“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same judgment.” – 1 Corinthians 1:10
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service , but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities , but the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” – 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12
When I was in school, one of the areas teachers were asked to evaluate children was their ability to get along with others. “Does he play well with others?” was a frequently asked question. Now, I don’t know if that kind of thing is still watched today in our schools, but in the church it is still essential to the health of every body of believers! Unity of purpose and loving one another are emphasized more than anything else in Scripture as key to the strength of our story. Without them our story begins to fall apart and plot lines are blurred…characters are lost or left undeveloped…or even excluded.
From this point in our journey through the Scriptures we are encouraged to continue our stories while holding onto the One Story that unites all God’s people together. In this first letter to the Corinthian church the Apostle Paul has become aware of a very common problem in churches anywhere…people aren’t getting along. So, this letter is written to encourage and instruct on how they (and we) can keep on track.
Paul acknowledges that we each are created uniquely by God with different personalities, different skills and gifts…different individual stories. This is to be celebrated and appreciated in the church! Each of us is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Our God is a God of diversity! He does not make any two things the same. But, God also made each individual to fit into the One Story…a symphony of different sounds coming together for One beautiful song!
Paul used the analogy of the human body. It has many parts. Each is unique in its function and purpose. All those different parts working together…each doing what they were designed to do…for the same purpose make for a healthy body. Everyone knows that it is vitally essential for all the parts of the body to work well together toward the overall purpose of the body. Each doing their what they were created to do alongside others doing what they were created to do to accomplish One thing.
Sounds easy enough…until we stop following the Composer and Conductor of our symphony. We stop trusting His design and begin to follow our own and isolate ourselves from the rest of the body. Our personal agendas become more important than the well being of the overall body and sickness occurs. Paul, in this letter, is trying to reorient a church that has become distracted by the details and has cut itself off from the “Head” of the body, which is Jesus. That’s right. You are not the leader of the church…and neither am I. That is what unites us.
When we cease to trust His design and follow our own desires we become alienated from the Author of our story…remember how our story began? When we stop seeking God and each does what he thinks is right in his own eyes (See Day 9)…we find ourselves on a road of division and destruction.
Churches frequently fail when they are evaluated with the question…Can they work well together? Have you allowed selfish pride to hinder the blessings that God has for you in His Church? There are no lone rangers in the Kingdom of God! You are not an exception. Part of becoming all you were meant to be is “being” a part of His body. It’s not easy. You don’t always get your way. You have to share with others. You have to take turns…but the rewards are Spectacular!
Make sure your story is connected!