In Christ: Know It, Live It - 46 (Unity through Diversity - 1)

Wow. It's great when churches are experiencing the unity of the Spirit and the glue of harmony is holding things tightly together. Folks are treating one another like Jesus would and are focusing on their oneness in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is NOT to be taken for granted, because it does NOT exist everywhere. Where it DOES exist, there is great glory to God and to the Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus.

In Ephesians 4:7-16, the Apostle Paul teaches us more about the unity of the one family of God. Here he teaches us that the unity of the body is ALSO dependent on our DIVERSITY. Specifically, this diversity has to do with our GIFTEDNESS. There is a rich diversity in the body of Christ in regards to our Christ and Spirit given gifts for serving one another.

WHO is responsible for giving these gifts?

In this passage Paul emphasizes CHRIST as the victorious giver of all the gifts of the body.

"But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (In saying, 'He ascended,' what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? he who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.'"

Note that our gifts are gifts of GRACE. Grace is, of course, God's opposite-of-what-is-deserved favor. His rich provision for WHATEVER He calls us to. Grace takes many forms. When we say that our gifts for serving are GRACE GIFTS we are saying:

• They are from God. He is the source of them all.
• They are undeserved. We can never look (sanely) at our gifts or giftedness and think highly of ourselves. HE is the giver and the effect is HIS POWER at work. This gift and its effect is to HIS glory.
• Their effective operation is dependent on our dependence on CHRIST, the GIVER.

Think of the diversity of gifts in YOUR church. There are those with gifts of teaching, of serving, of organizing, of leading, of showing mercy, of encouraging, of evangelizing, and many others. And then take any one of these gifts and ponder how many different ways that gift can be used to serve. For example, take the gift of SERVING or HELPS. One person serves older folks with passion. Another serves with abilities of carpentry. Another loves to serve with the little ones. Yet another loves to help the pastors with secretarial skills. What endless diversity!

Note also that grace gifts are given to EACH ONE OF US. No believer is without these gifts of grace from Christ. NO ONE is without this grace. We are all therefore divinely equipped to serve the church. Christ makes sure of that.

These gifts are also according to Christ's MEASURE. That is, CHRIST is the one who decides not only who gets what gifts but also to what extent that giftedness is given. So one person is an evangelist who wins folks one at a time once in a while. Another evangelist wins groups of people almost weekly. Who's the better or more blessed evangelist? BOTH are equally blessed in that BOTH are given grace gifts of different measures from the same CHRIST for the same purpose of making disciples. It's NOT, "I'm more blessed than the one with a "lesser" gift." But rather, "We have ALL been given what we did not deserve, divine abilities to serve the King in His Church."

Christ had authority to give this diversity of grace gifts because He DESCENDED to earth and was incarnated as MAN (who lived a perfect life for sinners), because He OFFERED Himself on the cross (as the perfect sacrifice for sinners' sin), and because He then was RESURRECTED and ASCENDED back to the Father (as the Victorious Eternal Son and Perfect Man). In that resurrection and ascension Christ overcame all His foes: sin, death, Satan, and therefore had the gifts of a conqueror's spoil to pour out on His church.

What are YOUR grace gifts for serving Christ in His church? Are you joyously using them?

Though they are freely given grace gifts from our Conquering Lord, we are ACCOUNTABLE for their use. We are stewards. Christ has given these gifts NOT for us primarily, but for the church. We will stand before our King in judgment for faithfulness one day. We will. I WANT to hear a good report from my Lord.

Next time, "HOW do we DISCOVER our grace gifts?"

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 45 (Focusing on our Oneness)

We are able to maintain the unity of the church by treating one another with humility, patience, gentleness, etc. JUST LIKE JESUS WOULD. But the Apostle Paul also gives another great means to unity in Ephesians 4 in vv.4-6. In these verses he mentions a 7-fold oneness (a PERFECT oneness!) that we all share as believers:

"There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

We do indeed have many differences. But what we have in common in Christ is FAR GREATER. What differs about us is primarily TEMPORARY and will end when this age ends. But the foundation of oneness we share is ETERNAL and INFINITE: the Trinity of God; Father, Son, Spirit. WHICH will we focus on as we fellowship and serve together and work through difficulties together? To focus on our different tastes in worship music is to run the danger of destroying unity. To focus on the fact that our worship is to glorify our ONE GOD: Father, Son, and Spirit...that maintains unity.

You and I have the same LORD. He is Lord of all...period. We share ONE FAITH that focuses on HIM and on His truth. We are baptized in the name of the Trinity as followers of this one Lord.

We are indwelt by ONE SPIRIT. He is our life. He is HOLY and fills us to love one another. He has made us all members of this ONE BODY.

Our Father is the ONE TRUE GOD. He has called us to ONE HOPE: sharing all eternity with Him in His house. Man, oh man, oh man, oh man! This ONE FATHER is OVER ALL as Sovereign Lord. He is THROUGH ALL as the One working in all things. He is IN ALL as the sustaining life of all.

How many times have you heard a parent say (or have YOU said) to their children, "Come on, get along, you are in the same family!" Come on, brothers and sisters! We share the same Father, Lord, and life-giving Spirit. The INFINITE GOD lives in us and has chosen us to be part of His glorious forever-family. Let's get along!

This triune God who has called us to walk as fellow members of this family also ENABLES us to live towards one another as Christ would and to live and love based on the great oneness we share in Himself. We CAN walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called.

Let's focus on our INFINITE foundation of oneness and let this oneness move us through difficulties with one another to maintain the oneness of the body of Christ.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 44 (Treating One Another Like Christ Would-2)

We will certainly maintain the unity of our church fellowship if we relate to one another with "all humility" and with "gentleness." Jesus ALWAYS related to others this way AND this same Jesus is IN US in the person of the Holy Spirit. That means He is present at all times to empower us to be progressively more humble and gentle.

But the Apostle Paul goes further in Ephesians 4:2. He also teaches that we should relate to one another with PATIENCE, with FORBEARANCE, and with LOVE.

• PATIENCE is RESTRAINT in relationship to others. It is HANGING IN THERE with difficult people. Of course ALL OF US are difficult people to someone at sometime! Patient people are not EASILY OFFENDED. Their "offend-o-meter" is not tweaked to extreme sensitivity. Rather, they understand that we are all IN PROCESS, being made like Jesus, but NOT THERE yet. Think of the patience of Jesus in hanging in there with the 12! What a motley crew. The boisterous Peter. The passionate James and John. The pilfering Judas. The show-me-before-I-believe Thomas. Think of Jesus' patience with YOU!
• BEARING with ONE ANOTHER is mutual tolerance, putting up with each other. It is closely related to patience. It is in the name of unity in Christ putting up with differences in convictions about raising kids, music selection, spending free time, sermons, etc.
• LOVE. It all comes down to this. We are humble and gentle and patient and forbearing because we LOVE one another. Love is primarily a CHOICE and not an emotion. It SHOULD affect the emotions, but it should not start there...be birthed from there. Love seeks, even sacrificially, the good of my brother. It WILL NOT give up or give in or take off. It will keep on keeping on with whatever you and the community of Christ needs. It is an umbrella attribute of our Father and it comes to us and grows in us by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22). Jesus' loved to the CROSS...and beyond.

Our churches will always be able to maintain the unity of the Spirit with the glue of harmony if we treat one another like Jesus...with "all humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love."

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 43 (Treating One Another Like Christ Would)

In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul challenges us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling to be God's one, united church. He exhorts us to be EAGER to maintain the unity of the church through pursuing peace in our relationships. How are we to live this way?

"...With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love..." v.2

These 5 character qualities are the very character of CHRIST. We see them everywhere in the gospels and the rest of the NT as Jesus interacts with His disciples, with His enemies, and with the lost. Surely if we treat one another as Jesus would, with Jesus' character, we'll have no problem maintaining unity and harmony in our church!

• "With all HUMILITY" - To be HUMBLE is to consider ourselves SMALL. It is to have a correct estimation of ourselves. At the same time, humility is to consider OTHERS of GREAT WORTH and VALUE and therefore to SERVE them. This was Jesus' attitude in His INCARNATION. "...Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a SERVANT..." Philippians 2:6,7. THAT is Jesus-type humility, and earlier the Apostle writes, "Have THIS MIND among yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus" Philippians 2:5. The only way to be truly humble in attitude and actions towards others is to KNOW that God is your Father, that you are His child, and that He is providing all you truly need and causing all things to work together for your good. See this in the life of Jesus in John 13:3ff.
• "and GENTLENESS" - Gentleness and Meekness are synonyms. Gentleness is "power under control." To be gentle is NOT to be weak. Rather, it is to use one's power (physical and other) for the GOOD of others. Is to use one's strength to LIFT UP, not to PUT DOWN. Think of a big, burly dad gently holding his baby daughter or playing with her or wrestling with her. Power under control. Think also of Jesus, being blasphemed, beaten, and crucified but not utterly vaporizing His enemies with one command to thousands of angelic warriors. Rather, Jesus said, "Father, forgive them." Jesus loved His enemies.

We'll continue to look at these Jesus' qualities tomorrow, the Lord willing. But for now, it is a good thing and perhaps a difficult thing to ask ourselves,

• Am I BIG and others SMALL? Do I look for others to serve me without moving toward them to serve first? Do I wear an apron as I look for others' feet to wash or do I scan the horizon for folks who are wearing aprons so I can get in their line?
• Am I truly GENTLE? Am I like James and John, ready to call down fire from heaven on my enemies, those liberal elitists that are taking over...hmmmm. Or, like Jesus, am I ready to ask the Father to forgive those who deserve the opposite, JUST LIKE I DID...AND DO?

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 42 (The Pursuit of Peace)

God has created the church with an inherent, organic unity through the Holy Spirit. We ARE one...by nature. GOD creates this unity and we are to MAINTAIN it. But HOW?

The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 4:3 that we are to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the church by PEACE. We are to be "...eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." PEACE is HARMONY in relationships. To be at peace with one another means we are getting along, being careful not to allow anything to come between us and dealing with anything that does quickly and thoroughly.

This is no small thing! Ideally the church is to filled with folks from many different backgrounds with different interests, different financial status', different cultural upbringings, etc. As we fellowship together with our still sin-influenced hearts, the desire to "have it my way" or the ease which we misunderstand or misjudge one another causes many mild to serious "rubs." RUBS can produce rawness in relationships if they are not covered by love or revealed and reconciled in love. But as we have seen, our calling to live as the one body of Christ is a call to deal with these "rubs" so that harmony can be restored.

Paul calls this peace a BOND. BOND speaks of what "binds together." We might say it is the SUPER GLUE of the body of Christ. Just as the parts of our bodies MUST remain intimately united and connected and interdependent for us to live and operate effectively, so we must pursue the glue of harmony with one another in order that the body of Christ, OUR CHURCHES, will remain united and robust with the Spirit's life.

The GLUE OF PEACE is something Paul says we must be EAGER to maintain. EAGER means to be diligent, earnest, to make every effort for. I remember a professor who paraphrased this word as "bust the gut." We must bust our guts to stay at peace with one another. This convicts and sobers me. When I think of how cavalier I have been about problems in my relationships and how easy it has been in the church to walk away from a brother's friendship when the RUB became too coarse, I shudder. I have...we have...made it too easy to bailout when interpersonal problems raise their ugly heads.

Perhaps there is someone you need...I need...to go back to and by faith bust the gut to purse the glue of peace.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 41 (A Unity that Already Exists)

In Ephesians we hear God calling us to live up to the calling of being His one family, the body of Christ. In 4:3 we are told, as members of this body, that we should be "...eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." It is important to note here that the UNITY of the church ALREADY EXISTS. We are not called to CREATE unity, but to MAINTAIN unity. WHO DID create that unity?

Perhaps the most important verse in the NT in this regard is 1 Corinthians 12:13...

"For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit."

When we repented of our sin and trusted in Christ, His Holy Spirit BAPTIZED us (placed us into, made us a part) of the body of Christ. Like the blood that unites all the parts of our body together with life-giving oxygen and food, so the Spirit of God ORGANICALLY unites all believers into ONE BODY. He is our life. Our unity, therefore, is because of something far greater than all human efforts to "visualize" or make peace. Our unity is the result of the sovereign work of the Spirit. Our "badge" of membership is the Holy Spirit.

Unity therefore, is something INHERENT to the church. We are called to understand this and then to live in such a way as to maintain it. I have heard it said in certain divisive situations in churches that "We failed to create any unity." This is a misunderstanding that works against unity. When there is DIS-unity, then we must first teach the unity that ALREADY EXISTS in Christ's true church. Then we must seek to restore this unity to RELATIONSHIPS by reconciliation, and then to give ourselves to what this text teaches will MAINTAIN that unity (we'll look at these things in the coming days).

God is VERY SERIOUS about the unity of the church. When there is disunity, we have not failed to create unity, rather we have DESTROYED unity. And the warnings against destroying the church's unity are sobering. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, who were dividing the church into cliques that followed certain teachers, "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple" 1 Corinthians 3:16,17.

This is no idle threat. To see this we only need to look at Paul's words to this same church in chapter 11:30: folks were causing a fracturing within the church over how they ate the Lord's Supper. Because of this some were ill and some had died.

The church is precious to God. It was purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). In order for it to survive as a body, it must have an organic unity that allows all the parts to operate and support one another AND to remain attached to the HEAD.

"Oh, awesome Lord, grant us a love for our brothers and a desire to maintain the unity You have sovereignly built into your church. Then we will know your pleasure and blessing and share your joy."

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 40 (NT Style Motivation)

How does Christ motivate His people to obedience?

There is a world of difference between angrily exhorting people to be what they are NOT and CALLING folks to be what they ARE.

For example, a pastor could say to the congregation, "God commands us to be His witnesses. We are doing a poor job at sharing the gospel. Why aren't you witnessing more? When will you start being more faithful to evangelize?" On the other hand, he could say, "Jesus said that we ARE salt of the earth and the light of the world. Let's realize that and be who we are! Let's step up to the plate as we interact with folks this week. Let's be the influences that Christ and His Spirit have made us."

Which would motivate you more? I had a wise professor who once said, "You cannot coerce spirituality." You can't badger or berate or verbally or emotionally abuse believers into Spirit-filled obedience to Jesus Christ. Trying to beat folks into obedience ONLY produces legalistic, man-centered and self-dependent religion. There is no joy, no power, no glory to Christ.

However, I would say that New Testament motivation is the second kind. NT motivation is to CALL US TO BE WHAT WE ARE. It calls us to LIVE UP to what God has done for us and in us in Christ. This is the kind of motivation we find in Ephesians. THIS IS WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST, Chapters 1-3, and then LIVE IT OUT!, Chapters 4-6.

There is DEATH to FAITH and EFFORT when we think we have to become something that we are not and to become so by our own power. There is LIFE and POWER for obedience when we begin to understand WHO WE ARE in our Lord Jesus Christ and what HE PROVIDES for obedience.

Focus today on what your Lord has done and who you are in Him. Believe that you ARE chosen, predestined, redeemed, indwelt by the Spirit, secure, and forever a part of God's glorious inheritance. Believe His unfathomable love for you in Christ. Believe it. Breathe deeply of the fresh and invigorating air of grace. Let the daily and eternal hope of His calling birth in you a fresh faith and a springy obedience...with joy.