As Christians, we are taught by Christ to be non-confrontational; that is, we do not go around looking to get into a fight. Jesus said to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), and to love our enemies (Matt. 5:44). The apostle Paul wrote, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood... (Ephesians 6:12a, NKJV). But he would go on to say that we do wrestle against the devil and his army. It has been said that Christianity is not a playground but a battleground. Timothy was instructed to Fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12a), and Paul declared that he had fought the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7a). Today, let's look at one of the things for which we should be fighting.
We should be fighting to stay together as the body of Christ, the church. According to the Bible, Christians should be endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). The word "endeavoring" means to be especially conscientious in discharging an obligation, be zealous/eager, take pains, make every effort, be conscientious (William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 939.) Unity in the church is one of the things that we are strongly urged to keep.
We may understand that we are to preserve unity in the church, but it is another thing to go about doing it. How do you keep it? Thankfully, the word of God instructs us. As we read chapter four of Ephesians, we note that there are certain attitudes of Christ we must adopt (v. 2), as well as the certain doctrine of Christ in which we must abide (vv. 4-6). But I want us to look at the third thing we must do, and that is aiding in the work of Christ. If we are busy in the work of Christ, we will not find the time to divide in the body of Christ. There are three works that promote unity in the church: the equipping of the saints, the work of ministry, and the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12).
First, to equip the saints means to bring to maturity in the faith. Who fusses and fights? Children do. Immature Christians do. A church of complainers is an immature church. How do you grow? Biologically by ingesting food. Spiritually by ingesting the word of life (1 Peter 2:2). We should be thankful for those here who teach in the classrooms and for those who teach by example and in conversation. Second, the work of ministry is simply the work of serving others. It is difficult, if not impossible, to cause division if you are busy serving others. There are many works of the church in which everyone can find a place. As we begin working the evangelism model this coming year, the church will need everyone to serve in it in some capacity. Finally, the edifying of the body is finding ways to encourage and build up one another. This requires intention and time. More often than not, this encouragement takes place outside of the church building and in the homes of one another (Acts 12:12; 16:15; 20:20).
A bully had a fight with two boys. The teacher asked the first boy why he didn't fight back. The boy said that he was afraid of the bully. The teacher asked the second boy why he did fight back, and he said that he was afraid of what would happen to him if he didn't fight back. May our fear of division prompt us to fight for unity!
Brotherly, Jamie
