Fight For Unity
In the 1960′s, while running for governor of California, Ronald Reagan subscribed to what became known as the 11th Commandment. This commandment stated that “Thous shall not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” This philosophy seemed to work out well for President Reagan.
Unfortunately, the same doesn’t seem to happen in the Church.
I don’t know about you or my fellow bloggers, but there seems to be a growing trend on Twitter and the blogosphere.
I know this because I’ve been guilty of this in the past.
It seems like rather than unity in the Body of Christ, there are fractures.
There is something that I would like to see more of.
I want to see a fight for unity.
Don’t get me wrong. I know it can’t happen every single time. I know there are some lines that have to be drawn. We can’t always be in total unity with everyone.
The problem is that I continue to see more and more folks who want to focus on what they disagree with others about. What I see is that some consider some things essential that aren’t truly essential in the faith.
In Ephesians 4, Paul encourages his readers to “be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” He says to do this “with humility and gentleness.” I think we see what the problem is in this section of scripture.
I think there is a lack of humility.
I think pride is the problem.
I think we get our pride all worked up in these situations. I think we want to get our soapbox and let some brother or sister have it. We want to prove to them that we are right and they are wrong.
We fight with each other instead of fighting for the important things that unite us.
Let’s stop it brothers and sisters.
You disagree with someone? Fine. Promote what you believe. Make a strong case for what is important to you. Convince us of what you believe. Don’t tear down that guy or gal for what they believe. Trust that the Lord is in control and that what He is for will win out. I’ll respect you a lot more.
Have you noticed this trend of late? Are you fighting for unity or just looking for a fight?
Hey Larry. I haven’t really seen it persay, but I can see how this could easily become an issue within the body. Something definatly to stay mindful of. Great post brother.
Very timely post. Divisions within the body create opportunities for the devil to promote his cause. It is up to us to be vigilant and guard against these.
I’ve seen it only as a way to poke and make fun of our pastors and elders…(ie: driscoll, piper, osteen)…
I’m not a big fan of osteen…at all…but i’m not gonna go aorund making fun at him on my blog or in a conversation…
He is still a brother in Christ…
But, maybe a distant brother that lives far away. lol…
I may have retweeted something about Osteen before, but I’m trying to make an effort from doing anything that will tear someone down. I’ve become more interested in building people up.
I try, but often fail, to live by the dictum:
“In the essentials, unity. In the non-essentials, liberty. In all else, charity.”
Trouble is, defining the “essentials” often becomes a slippery slope. And I’m just as guilty as the next guy in trying to define another’s faith in the light of my convictions.
That’s part of the problem. My essentials may differ. However, if we triage essentials and billion them down, we probably agree on the vast majority. What I see are people focusing on the minority that they disagree with someone about.