BEING ONE

Collaboration
Jesus prayed for His disciples and “for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one” (John 17.20). Unity is a Christian message we hear preached primarily from within homogenous denominations and organizations—unite as Baptists, Catholics, Navigators, or nondenominationalists—and rarely from within about those outside our own “kind.” We Protestants have a difficult time accepting Catholic beliefs and they in turn can’t believe our peculiar sacramental omissions. Churches don’t understand the place of the parachurch while they may not appear to appreciate the mission of the local church. Your church is all right as long as you don’t infringe on my church’s rights.

How do we then unite when we are so different? Paul wrote, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Rom 1.11,12). The “Coexist” or other such groups that seek to unite faiths under the banner of philanthropy have it right when they say we ought to find commonality in our religions and appreciation for the differences. As members of one body in Christ, we have differing gifts, services, and duties (1Cor 12.4) but only one goal, one mission to bind us all together. We may be firing different weapons but we all should have the same target.

“Collaboration” means more than working together. The root word is “labor,” meaning that all parties involved must be involved in the work, like two oxen yoked together, lest our collaboration be only a service by one for the benefit of another. We are united in Christ when we collaborate toward the goal using the gifts God has given us. But not everyone works…

Competition
When Paul visited Corinth, he had found that another laborer, Apollos, also had an impact on the Church’s growth. He wrote, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow…. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor” (1Cor 3.7,8). He wrote this because the church in Corinth was divided by their allegiance to particular leaders—be it Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or even Jesus. Now how did a Church born just a couple decades after Jesus prayed for unity become so divided?

After Paul chastises the Corinthians for their division, he warns them, “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds” (1Cor 3.10). You see Paul wrote that “it has always been [his] ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that [he] would not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Rom 15.20). In every letter Paul writes to his friends, he warns them about wolves in sheep’s clothing and therefore made it his ambition to be the foundation builder and not the bricklayer. In his second letter he tells the Corinthians, “Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man’s territory (2Cor 10.15, 16). For Paul, ministry is like a race where every runner must compete as if he alone will win the prize.

Though there should “be no divisions among you… that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1Cor 1.10), there “have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval” (1Cor 11.18). If there is no difference between you and me then what is the point of there being you and me? Why not just be one person? If there’s no difference between your ministry or another, then why be separate? If there’s no difference between prosperity teachers like Joel Osteen, family focused ministers like James Dobson, evangelists like Billy Graham, inspired teachers like Howard Hendricks, or discipleship trainers like Walt Henrichsen, then how are we to grow as a body with many parts instead of a church with only one building? Whether we like it or not, all who labor in Christ are competing for the most precious commodity humans have to offer: time.

Contention
There are two words in the English language that appear similar and yet are quite distinct: contention and contentment. To have contentment is to be satisfied with one’s circumstances; however, to have contention is to be in contest or competition with one’s rivals. When it came to Apollos, Paul was content to lay the foundation while Apollos built up the Corinthians. But when it came to those who “masqueraded as servants of righteousness,” (2Cor 11.15) Paul was outright contentious. He even told his readers, “If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God” (1Cor 11.16). There is a time to be content with your place in the Body of Christ and a time to be contentious towards those who are damaging Christ’s Body. Knowing the difference is about as hard as telling wheat from a tare.

Paul had the audacity to write, “For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction” (1Th 1.4). How is it that Paul knew these Christians were real and not counterfeit? “You become imitators of us and of the Lord,” he wrote (1Th 1.6). Because they did as he did and he imitated Jesus. In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul wrote to them about their willingness to believe those who were contentious toward Paul’s teaching, “Don’t let anyone deceive you… hold to the teachings we passed on to you… keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us” (2Th 2.3, 15, 3.6). We ought to stray from those who lead us astray. But how do we recognize the difference between those we ought to emulate and those we ought to escape?

The reason Paul and the Thessalonians knew each other as a child would their mother or father was because he loved them so much that he shared “not only the gospel of God but [his own life] as well” (1Th 2.8). We must contend with those who under the guise of unity actually seek to divide. But we must also learn to be content with those united with us in the Body of Christ.

Contentment
I’ve only heard contentment taught in regards to money (likely because the word appears in context of financial needs) but I believe our contentment, like our treasures, extend far beyond our wallets. Paul goes so far as to tell us that contentment, like the kingdom of God itself, is a secret. “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Phil 4.12, 13). If I can be content with a little money, then I will likely be faithful with it. And if I am faithful with little, then perhaps God wants to make me richer?

It is because I do not believe the God who says, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction” (1Tim 6.9) is actually imploring us to become rich, that I think God is more concerned with our contentment about spiritual matters. Am I content with whom God made me to be? I often wish I was more handsome because we listen to beauty more than wisdom. I often ask God to make me more joyful because we’d rather be happy than convicted. I often pray for an angelic voice because any message presented with music is a more appealing than one that is not. But alas, as Paul said after telling his friends he was content with being the least of all apostles, “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1Cor 15.10).

Today we ask Christians to be “well-rounded” and I wonder if that’s a good idea. After all, if I’m good at talking to non-Christians why do I need an evangelist as a friend? If I can heal the sick, perform miracles, talk in tongues, preach eloquently, sing in tune, interpret the Bible into foreign tongues, reach the Muslims with the Gospel, fly a plane, win the Superbowl, memorize 10,000 verses, write the next Mere Christianity, or send my friends worthwhile devotional emails, then what need have I for the Body of Christ? If I can do it all, then why do I need you all?

Compassion
You cannot learn compassion vicariously. It, like love, can only be learned through the practice of giving and not receiving. As many times as I have been rejected by those unwilling to “be one” with me I have also been received by those compassionate enough to call me friend and brother. I have learned the principles I have shared with you as I have been rejected and have applied them as questions to measure my compassion and find contentment.

1) Collaboration. Sometimes the people we want to befriend are not beneficial to our ministry (or vice versa). The man who once housed “Legion” asked to follow Jesus after He cast the demons into pigs and our Lord told him, “Go home to your family and tell them” (Mk 5.19). Though I don’t believe individual Christians should be “well-rounded,” ministries surely ought to be. An evangelist adds numbers to a pastoral ministry, while a pastor brings care to a training ministry (prophetic), and a prophet brings edification to any ministry. But sometimes we just don’t fit in, and that’s OK.
2) Competition. When the disciples argued over who was the greatest, Jesus didn’t rebuke their pride but encouraged their passion by basically telling them to out-serve one another (Mt 20.25-28). Sometimes we run faster when we compete with one another than when we run in formation. Paul’s ministry seemed to explode after he split from Barnabas, even though neither seemed contentious. Maybe they, like us, just needed the “competition.”
3) Contention. Jesus and Paul were often charged with blasphemy by those who rejected them. Paul charged those who rejected his message with the same sort of condemnation (Gal 1.8, 9). Because I do not have the benefit of being God in human flesh or a reformed Pharisee knocked from a horse by Jesus, I have to assume that I do not always teach perfect doctrine. When I am rejected I must ask, “Is it because I am wrong?” This is one reason why I send these emails—so my friends can tell me when my mouth (or fingers) speak (or write) before my soul prays or mind thinks.

Being compassionate is like looking in the mirror before I tell someone they’re fat. When we reject others, let’s do it for the right reasons. When we are rejected, let’s not look for the reason but rather consider our response. God commands us, “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom 12.18), and so I’ve come to learn these principles to help me obey. What do you think?