In a team based sport or activity, the ability to work together is a key to success. Just look and see how a team like an Olympic rowing team work together. Speed is of the utmost importance, and in order to obtain the fastest speed possible each and every one of the rowers needs to be in complete sync with their teammates. Just like marching to the beat of a drum, each stroke of the oar needs to be exactly the same as the rest of the others.
Now, if you think of the Christian faith as a rowing team, as Christians we need to be all of the same spirit, striving together to keep united in the Spirit of the Lord, all together, working together as one.
Ephesians 4:1-6 “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
The Christian faith is a giant spiritual family. We are all brothers and sisters when we become a part of the family of God, and just like a family should, we need to be filled with love and unity with each other. As Paul had written, there is one Lord, Jesus. Our faith in Him is one faith, not multiple; there are not different teachings found in the Bible that will teach one thing and then teach something completely different, as the Bible will not contradict itself. There is one baptism, which is through Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?”
Whether it had been Paul, Apollos, or Peter, they all were teaching the same things. They were all teaching the Word of God, and if you get a look at some of the scriptures you will find that some of both Peter and Paul’s writings were very similar in writing, and this is because they were both of the same Spirit of God. They both believed the same things, they both taught the same things. Brothers in the Spirit, and both filled up with great love for each other.
There should be no division in the church if everyone is of the same Spirit. Jesus cannot be divided against Himself! The teachings of the Bible are not “at odds” with each other, and we in the church need to all believe in the same teachings that were first taught to us from the Bible
Have you ever noticed how perfectly a group of starlings fly together? A starling is a small bird, but they will often travel in huge groups of 500+, known as a murmuration. Like a cartoon drawing of a pile of bees, these birds will soar through the air. Left, right, up, down- these birds all stick together almost as if they were controlled by one single mind. This is how the church should be. Not separate little groups here and there, doing their own things, believing different beliefs. The things that are taught in the Bible are there for everyone to read and understand. Let us be of that one mind, and one Spirit. Let us put away division in the church, and be united under the true faith of God.
In Christ
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 