One God -- One Goal -- One Glory

Have you ever been part of a musical group of some kind – like a choir, band or orchestra? Making music together is an amazing experience. Practicing together somehow brings the members together into almost a single organism. Each person has their specific part to play or sing. It may be similar to someone else’s or it may be unique to that one person, but each person and part are crucial in making the performance beautiful.

I spent a large part of my growing up years in the school band. We spent a minimum of five hours a week together practicing our music. We were also expected to spend at least an hour each day practicing alone, the parts we would play with the group, as well as working on individual skills that would ultimately make our performance with the group better.

Thinking back, it’s interesting that band members tended to be friends with other band members. We knew people in our math classes, English classes and history classes, but we hung out with other band members. We ate lunch together and socialized outside of school together. We tended to date people who were band members more often than people who were not. And our love and admiration of our band director easily surpassed anything we felt for any of our other teachers. Many years later, those feelings of loyalty and friendship are still very strong.

Now, does that mean that there were never any disagreements between band members? Did we always perform perfectly? Did we always practice the way we were expected to? Absolutely not. I often wonder how our (or any) band director maintained his sanity. We were a diverse, exuberant, distractible, non-compliant, and undisciplined bunch of fourteen to nineteen year olds from vastly different homes, ethnic backgrounds and economic levels, not to mention varying degrees of talent and musical ability.

And yet, the music we played, if not perfect, was beautiful. If nothing else, we shared the desire to perform our parts well so that the band as a whole would perform well. We were pleased with our individual performance only as it was reflected in the group performance – whether we were playing a solo or were one of fifteen flutes all playing the same part, we realized that our contribution was needed, wanted, and important.

Research has found that as groups of people who sing together, their breathing and heartbeats quickly synchronize. (I’m guessing that the same thing would occur with any musical group.)

“… what really struck him was that it took almost no time at all for the singers' heart rates to become synchronized. The readout from the pulse monitors starts as a jumble of jagged lines, but quickly becomes a series of uniform peaks. The heart rates fall into a shared rhythm guided by the song's tempo.
“‘The members of the choir are synchronizing externally with the melody and the rhythm, and now we see it has an internal counterpart,’ Vickhoff says.
“This is just one little study, and these findings might not apply to other singers. But all religions and cultures have some ritual of song, and it's tempting to ask what this could mean about shared musical experience and communal spirituality.
“‘It's a beautiful way to feel. You are not alone but with others who feel the same way,’ Vickhoff says.”[1]

Did you notice any similarities in the description of band life, to what should be our Christian life? We should be spending several hours a week with other Christians in an organized group setting (church). We should also be spending time daily preparing for that group (lesson study) as well as increasing our individual skills (personal Bible study and prayer). The bonds we create with those who believe as we do give us strength and courage to meet the world around us and share our good news. Our love for our Leader (Jesus) is the bond that draws us and keeps us together.

Our church family is made up of a wide variety of ages, talents, ethnic and economic backgrounds, the personal histories are vastly different. And yet we share a love for our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. We share a desire to reach those around us with the saving love of Jesus. And we all want more than anything else to spend eternity with Jesus and our spiritual brothers and sisters.

Does that mean that we all agree with each other all the time? Do we all have the same role to play in the church family? Do we all share the same methods for spreading the Gospel? Do we all live the perfect Christian life all the time? Do we pray and study and witness like we should all the time? Do you think there are times when we disappoint Jesus? And, does any of that mean that we aren’t unified as a church?

The family of God is made up of changeable, diverse, sometimes unrepentant, sinful individuals, all of whom are loved and forgiven and have been given highly specific and individual roles to play in the completion of God’s work. No one’s part is unimportant or expendable.

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.
“If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”1 Corinthians 12:12-18

“I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God-
I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,
For I'm part of the family, the family of God.
You will notice we say "brother and sister" 'round here-
It's because we're a family and these folks are so near;
When one has a heartache we all share the tears,
And rejoice in each victory
In this family so dear.
From the door of an orphanage to the house of the King-
No longer an outcast, a new song I sing;
From rags unto riches, from the weak to the strong,
I'm not worthy to be here,
But, praise God, I belong!”[2]

---

[1] Anna Haensch, When Choirs Sing, Many Hearts Beat As One, NPR, Shots, Your Health,  July 10, 2013, http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/07/09/200390454/when-choirs-sing-many-hearts-beat-as-one

[2]Bill and Gloria Gaither, The Family of God. 

One God - One Goal - One Glory

Thoughts on the Sabbath School Lesson for 11.24.12

Do you remember this song?

We are one in the Spirit

We are one in the Lord

We are one in the Spirit

We are one in the Lord

And we pray that all unity may one day be restored

We will work with each other

We will work side by side

We will work with each other

We will work side by side

And we'll guard each man’s dignity

And save each man’s pride

We will walk with each other

We will walk hand in hand

We will walk with each other

We will walk hand in hand

And together we'll spread the news

That God is in our land

And they'll know that we are Christians by our love

By our love

Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love [1]

That was one of my favorite songs as a young person. I hadn’t thought of it in years, but as I was thinking about ‘unity’ I found myself humming it. (And now it will be stuck in your head too. Ha!)

Did you read the lyrics? They provide an excellent picture of what unity among Christians should look like, don’t you think?

I was reading the dictionary definition of unity. It says, 

“1. the state of being one; oneness. 2. a whole or totality as combining all its parts into one. 3. the state or fact of being united or combined into one, as of the parts of a whole; unification. 4. absence of diversity; unvaried or uniform character. 5. oneness of mind, feeling, etc., as among a number of persons; concord, harmony, or agreement.” [2]

It’s a good definition – it covers all the bases. Number 4 bothers me a bit, though. I don’t believe that one describes the kind of unity we should find among Christians. What do you think?

My understanding of unity within the church with our common belief in a loving, creator God, includes our common goal of bringing as many souls as possible into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and our shared expectation of spending eternity with our Savior. One God -- One Goal -- One Glory

Beyond that, though, I believe that our methods can be quite diverse. God made each of us individual. There are as many methods of sharing the gospel as there are Christians – and I believe that’s a good thing.

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” Ephesians 4:11-12

Can you imagine a football team where, even though the entire team agreed that they all wanted to win the game, everybody wanted to be quarterback? Would that team be able to fulfill its goal to win the game? Probably not. There’d be 11 men throwing the ball around, but nobody would be catching it. That team would be everybody’s joke.

Look at Jesus’ disciples. They did not look like clones of Jesus or each other? Did they all have the same personality? Absolutely not! The disciples were vastly different from each other, weren’t they? But they were unified in their belief that Jesus the Messiah.

What’s the trick to finding unity within the body of Christ? How can we be like the disciples and be “all in one accord” and ready to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit?

“Notice that it was after the disciples had come into perfect unity, when they were no longer striving for the highest place, that the Spirit was poured out. They were of one accord. All differences had been put away. And the testimony borne of them after the Spirit had been given is the same. Mark the word: ‘The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul.’  Acts 4:32. The Spirit of Him who died that sinners might live animated the entire congregation of believers.” E.G. White, Counsels for the Church, p.  98

So, what are you doing to further the cause of Jesus Christ? Have you found your ministry niche? If not, why not? Don’t want to stand up in front and speak – no problem. Can’t sing or play an instrument? That’s ok. For everything you think of that you say you cannot do, there is at least one other form of ministry that you can do. You can help the pastor in his office, clean the church, help in one of the children’s departments, help with potlucks, be a greeter, or become a prayer warrior for your spiritual family.

Jesus has a specific and unique mission for you that will fit in perfectly with what everyone else in your church is doing.

When you feel like complaining that someone isn’t doing their job right, pray instead that God will show you how you can help? Maybe that person has been holding that job just for you. If you turn it down, who else will fill your spot?

“Strive earnestly for unity. Pray for it, work for it. It will bring spiritual health, elevation of thought, nobility of character, heavenly-mindedness, enabling you to overcome selfishness and evil surmisings, and to be more than conquerors through Him that loved you and gave Himself for you. Crucify self; esteem others better than yourselves. Thus you will be brought into oneness with Christ. Before the heavenly universe, and before the church and the world, you will bear unmistakable evidence that you are God’s sons and daughters. God will be glorified in the example that you set.
“The world needs to see worked out before it the miracle that binds the hearts of God’s people together in Christian love. It needs to see the Lord’s people sitting together in heavenly places in Christ. Will you not give in your lives an evidence of what the truth of God can do for those who love and serve Him? God knows what you can be. He knows what divine grace can do for you if you will be partakers of the divine nature.”  E.G. White, Counsels for the Church, p. 290-291        

You can’t be a Christian from the sidelines. You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution. You’re either with Jesus or against Him. There is no middle ground. 

     

Remember, we share a belief in the “one, true God.”  Our shared mission is to introduce as many people as possible to our Redeemer.  And, by God’s grace, we will meet beside the Sea of Glass and spend Eternity in the presence of Jesus.  One God – One Goal – One Glory  

---

[1] Peter Scholte, “We Are One In The Spirit,” HigherPraise.com, http://www.higherpraise.com/lyrics/p/peter_scholte/peter_scholte-we_are_one_in_the_spirit.html

[2] http://dictionary.reference.com/

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Thoughts on the Sabbath School Lesson for 10.15.11

In the interest of full disclosure, I hate conflict.  I will go to great lengths and do almost anything to avoid it.  I know folks who, maybe love is too strong a word, but are not afraid to say exactly what they mean even if they’re pretty sure it’s going to upset someone. 

Anyway, when we talk about the early Christians we like to concentrate on the “all in one accord” parts of the story – they were so unified.  Everybody got along and there was no conflict in the early church.  But that’s not the way it was!  We forget that as the disciples were setting things up, they ran in to some rough spots; some places where they didn’t agree.  We can even read in Paul’s letters how he reminded them to not let their disagreements over who their preacher was get in the way of their belief in Jesus.

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers Sand sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’  Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:10-13

When I think of unity – “all in one accord”, I think of that famous scene in the movie, Spartacus.  In case you haven’t seen it:

“Spartacus is a classic movie that retells the historical account of the great Roman slave rebellion in 71 B.C. Spartacus was a highly trained gladiator who escaped and led other slaves to freedom. As news of his rebellion grew, thousands of slaves joined his cause and followed him through victories and defeats.
“Near the end of the movie, a massive Roman army under the command of Senator Crassus (Laurance Olivier) captures the rebels. Although Crassus does not know what Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) looks like, he suspects that Spartacus is alive amongst the prisoners under guard. In full Roman uniform, Crassus gallops up to the mouth of the valley where the prisoners are being held and shouts an offer to them: they can escape death by crucifixion if they turn Spartacus over to him.
“Spartacus studies the ground for a moment and then nobly gets to his feet, intending to turn himself in. But before he can do so, his comrade to the left stands and calls out, ‘I am Spartacus!’ Then his comrade to the right also stands and calls out, ‘I am Spartacus!’ As the real Spartacus looks on, comrade after comrade in his slave army rises to their feet and calls out, ‘I am Spartacus!’ until there is a chorus of thousands united.”[1]

That scene really demonstrates the concept of unity, something that can so easily be lost in our day to day walk with Jesus.   We get caught up in our differences of opinion about things that don’t really matter to our salvation, like whether the pews should be dark or light wood and whether the bathrooms are painted blue or green.  Remember, the early Christians met in the catacombs, caves filled with dead people.  I’m pretty sure decorating was not the first thing on their minds.

Unity is really, really important, but sometimes, our push for unity goes too far.  We decide that unity is more important that truth and that’s a real problem.

Check out this comment from a church leader about what is more important – unity or truth:

"If you must make a choice between heresy and schism, always choose heresy."[2]

This quote comes from an Episcopal bishop, Peter James Lee.  He was voting with 59 other Episcopal bishops whether or not to approve a practicing gay man as bishop.  Now, I’m not trying to debate the whole homosexuality issue, what I want you to notice is what this bishop is saying.  He is saying that he believes that if we ever come to a place where we have to decide between allowing false teachings into our church or standing up for the truth at the risk of causing a split in the church, we should accept the false teachings.  Did you get that?  Unity at the cost of truth … wow.

Maybe you’ve seen the bumper sticker/t-shirt that says "COEXIST" using the symbols that represent Islam, Pacifism, Gay Rights, Judaism, Paganism, Taoism and Christianity for the respective letters in the word. 

If the question is, “Can we, as Christians, get along with all these other people?” the answer is, “YES!” 

“Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:  Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”  I Corinthians 10:32-33

But if the question is, “Should we agree with all of those beliefs and practice them in our own congregations?”  Then the answer is absolutely, “NO!”  Unity doesn’t mean compromising the truth.

“The Texas Army National Guard has a group of special workers called riggers. Their job is to fold and pack the parachutes soldiers use when jumping from an airplane at 5,000 feet. These people are intensely dedicated to their task. The Rigger's Creed states, ‘I will be sure always!’ They know jumpers need assurance that everything regarding their chutes is perfect. In the 20 minutes it takes to meticulously pack an MC1-1 military parachute, 30 folds are required. A jumper has nothing to do with the chute until they put it on before a jump. Trust in the error-free performance of the riggers is all a jumper has to rely on.
The Rigger's Creed further states: ‘I will never let the idea that a piece of work is 'good enough' make me a potential murderer through a careless mistake or oversight, for I know there can be no compromise with perfection.’  Riggers know that the parachute business is a life-or-death enterprise. Mistakes cost lives. There is no room for complacency.
“Do we approach our kingdom responsibilities with equal fervor?”[3]

Satan uses many ways to turn us away from God.  He can use the everyday conflicts between people to drive us out of the church or he can use the infiltration of false teaching so we are lost without ever leaving the church. 

We can’t let our salvation be threatened by disagreements with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we also must guard against compromising what we know to be truth in an effort to be unified.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  1Peter 5:8

---

[1] Spartacus (Universal Pictures, 1960), directed by Stanley Kubrick; submitted by Bill White, Paramount, California

[2] BreakPoint with Charles Colson, (Commentary #040205, 02-05-04)

[3] Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson, Walking the Small Group Tightrope (Zondervan, 2003) p. 157-158