Talk about unity seems somewhat out of place for believers. It just doesn’t seem to add up, the unifying tenets of our faith and the battle lines that can so quickly separate us. Yet, Scripture is, in many respects, God’s plan to keep the Christian community on the same page. Over and over, the words of Jesus and the inspired writings of the New Testament are seasoned with references challenging believers to think as one, be like-minded, and reflect the truths of faith in the inner workings of the Body. Someone has stated, I think mostly in jest, that the early church had to be Baptist, so much did they squabble and quibble about their differences.
HolmesAgreement is one of the terms I prefer when unity is on the table. As the saying goes, it is possible to agree to disagree about certain matters of lesser consequence. So, agreement signifies some degree of upper level unity that lifts us up from pettiness and brings us to the table about the more significant matters of faith. Here is a trip-wire too, however, as many of us have different score cards by which we measure significance. What is minor to one person may be actually monumental to someone else. Still, there’s plenty of biblical guidance to govern our relationships with other believers. Differing is really not the issue, anyway. It’s when we refuse to discuss and settle our differences that we stumble.
Our annual meeting in November will place us on a platform to demonstrate the graces of unity. You can be sure the world will be watching with fine-tuned clarity. Therefore, I am asking that we move beyond the boundaries of civility and bring the heart and mind of Christ to those things that comprise our 2011 agenda. I pledge to moderate our meeting with fairness. Our Parliamentarians David Brien and Jim Herron are skilled and knowledgeable about the rules of order and will advise me when there are questions of procedure. They understand Robert’s Rules of Order and we’ll follow them in every consideration. However, we are called to a higher standard and I will insist, as the moderating officer, that we conduct our business according to Scripture.
At the first GCRTF meeting, Curt Bradford, pastor of Riverbluff Church in North Charleston, reminded our diverse group of a quote attributed to Dr. Herschel Hobbs. He said, “You don’t have to be twins to be brothers.” This was a great reminder that we can discover the joys of kinship without being identical. So, going into our annual meeting, when some really significant decisions will be made, I am praying that our relationship in Christ will outweigh the particulars of positions and preferences, and that we’ll deal with these matters as brothers and sisters in Christ.
There’s another favorite word. Jesus used it in Matthew 18:19 when he talked about prayer. He spoke words we translate as “agree.” This is another vivid term. It is the Greek compound “sum” + “phone,” one voice or sound. It is the base of our term “symphony,” a harmonious sound. Incredibly, our treatment of this term pictures different instruments, all tuned to a different key, playing the same tune. That’s what I’m praying for Nov. 15-16, in Columbia. To know that we can hum the same tune is such a blessing. Pray with me that it will be so!
“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” (John 17:23).