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...the Bible tells me so:
“United We Stand”
I am thrilled with all of the patriotism demonstrated throughout our city and nation. Displaying the flag continually had been reserved for the zealous patriots. Now, the flag is in front of houses and businesses, on cars and trucks, and on shirts and hats, everywhere.
More fans than
ever sing “The Star Spangled Banner” at ball games. Every time you turn around,
there is someone new singing “God Bless
Citizens pledge
allegiance with renewed vigor, including the words “one nation, under God,
indivisible.” Signs multiply the message, “God bless
“United We Stand” means that it does not matter that we are Republicans or Democrats, white, black or brown, rich or poor, educated much or little. We are all Americans, standing together to fight a common enemy.
“United We Stand” is absolutely essential to the survival and advancement of our nation. Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25 NIV).
In Christianity, it is the same way. It must be “United We Stand,” just as the Scriptures say,
· “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)
· “Holy Father, protect them [the apostles] by the power of Your name—the name You gave Me—so that they may be one as We are one” (Jesus prayed in John 17:11).
· “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message [Christians of all ages], that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one: I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me” (Jesus continued in verses 20-23).
· “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6).
· “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:10-13; see 4:6)
· “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (chapter 12:12-13; see verses 14-20; Romans 12:3-8).
· “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28; see Colossians 3:11).
· “For He Himself [Jesus] is our peace, who has made the two [Jewish and Gentile Christians] one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations [the Law of Moses]. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility” (Ephesians 2:14-16; see verses 11-22; John 10:16; 11:52).
· “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:3-6; see verses 11-13).
· “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14).
However, I recognize the practical situation as well. The proverb, “It takes two to tango,” applies to the church as well. Unity can only happen when Christians stand together and stand together for God’s truth.
When division threatened the church early on, the Christians turned to the leading of the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures. For example, some Jewish Christians were demanding that Gentile Christians undergo circumcision and keep all the commands of Moses (Acts 15:1-2, 5). When the apostles and elders met together to discuss the matter, the church heard about the door of faith opened by God to the Gentiles. Then James reminded them of the promise that God made in the Old Testament to include Gentiles with the rest of His people (verses 6-18). James turned to the question of daily fellowship and made his recommendation on how Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians could interact, basically by having the Gentiles follow the scruples of Jewish eating customs (verses 19-21).
From Acts 15, Romans 14-15 and 1 Corinthians 8, matters of faith must be accepted by all in order to have unity. Matters of opinion must be dealt with according to what does not damage individual members of the body. Injuring the body of Christ is divisive.
Additionally, there are those who are deliberately divisive. For example, John pointed to a bad example. He said, “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church” (3 John 9-10).
Paul tells us how to respond to such a person, writing, “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him” (Titus 3:10; see Romans 16:17-18).
From the beginning of the church, “United We Stand” was the norm, from the one body (or church [see Ephesians 1:22-23]) to the one heart and mind, from the one Lord [Jesus] to the one faith and baptism (see Acts 2:41-47; 4:32-37). How great Sealy would be, if there were only one church through which all Christians would worship and obey God!
For a closing thought, what did Jesus mean when He said, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:51-53)
P.S. Please do not forget to honor our veterans this Sunday, November 11. Their sacrifices paid for our freedom.
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