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Coca-Cola ad from 1971 - I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.
Background to the song.
Ad worked very well. Coke has used it several times across the decades and it sells a lot of product.
Hits us in an instinctual place.
We would all love to live in a community in peace, security and happiness.
All human beings long for a community where they can live in peace w/one another.
Our world, however, is sharply divided in so many ways.
Politics - we can barely talk to one another any more when we disagree
Economics - the “haves” seem to be getting more and the “have-nots” less.
Gender - In everything from #metoo to pay inequality to gender bias in media and entertainment, we fight one another as men and women.
NYC now has 31 different gender identities for you to choose from. I can’ imagine anything more divided than that.
And while Coke may be “the real thing,” and provide relief from thirst, etc, we know that it won’t fix the world’s problems.
And yet, we still desire that place to feel safe, accepted, loved.
The true “Real Thing,” the only source for harmony and love isn’t on a hillside in Rome, it’s supposed to be the in the church of Jesus Christ.
What ad execs grasped dimly, the Apostle Paul understood completely.
5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
These two verses outline a critical part of the church’s purpose: the bear witness to Jesus Christ and God the Father.
If people want peace, harmony, love and care, they need to find it among the people God has brought together in what we call the church.
Live in Harmony
Live in Harmony
[SLIDE] Translates a Gk. word: phroneo, which means to “think in a certain way.” Or, to have a particular opinion. When used of groups it means to share an opinion, idea, philosophy together.
This is “friendship language.” Today we would call it being BFF’s.
16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
11 Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
Clearly, this is an important concept for Paul and much needed.
The goal of this concept can’t be that there’s no room for differences or uniqueness.
This is about being on the same page on the important stuff.
To reference another bit of cultural “wisdom”, remember “be like Mike?”
What’s the goal? To have the same thing Mike has: money, fame, playing ball, etc.
5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.
For us, it’s much more critical. The more we have harmony amongst ourselves, the more we are like Jesus.
For us, it’s much more critical. The more we have harmony amongst ourselves, the more we are like Jesus.
XTION: Paul describes what this harmony looks like:
Sing the Same Song
Sing the Same Song
The result of having the same mind-set is that we can, through our actions and words, bring glory to God.
In other words, we’re pointing the way to God (and much better than any ad can do!)
Paul uses two phrases to describe how this works:
“Join together”
from a political word to describe a government body making decisions. Typically based on some external circumstance or force.
When we’re unified in our thinking based on what God has done for us, we can decide together how we will point to God and all He has done for us.
Our testimony is congruent.
46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—
46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.
acts 2:
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
“One voice” (mouth, what we say)
45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
The same thing is true of churches! We have a “voice,” a way of communicating what we believe to be important.
When we have unity, harmony as a church, we find ourselves agreeing about the most important thing even as we are unique and individual.
We able to share the gospel of Jesus - that God has created harmony and peace with us through His Son - because we have experienced the gospel ourselves.
No matter what kind of disagreements we have about other things, we can come together on that point.
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
Conclusion