Brothers

         When Jesus established His Church - there was One Church. We can see in the book of Acts where God's Holy Spirit was poured out on believers and the Church was born. Over the years, there have been many splits in the Church and we've ended up with a great number of divisions. These different divisions are called denominations. And depending on the criteria you use, there are anywhere from 200 Christian denominations to around 3,000.

There have been many disagreements that have caused these divisions. Many have been theological in nature - differences over interpretations of various Biblical passages or doctrines. Some have been over what version or translation of the Bible should be used. Many have been over musical styles or instruments. I've even heard of a Church that split because they couldn't agree on the color for their new carpet.

It's hard to believe that a Church body would split over carpet - but it's happened. Over the last year - I've heard of situations where people have completely left their Church; cut all ties - because people weren't all wearing masks. I've also heard of situations where people left because they were required to wear masks. I've heard of situations where people left because they were only meeting virtually and others because people were meeting together. Kinda hard to 'win' with everyone in these 'uncharted waters'...

And while I do not have the answers to healing all divisions - one thing I know for a fact...

I. Unity requires work

Being united as a Church doesn't just happen. We can probably think of a million things which have the potential to divide us. And sadly, many of those things have little to do with theology. I'm going to warn you this morning - this probably isn't the kind of message where everyone is going to walk away happy. As we talk about 'unity' it requires that we look at things that will divide us - and since we're not all going to agree on everything, it is going to require a bit of grace on each of our parts. So I wanted to start in the Apostle Paul's letter to the Philippian Church in Philippians 2:1-13 (NIV)...

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. (3) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. (4) Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

(5) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, (7) but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! (9) Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,

(10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (12) Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, (13) for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

There's a lot there, but a few things on which I'd like to focus. Based on Paul's encouragement, 'unity' requires working towards being...

A. One in spirit

We each have different backgrounds and experiences - and with that comes different views and opinions. But somehow, despite those things - we, as Christians, are called to be 'one in spirit'. Paul isn't saying that we all have to think exactly alike - but we are called to be 'like minded'. This means that even though we have different opinions - we should all have in mind the same end goals, the same desire to please Christ. And Paul expounds on that same idea in his letter to the Colossian Church in Colossians 3:11-17 (NIV)...

Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. (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.

(15) Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (17) And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Obviously the Colossian Church was made up of Greeks and Jews, slaves and free people - all of the early congregations of that time started with a mix of different people, each with a different heritage. But Paul was making the point that in Jesus - none of those things really mattered. These things that had the potential to divide people faded away in importance compared to what they had in common - Jesus! Paul was asking them to put aside any differences, to forgive any grievances in order to be united as a body.

They were called to be one in spirit, as well as...

B. One in purpose

Many of you may remember from history when Abraham Lincoln gave a now famous speech in which he said, "A house divided against itself, cannot stand." That became a theme throughout the Civil War. It was a truth used to bring the nation together again as one people, under a common purpose. But that concept didn't originate with Abraham Lincoln.

Jesus was accused of driving out demons by power of the devil himself. And He responded to his critics in Luke 11:17 (NIV)...

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall."

For God's Church to accomplish its purpose here on this earth - the Church cannot be divided. Unity must be something we actively work towards, otherwise our differences will cause us to drift apart and lead to arguing and bickering, hurt feelings and broken relationships - and ultimately the breakdown of the Church body. And it's not just 'us' who will be hurting, but also those outside of the Church to whom we are called to minister.

We are called to work towards 'unity' because it doesn't 'just happen' - because there are some very real...

II. Obstacles to unity

Last Wednesday, I was at Porter Lakes Elementary for Sully's speech therapy and to meet with his therapist afterwards. I was sitting in their atrium, alone, but was of course wearing my mask because it's required in that school. I watched dozens of kids file by with their various masks. And as I sat there, an adult walked by and politely greeted me - without a mask on! I stood up and loudly scolded her, "You don't care about children! You don't care about me! You don't believe in science! Away with you - Be gone! A pox on you!"

No! - Of course that's not what happened. I assumed she had a reason not to have it on, or maybe even that she simply forgot - and I greeted her back politely.

It's no secret that there are a myriad of opinions regarding masks and their necessity. And it's no secret that many of these beliefs are quite deeply held. And while I can have a strong opinion myself, the Bible doesn't have any clear passages specifically regarding the efficacy of masks - so what do we do...? Recognize the obstacles to unity and work through them graciously.

While the Bible doesn't mention masks, it does speak concerning division and disagreements. Again, the Apostle Paul writing to the believers in Rome...

Romans 14:1-8 (NIV)

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. (2) One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. (3) The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.

(4) Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (5) One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. (6) He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

(7) For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. (8) If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Paul was addressing issues he called 'disputable matters' - matters of opinion. Again, in the early Church, we had this mix of Jewish believers and non Jewish Christians. You had all of the traditions and laws of the Old Testament about avoiding certain foods and observing certain days that many had lived with their entire lives - and then you had believers who knew nothing of those ways when they came to Jesus. And there were many different opinions about who was right. But Paul didn't focus on settling the debate, but rather asked the question of, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant?"

One of the biggest obstacles to unity is...

A. Our judgments

You don't ultimately answer to me. We both answer to God! And in light of that previous passage - in any disagreement we might have amongst ourselves - we need to be cautious as to where we see ourselves in that passage. If we disagree on something - who's the stronger or weaker brother...? And am I absolutely sure which place I'm in? Once again, it requires a bit of humility. And in whichever place you find yourself - stronger or weaker brother - we're still brothers because we have the same Father.

I can only control me - I cannot control the actions of others. And as I see ongoing debates amongst believers - I've found that posting your opinion on social media of what others should do or behave may not always be the most productive. And I realize the irony as we're live streaming on Facebook - I'm literally preaching on social media...

What's the 'measure' of being a Christian? Is it having the 'right Christian beliefs'? I've heard some very devout believers point out that in scripture we see prophecies concerning the 'mark of the beast' where you won't be able to buy or sell without this mark. And then they're applying that to the news that some cities won't allow you to publically enter a market or business without having a vaccination card. The implication is - those who receive the vaccine are receiving the 'mark of the beast' and thus forfeiting their salvation. - But I know many sincere believers who have - does that make them bad Christians...?

There are other devout believers who say, 'if you're truly a Christian you should love your neighbor enough to forego your freedom and get the vaccine to protect others'. - But I know many sincere believers who haven't - does that make them bad Christians...?

It's very easy to pass judgment on other believers as to the 'genuineness' of their faith. We look at their language, or actions, or appearance, or politics and form our own opinions about the sincerity of their belief. And while the Bible is clear on many issues of purity and morality - we still need to be careful as to whom we claim or deny as a brother or sister.

I've heard someone say, "I don't know how someone could be a Christian and then still do or say or believe (fill in the blank)...!" I get it; I've been there. And sometimes that person may simply be wrong. But when we ask that question, it ultimately means that - since I don't know, I can't assume anything there and perhaps there's something I might need to learn.

For instance - we've probably all seen celebrities who loudly and publically proclaim that they are Christians and then turn around and say or do something that we judge not to be overly Christian in nature - and our judgment may be absolutely correct. - But remember, Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33 (NIV)...

Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. (33) But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

I am not trying to set the bar of faith low, I don't want to cheapen grace - and Jesus always raised the bar in His expectations of holiness. BUT - who am I to judge whether someone who publically testifies about Jesus is indeed my brother, if Jesus acknowledges them to His Father in Heaven...?

I'm not making the point that we shouldn't all pursue the goal of holiness - we should. But I'm more encouraging us to be gracious with those whom we choose, or don't choose, to call brother or sister for whatever reason - for the ultimate goal of unity in the body. Many times, the biggest obstacle to that goal of unity may be our...

B. Desire to be right

I am not saying there are no absolutes. I'm not trying to be 'wishy washy' and ignore that there are many black and white issues of right and wrong. The Bible is quite clear on many things. But in our desire to be right - on some issues that Paul himself deemed 'disputable matters' - we end up causing divisions rather than seeking to bring unity.

Of course I think I'm right - if I didn't, I'd change my mind. But being right isn't always the most important thing. I'm not suggesting that we compromise on truth as established in the Bible. But I am suggesting that we need to learn to be more gracious with those with whom we disagree - sometimes strongly disagree - especially among the Body of Christ, the Church.

So What?

'But preacher, I really don't agree with some of what you said! And I can't wait to tell you why you're wrong' - That's kind of my point... If you didn't hear something this morning with which you disagreed - you probably weren't really paying attention. And some of what I said this morning - I could be wrong! My point isn't that I'm right - but even if I'm wrong, we are still brothers in Christ!

You may consider your brother to be an idiot - but it doesn't change the fact that I'm still your brother! You may even think that's not fair - and it may not be - but take it up with your Father; He made the rules. It's okay to disagree with me and it's okay to discuss opinions on 'disputable matters' - as long as we are one in spirit and purpose.

As a Church - we either unite despite our differences - or we don't. There's really no other options. When we find our differences - pray that our common love for Jesus can overcome those differences and that we can be united as a Church in order to fulfill God's purpose in us! You don't have to shake my hand on the way out the door - but you do have to love me!