Oneness!

Oneness!

1 Corinthians 1:10 AMP

[10] But I urge you, believers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in full agreement in what you say, and that there be no divisions or factions among you, but that you be perfectly united in your way of thinking and in your judgment [about matters of the faith].

As was laid out in our devotion for yesterday, there is power in singing from the same hymnsheet. The words are the same, but the parts are not the same. The harmony is in the different parts coming together to form a melodious whole. That is the picture that has been presented again to us today. It has to be noted that nowhere does it say that we do not have opinions or ideas, or that whatever we think or what we have to say is not important, but there is an underlying foundation and a critical conclusion that underpin all that we do. The underlying foundation is our connection with the Lord of the church, of which we are part, if indeed we have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. We come from different backgrounds, cultures and races but the blood of Jesus has given all of us access to the riches of God's grace in all its fullness. 

It is this blood connection that brings us into the family of God, and gives us the motivation to seek the unity and progress of the family we belong to. We can have different ideas, and we can see things from different points of view or perspectives, but the destination for all of us must be the same: to see our Father glorified, and His kingdom established in the lives and hearts of all who come in contact with us. That is the critical conclusion that we must all arrive at. We were made as unique individuals, in the image and likeness of God, with a mind of our own, and it is only fitting that we are able to critically assess the information we receive, and come to the right conclusions that will glorify God. This is why Paul would charge his audience - people who were connected to the same family by the  blood of Jesus to be in full agreement in what they say. 

What you say is the output of your heart, and once your heart is under the control and influence of Jesus, the output of your words will always reflect his presence. I love the words placed in parentheses [] at the end of the verse above. You can have opinions about anything, but when it comes to the matters of the faith, there can be no alternative facts or opinions. What God called sin must not be called anything else other than sin. What God hates must not be condoned by anyone in His kingdom. As family members, we promote the good of our family; even when we do not agree on something, what binds us together is deeper and greater than anything that seeks to separate us. Being in Christ does not make you mindless or unthinking, but you now have a bigger platform to showcase the impact and power of a mind controlled by Christ. Is yours under His control? God's time of favour is here.