Beginning with the illustration of the church being one body with many parts he moves on to his most crucial point regarding unity–love. Thankfully Paul writes about this unity in a few places in his letters, and he speaks no better about unity than in 1 Corinthians 12 and 13. It is not about agreement on all matters but upholding the spirit of unity and love as taught by Christ.Īs we live in the reality whereby issues such as these are part of our lives and culture how do we remain united around the gospel while wrestling with these things? We must constantly ask ourselves how to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. and for us in Australia this year – the Voice to Parliament.Yet, this must not deter us from seeking unity in our common faith while still encouraging healthy dialogue and disagreement.Īs we navigate complex societal issues like: A congregation of 150-200 people will naturally hold differing views, much like any friend or family group. The challenge we face is how we can maintain unity amid the cacophony of differing opinions and debates. Furthermore, our era is characterised by extreme polarisation, where civil discourse has been replaced by a binary divide, fostering an us-versus-them mentality. The secular nature of our society may sometimes conflict with gospel-worthy conduct, creating tension. Like the Philippians, we face growing skepticism of Christianity in our society. In today’s polarised society, achieving this unity can seem like an uphill battle. As we seek to conduct ourselves worthy of the gospel may we be people who stand firm in the Spirit and in one accord contending together for the faith of gospel. When we read the scriptures we are encouraged and challenged toward unity by these words of Paul. The gospel is sidelined, pettiness and gossip increase, and it becomes awkward and awful for many. It becomes a very poor witness to the Christian community, let alone the wider community.Īnd the main thing no longer becomes the main thing. There is commonly some relational breakdown. The idea of where the church should be putting its energies gets pulled this way and that. And when this occurs, when there is disunity in the church, things can go wrong, very wrong. You may well know or have experienced times when a church has not been united either. So much so I wonder what I’m still doing here sometimes. In my experience of church life I have seen and experienced plenty of disunity within the church. In their unity they are conducting themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. In their unity they are displaying the unity they have in the gospel, in Christ. We read in v28 of some opponents and Paul’s word to the church is, “to stand firm in one Spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel, not being frightened in any way by your opponents.”Īs the church stands firm, and are of one accord, through the work of the Holy Spirit, then in their striving together they are contending for the faith. The church in Philippi is under some pressure and persecution. What does matter is that the conduct worthy of the gospel will be displayed through the church’s unity and togetherness. Whether Paul is with them or not, that in the end doesn’t matter. This is how the gospel is displayed, through the unity of believers. Paul names the unity of the church as a way for the church to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel…” “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. And for the church at Philippi, to not crumble under the pressure they are facing, Paul presses on them the need to be united at the end of chapter one, verse 27. When in community with others being united is important in achieving common goals and objectives. We might even look at the natural world and think of the ant colony that works together in various lines to sustain themselves, or birds flying in a V formation to make a flight easier, or lionesses hunting in packs to capture their prey. We may have experienced this before ourselves when working with others on a particular task, on a particular project, or toward a particular goal. There is a bond together, there is a goal to achieve, there is progress made, sometimes quite rapidly, when people are united. We know when people work together in unity much can be achieved.
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