In his letter to the Philippians, Paul first urges believers to be of the “same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” The Church today could benefit from listening to that advice.
Paul goes on to say this:
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.
Philippians 1:27 (NASB)
How often, though, do you hear one Christian bad-mouthing another? Usually it’s in a denominational context — how off-base those Catholics are, or how weird the pentecostals act in church, or how shameful it is for that megachurch pastor to be living in a nice home while some of his congregants live on the street.
We fight against one another rather than stopping to encourage one another. We highlight our differences rather than our common reliance on the grace given to us in Christ. Meanwhile, our real enemy runs rampant in the world stirring up death and destruction in every nation.
Today, why not take a different turn? Why not pray for the Church? Why not lift other believers up to God and ask that unity be restored to the Body? Note that Paul says we shouldn’t even be “alarmed” by our opponents. We have the victory already, but we often fail to walk in it.
We are One in Christ, and it’s time for us to begin acting like it.
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