develop a healthy, robust community — #2

You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.   James 3:18, The Message

I have had opportunity in life to be with wonderful people with brilliant ideas; ideas which sometimes involve differing visions of how to achieve goals or have varied views in the process needed to move forward.  Seemingly, it doesn’t matter if I am serving on a church board, a national Christian organization, in the military, in a government organization, within business, with a community committee, or a recreational club, there is one saddening truth that arises from time to time: folks who should be in unity do not get along with each other.   

When Jesus commissioned Peter, I think all of us, to build his church (Mt 16:18), he said we were to build it with such energy that even the principality of hell couldn’t keep us from kicking in its gates and taking over.  God’s Word shares that we are to run from evil and have a life that seeks, goes after and holds on for dear life to what is good (e.g., Rom 12:9); this is done when we wholeheartedly desire peace; when we earnestly pursue peace, (Ps 34:14, 1 Pet 3:11).  I am not naive, there will be disagreement, but I am someone with a childish heart that is hopeful, I hope that we who identify with Jesus will display a character that reflects peace, love, and nothing less than the Spirit’s fruit as we are being transformed into Christ.

We all know that Jesus gave us a “new command”, but do we treat God’s command as a good idea when it suits us, or do we obey and put it into practice?  Jesus commanded, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).  If we who are in Christ aren’t working hard at “getting along with [loving] each other,” then what example are we giving our community?  If we don’t display love among ourselves, then how will those in our community know we are a disciple of Christ?  Worse, do we give a loud, nonverbal testimony of how not to get along, giving our communities a reason to avoid Christ?  One, last question, if we are not getting along, not being unified in Christ, how can we kick in the gates of hell? 

Desperately wanting to get along,

Owen <><

More to come:  We must live right with God and treat each other with dignity and honor – there is only one good community, and its meeting place is in Christ.