How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live together in harmony! Psalm 133:1
Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Rejoice. Change your ways. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Cor. 13:11
How hard it is sometimes to live at peace with one another. We are all so different in so many ways in personality and life experience. Yet, scripture urges us to be unified in order to work in harmony for the same goal: Extending the kingdom of God. We all have differing roles in doing kingdom work, as Paul teaches in his well known analogy of the body parts (1 Cor. 12). We all need each other, different as we are.
In the same chapter of 1Cor., Paul wrote that God has given each of us different gifts to serve him, and he has also given people as gifts to the church for the purpose of equipping the saints to do the work. All of the spiritual gifts and the gifts of people are to work in harmony. Nothing disrupts kingdom work more than division among God’s people. That is why Paul wrote about it. He knew that things that divide could crop up and undo all that has been accomplished. How Satan loves that.
We are not cookie cutter people. In other words, we are not exactly the same. There are personality conflicts. There are differences of opinion about matters of theology and church governance. There are differences in thought about whether or not infant baptism is valid, if one is sprinkled or dunked. There are myriad issues that can divide and all grieve God when it causes splits in the church. But one thing is clear, we are to love one another and respect one another as well as the authority of those who have been appointed to lead the church. In Hebrews the author writes: Obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls and they know they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this joyfully and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit. (13 :17)
Why do I write about this? Because I sometimes don’t agree with the leadership God has placed over me. But I am convinced that all leadership comes from God and therefore I am to pray for the leaders in my life from the President to my boss, to my pastor, to the elders and trust that God will use them to shape me into the person he has called me to be. If it were easy to always live in harmony, we’d never grow in appreciation and respect and love for one another. As it is, when I disagree, it is a chance for me to learn submission, something that definitely does not come naturally for me. Telling the truth in love means being gentle, approaching in private and doing all that can be done to be reconciled. Depending on circumstances, sometimes being right can be wrong.
I need to look hard at myself and ask God to reveal to me where I am a cause of division and repent by cleaning up my side of the street before crossing it to reach out to my brother or sister. Humbleness goes a long way toward being in harmony. I pray that I can be humble in all my relationships, to my brothers and sisters in Christ, to my husband, my son, my coworkers at my job. To all God has placed in my life. It may not always be easy, but God gives grace to make it be so.
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Thank you Susan. I appreciated your words and Paul's words this morning, to this discouraged believer and leader. Peace and unity is not about "feeling good" about each other, or coming to consensus in every matter. It's about peace and unity IN CHRIST for the building up of the church, in spite of differences. Sometimes God tells us to speak the truth boldy, and other times err in favor of grace. but we are to build up the church with BOTH truth and grace, else why did Jesus die?
As a pastor to many people with different gifts, experiences, and stories, I have been called by God to minister to them all, in grace AND truth. The truth comes from God, not just from from my own opinions or reality, or those of others. God can speak through circumstances, but so can Satan.
My call is to serve first, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to seek biblical and theological wisdom in leadership, discernment, prayer and my care for this flock, my friends and family, in all I do. Sometimes, God's wisdom conflicts with mine and with those I serve. I am called to be obedient no less to the authority of Jesus and God's word. I am just as accountable to God to how I build up the church, - maybe more so - since pastors have authority over a flock, and therefore can be vulnerable to abusing power. I pray I do not fall to that, rather be a servant-leader, and Spirit-led.
ALL of us believers who serve the church are accountable to God for how we use our gifts to build up the church or whether we contribute to the divisiveness. At times putting God and God's church first is not popular with all the people. But we can and should be obedient, and trust the Holy Spirit's work in all things.
Please pray for all pastors as they seek to discern the will of God in their leadership.
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