Unity
Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:27
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel…
Many important issues, issues are central to the Christian faith, we dare not compromise on. We must, as Jude wrote, contend earnestly for the faith. At the same time, if we are not careful, we can develop a divisive spirit. We can become hyper-critical and spend all of our time and energy demanding that everyone agrees with us on every issue, no matter how minor it might be.
One of the major themes of Philippians is unity within the church. In this verse, Paul exhorts the church to stand fast in one spirit with one mind. The mission is the motivation to lay aside personal preferences and demands to get our way. We are to strive for unity in the faith of the gospel.
Back in the 90’s, “The Three Tenors” had a run of tremendous popularity. Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti were doing sold-out performances all over the country. In Los Angeles, at a press conference, a reporter tried to get them to fess up to competitiveness among them. The logic was that you can’t have three superstar singers performing together without a little friction created by a desire to be in the spotlight.
Domingo answered for the trio, “You have to put all of your concentration into opening your heart to the music,” he said. “You can’t be rivals when you’re together making music.”
We can’t be rivals when we are together in gospel proclamation
