Core 52 Week 46 - Unity
Notes
Transcript
Our latest political season has underscored the deep divisions in American culture. One half of America is at minimum deeply suspicious of if not outright hateful toward the other half. And those feels are reciprocated.
It feels like this could be the worst division we’ve ever experienced. Of course, it’s not. Since the beginning of our political experiment in democracy there have been differing ideas, visions and opinions about exactly how America should be governed and the directions we should go.
Early on there were debates and conflicts between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
The obvious division, of course, began in 1854 with the founding of the Republican party in the North which led, ultimately, to our American Civil War.
We’ve always struggled to come together and unify over our direction and governance so perhaps our reaction to the latest round of political fighting and outcomes shouldn’t be quite so strong.
I would suggest, however, that the notable division that deserves some thought isn’t so much our differences over the vision of what America should be but our viewpoint of what America is right now. While these two concepts are closely related, they are not precisely the same thing.
We’re not only competing with different visions of what America should be, but we’re in conflict over what America is.
Vision is about the future. What should America look like as we go forward? We can have disagreements on the goal and the methods to get there and always will.
What is troubling to me is the sharp divide over what America is right now. It’s not uncommon for families and friends to be sharply divided over how we see things going around us. Our worldview of America is playing out all over the media, social media, in dinnertime conversations, etc.
Even if you’re not particularly involved or interested in politics it’s impossible to ignore how heated and angry folks are about what’s going on.
It’s not pretty and it’s potentially very destructive to our relationships.
It’s time for us to try a different path to find unity and peace in our lives. Clearly, we won’t find in a political leader, a policy.
We need something bigger and more powerful.
The unifying force is found in the person of Jesus Christ.
While conflict over the direction of our country and society feel relatively new to us it is, in fact, an ancient problem.
Tensions ran just as high in the first century and yet Jesus enters the picture with a vision and a purpose that transcended politics, economics, gender among others. Just about any part of life we can find to disagree about, Jesus addressed and offered a solution.
Consider his closest followers:
16 These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter), 17 James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot),
Right away we can see opportunities for conflict:
Zealots (considered by Rome to be terrorists), tax collectors (considered by Jews to be traitors), Galileans (country folk), city dwellers.
A strange and diverse group of people to become the leaders of a transforming movement.
Yet, in the name of Jesus Christ, they turned the world upside down!
6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,
It sounds like the perfect picture, but it’s not. Even the 1st c. church had its share of conflict.
1 But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.
12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it.
The NT writers were constantly encouraging unity:
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.
There are over 20 passages in the NT alone that command believers to think and act in a unified life together.
But here’s the thing: Unity isn’t the goal. It’s the glue that helps hold together for the same purpose.
Just like the his earliest followers, Jesus calls us to a higher purpose. A mission, if you will. He showed them a world that superceded all their competing visions of what the world should look like.
This vision of the future has not changed. The mission is ongoing.
Passages we reference regularly:
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The common, unifying vision Jesus gave us was to be on the mission of salvation.
Here’s a way to think about it:
Act Like a Missionary
Act Like a Missionary
Let’s see what that looks like from the Bible.
Paul’s experience in Athens.
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.
How could he have responded? With contempt? Anger? Made a snarky post on Facebook?
Paul knew what his mission was and knew that offending people unnecessarily worked against that mission.
Here’s his response when he got the chance;
22 So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.
He proceeded to tell them the truth about Jesus and about what it means to be saved. Some were turned off, some were intrigued.
So with this example in mind, here’s a couple of quick connecting points as you and I go out and think like a missionary:
Instead of seeing people who disagree with you or are different in some way as wrong, bad, evil, etc, see them as God’s children.
34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 35 In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.
Think of your home, school, office, neighborhood as your mission field:
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Let’s go unify our homes, our workplaces, our schools in the name of Jesus Christ.