In Luke 8:19-21, Jesus’ mother and brothers are trying to reach him.  When someone tells him, Jesus responds that his mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.  Those who hear and do.  Those who follow.  They are the family of Jesus.  So Paul calls other Christians his brothers and sisters.  They are family.  The church is a family.  Not all who simply go to church, but those who truly believe and follow Jesus.  We are his family.  What should his family look like?  Two things.  There should be unity and community.  Let’s start with unity.

Unity amidst Differences

The 12 disciples Jesus chose in Luke 6:13-16 is interesting.  You have Matthew the tax collector.  He was working for the Roman government, a Roman collaborator.  Then you have Simon the Zealot.  He was working to overthrow the Romans, kick them out of Israel.  One struggles to see these two getting along.  But Jesus brings them together, and over time they become one in Christ.

The early church was made up of very different people.  Galatians 3:28 speaks of Jews and Greeks, slaves and free, male and female.  Very different people.  Yet they are one in Christ.

The church today is made up of very different people – differences in economic/social status, younger and older generations, hymns vs. choruses, different Bible translations, differences in minor doctrines, differences in personal convictions, home school vs. Christian school vs. public school, differences in personalities, and the list can go on.  But Jesus brings us together as a family.  In Christ we find unity in our differences.

And in our differences, we find strength.  Younger generations have energy; older generations have wisdom.  Different translations can help us understand the meaning of a verse better.  Differences in minor doctrines can help us think through them more carefully.  We need each other.

Yet what Jesus brings together, we too often tear apart.  Too often we approach church as consumers.  We want everything to be tailored for us.  We go to church like we go to McDonalds, each wanting our own thing.  But church is not a fast food restaurant, it is is a family.  And our times together are not like gathering at McDonalds, but gathering for a family dinner.  My wife doesn’t make separate meals for each of us.  She makes one meal.  Sometimes it is my favorite, sometimes it may be my kids’ favorite.  This is a picture of the church.  Sometimes we may sing my favorite song, sometimes we may sing songs that others like.  I won’t like everything our church does.  But that is okay – we are family.

Paul reminds us that we are one in Christ in Ephesians 4:4-6.  This is an objective reality.  We are one.  But in v3 he tells us to maintain that unity.  Live out the reality of our oneness.  How do we do that?  Verse 2 gives the answer – humility.  Humility that looks to the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4).  Humility that is gentle towards different people.  Humility that is patient with one another’s difference.  Humility that bears with one another’s differences in love.  In love.  Compassion for each other.  Loving as Jesus loved us.  Despite our differences.

How we need this humility and love in our churches!  Pride calls us to divide over the smallest stupidest things.  Pride calls us to hop from church to church trying to find a church that believes and acts exactly as I do in every way.  But humility and love calls us to live out unity amidst differences.  To agree to disagree on numerous things that in light of eternity really don’t matter.

We are one in Christ.  Jesus died for our sins.  We have been saved by grace.  Let us rally around these glorious truths.

(Further thoughts on unity in the next post)