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LEADERSHIP LETTER ARCHIVES
A MONTHLY READING
FOR ALL ARC LEADERS
UNITY
The oneness of the church is rooted in the fact that we share the same Spirit who has made us one body in Christ. This unity is created by God, apprehended by faith, and practiced in hope of its more complete realization in this age and the age to come.
We place a preeminent value on unity, seeking to rise above sectarianism for the sake of our brotherhood. We affirm both the unity and diversity of the church, respecting diversity while working toward unity in love and service.
-- ARC Common Concerns
As I reflect on the ways in which God has most influenced my heart on this month’s subject, the voices of three leaders stand out. To begin with, Ray Nethery’s exposition of John 17:20-23, which I first heard in the mid-1970’s, defined this preeminent value. Now, some thirty years later, I can still feel the strength of conviction which the Holy Spirit brought about as Ray delivered a clear call to be part of the fulfillment of this prayer of the Lord Jesus.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. 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 17:20-23)
The other two primary influences came from reading The Church Before the Watching World by Dr. Francis Schaeffer, and It’s Time to End Church Splits by Francis Frangipane. Both books challenge the reader to soberly consider the Christian’s responsibility to demonstrate tangible love and to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3).
What is the basis for the unity of the Body of Christ? The Apostle Paul cites seven core ingredients: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father (see Eph 4:4-6).
With all of this “oneness,” why is there not more cooperative effort among leaders and congregations in the Body of Christ? Let’s narrow the scope of this question. We’ll focus on one obstacle which church leaders in our community identified fifteen years ago as we began to seek a fuller expression of this God-created unity. The foe? A spirit of competition among leaders from different congregations. Jealousy, envy, suspicion, insecurity, and distrust were all feeding this spirit of competition. This represented a “hidden” but real obstacle to building God’s Kingdom together in the same geographical area.
What was needed for cooperation to replace competition? The first key to change would not be imaginative new programs, but transformation of hearts by the Holy Spirit. We would need to grow in being more like Christ in His humility and servant attitude. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5).
In Philippians 2, Paul is urging the believers to be one in mind, love, spirit, and purpose. As he exhorts them, he points to the supreme example of the attitude of Christ. Jesus embodied the servant mindset which is needed for Christian leaders and congregations to work more effectively together. The “attitude” that Paul urges on the Philippians is exactly the same as we see in Jesus Christ, as revealed in His incarnation and His servant life and death. To learn true humility, then, we look to the example of Jesus.
Paul underlines three ways in which Christ models humility: 1. Jesus Christ was divine, yet he took the humble posture of one who was willing to “serve beneath his position.” Though He was the incarnate Son of God, He did not cling to the unique privileges of this status. He “made himself nothing” (v. 7). Does this mean He denied His deity? Most certainly not. It means He relinquished prerogatives which He could have “grasped” had He wanted to assert His position.
2. Jesus entered our history as a servant – “taking the very nature of a servant” (v. 7). These words emphasize the full reality of His servant identity. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
3. He humbled himself yet further, and suffered the death which was reserved by the Romans for political rebels and disobedient slaves – “he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross” (v. 8). These words express the totality and the climax of Jesus’ obedience. In His suffering, Jesus “rested His case” with God the Father, rather than seeking His own recognition and honor.
In all three of these demonstrations of humility, Jesus portrays the attitude which Paul says is necessary for believers if they are to be one in mind, love, spirit and purpose. The story is told of a time when Mother Theresa was passing through a crowd in Detroit and a woman remarked, “Her secret is that she is free to be nothing. Therefore God can use for her anything.” And this same posture is vital for us if we seek to manifest Biblical unity.
So how do we get from a spirit of competition to a spirit of cooperation and teamwork? How do we move from the unity which already is (Eph 4:3-4) to the unity which must be reached (Eph 4:13)? Over a period of some years, pastors in our county began to pray regularly together and develop brotherly relationships of support around a shared interest in reaching our community for Christ. This led to times of confession and repentance, as leaders dealt with sins in their hearts toward one another, sins which were manifested in a spirit of rivalry and competition. A “vessel” began to emerge which could allow for cooperative and progressive outreaches into the community. Gradually, as we practiced submitting ourselves to one another and preferring one another in honor, the concern did not need to be “who gets the credit” or “who reaps the benefits” or “who has control of the planning.” The focus could become the Church working together for a changed community.
As I write these thoughts today, I don’t know that I’ve ever been more mindful of how truly far we are yet from fulfilling Jesus’ prayer in John 17. All the steps forward have still left us with so many more to take. For our communities to be transformed, the Church will need to be continually reformed and transformed. And this kind of change does not come without more of the humility and servant life of Jesus in us. As written in our ARC Common Concerns, “This unity is created by God, apprehended by faith, and practiced in hope of its more complete realization in this age and the age to come."
-Stuart Brown
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