Come Together

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: Acts 15:28

Classic songs, ad campaigns – what is it about “coming together” that strikes such a chord with us? Why is it that when a bunch of people get together to work on something good, or just to share a happy experience, that things seem right?

Maybe there’s something in Jesus’ idea that “I and the Father are one” and that “all of them [that’s us] may be one”. That strange sense of something special that comes at a party, a service event in helping people in a disaster, or even a church service is a reflection of this core truth about reality – unity tells us something special about God. For Christians, it’s more than just recognizing that we share similarities. We actually share in Jesus’ being, just as Jesus shares in His Father’s; all one.

So, agreement in the Church and among Christians is a precious thing, worth hoarding and protecting. There’s a great example of a serious argument in the early Church in Acts 15 (about circumcision, too – a fairly delicate subject…) The believers stuck through the argument because they knew the main thing was that they were already in this together. That deep connection of brother-and-sisterhood-in-Christ was what they were working from and aiming for – it’s why the word ‘brother’ gets thrown around so much in the New Testament. The result of their stubborn striving for unity? ‘There was great joy throughout the church that day’ (15:31).

Prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive me for times when it is simply easier to walk away from Christians than to try and work out differences. Help me to stick it out and strive for unity among us – at all costs. In Jesus’ Name, Amen