One Voice

"Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Romans 15:5-6

Like-mindedness among Christians is a gift from God. We need His Spirit to unify us. The Lord Jesus prayed that believers would all be one, so that the world would believe that the Father had sent the Son. "Picture an orchestra warming up before a concert. The violins play one thing, the trumpets work on their scales, the trombones practice something else, the clarinets are doing their own thing, and the flutes, well, the flutes are in their own little world. That’s the way it is when you warm up. There is no melody, just a cacophony of unrelated sounds. But everything changes when the conductor lifts his baton. Suddenly the noise stops. Every eye is on him. When he brings the baton down, the music starts, and what had been unconnected noise now becomes beautiful music. If each person played whatever he wanted, the result would be chaos. But when those very different instruments blend together on the same song following the same conductor, the result is wonderful.  In the church we are called to blend our hearts and our voices to the purpose of our conductor, the Lord Jesus Christ. When we follow His lead, the church produces a symphony of praise that the world cannot ignore." -- Ray Pritchard

All For One

“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

John 17:20-21

One of the events in Jesus' life that should touch us deeply is this: His prayer to the Father on our behalf. Just hours away from His death, the Lord is asking for unity among believers. Those who would come to know Him years after He had left the earth. Unity is so important, because it is what will make the world believe that Jesus is God. But maintaining unity doesn't mean we compromise on doctrinal truth. In Acts 15  Paul and Barnabas had "great dissension and debate" with their Christian brothers over circumcision, but they did not disassociate from them. They continued to meet with them and seek God's will together to resolve their differences. And God resolved them. Perhaps that experience caused Paul to write in Philippians 3:15 "and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you." Lord, help us all to be one -- and all for One.

Words of Wisdom

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." 

Ephesians 4:2-3

Having aged spiritually, as well as chronologically, I've come to see the wisdom of these words in Ephesians. It is not through forceful words or logical arguments that we Christians will win souls for Christ. Rather, it is in the "unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace". The world is full of discord. Unfortunately, the Church is all too often as discordant as the world. What a difference a humble, gentle, forbearing, loving, unified group of believers could make in their community. And think what could happen if this Ephesians model was multiplied across the globe; all to the glory of God. It begins with me. It begins with you.