Day 11 – Unification Theory

"The people devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
Acts 2:42-47

I can remember serving on staff at a church in Gatesville, Texas. I was the youth pastor at the time and it was my first full time staff position since going into ministry, so I was very excited, naïve and full of hope for what God would do there. I remember talking with the people who attended the church and developing some great friendships with those people. There really wasn’t anyone in the church I didn’t like. Good, hard working people.

That’s why it surprised me a little – well, a lot – when the fighting began. It seemed subtle at first, but over time it became just downright mean. People began arguing over so many small and petty things. Then the name calling, bickering and backstabbing began. A lot of the conversation became focused around worship styles - hymns versus choruses - and eventually a faction of the church split off from the congregation and started their own church so they could “truly worship God.”

After a couple of years, I left that church to go attend seminary in Fort Worth. Over time, I discovered that a lot of churches fight over a lot of different things. Not every church, mind you. But more than one would think. It's kind of a sad irony when you think about it; the Church is the singular agent that God has sent to declare to the world that there is peace between God and man and the message keeps getting blurred by the lack of peace between the messengers.

I wish these unity challenged churches understood the principles in the passage above. The first thing that happened in the first century church after 3000 people committed their lives to Christ was these same people committing their lives to each other. They studied God’s Word together. They ate together. They prayed together. They took care of each other’s needs. And, as a result of their commitment to each other, they truly worshipped God and everyone around them couldn’t wait to be a part of their community.

I wonder what the world thinks about our churches today. Do they see a place where people are committed to each other – even the difficult people among us? Do they see an environment where people are sensitive to each others’ needs and aren’t just focused on their own needs? Do they have a sense that these people would do anything for each other and that they just love being around each other? If they did, it seems as though we would see a lot more people wanting to be a part of the church. It would make sense that there would be more people being added to the church’s numbers who were committing their lives to Christ because they had to be a part of this community of givers and servants.

We can do something about it. We can revolutionize how the world defines “church.” We can be a part of the movement that restores this sense of Biblical community to the world’s eyes – at least to Austin’s eyes. So much so that they cannot fathom not getting involved in this amazing group of Christ followers. We can be the most loving, giving, caring community of people they have ever seen.

Not only can we do this, we must do this. Not just for the world’s sake, but for our own.

Scripture is filled with admonitions and commands for God’s people to be unified at all costs. We can’t allow even a hint of disunity to exist among us. It begins with you and me. We must set the bar of unity high and guard that bar with everything we have. Together we can redefine “church” for the city of Austin and beyond.

Together.

As you pray, allow these prompters to facilitate your interaction with God.

• Thank God that He did everything necessary for you to be united with Him through Jesus’ death on the cross.
• Thank God that He does nothing that would lead people towards disunity.
• Ask God to give you wisdom as to whether or not you need to make any relationships right that may be fractured.
• Ask God to help you to be a unifying force in the Body of Christ, a guardian of the standard of unity, and a champion for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Ask God that our church would be a part of redefining “church” for the city of Austin and beyond.

Day 8 – Buddy System

“The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. You are Christ's body—that's who you are! You must never forget this.”
1 Corinthians 12:25-27

In late April of 2003 a young adrenaline junkie named Aaron Ralston went out for a weekend rock-climbing trip. On Saturday, Aaron found himself climbing in a narrow canyon when the 800-pound rock he was clinging to shifted and Aaron slipped. The heavy boulder rolled over and pinned his arm to the canyon wall. Aaron remained there for 5 days, waiting for someone to rescue him.

No one came.

By Tuesday, he ran out of water. On Thursday morning, he decided that his survival required drastic action. Using the dull knife from his multi-tool, Aaron applied a tourniquet to his now lifeless arm, amputated his arm just below the elbow, and then administered first aid. As if that wasn’t enough for one day, he then rigged anchors, fixed a rope and rappelled 75 feet to the canyon floor. But wait…the story is not over. Aaron then hiked downstream and was spotted about 3 p.m. by a Utah Public Safety Helicopter. The search for Ralston had begun the same morning, after authorities were notified he was four days overdue reporting for work.

Imagine what went through Aaron’s mind as he made that fateful decision to cut off his own arm. Life and death hanging on this one decision. It was courageous. It was daring. It was extreme discipline at its best.

And it was completely unnecessary.

You see Aaron broke the most important rule in mountain climbing: Never Climb Alone. If he had gone with someone else or at least told someone where he was going, he would still have his arm today.

It seems like I meet people every week that have a story similar to Aaron’s. At some point and time in the past, they have made a commitment to follow Jesus and have spent the majority of their Christian lives climbing alone. Every time they find themselves between a rock and a hard place, they try to figure out what courageous, daring, disciplined decision they need to make in order to pull themselves out of it. They decide to read the Bible more, go to Church more, serve more, do more! And the majority of them are wounded, battered and bloody with what feels like a part of their soul amputated.

Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever feel like you’re alone in this thing called faith, trying your best, but just not able to make it?

There’s good news. You were never meant to climb alone.

Everywhere you look in the Scriptures, you find this concept called community where men and women are identified, not as individuals, but as a people. The people of God. The people of Egypt. The people of Ninevah. And while the community is filled with individuals, each person in the community recognized that they were a part of something larger than themselves.

In the New Testament, through faith in Jesus Christ, the idea of community expands beyond nationality and includes both Jews and Greeks, men and women, kings and paupers, somebodys and nobodys, red carpets and back alleyways – people from a myriad of backgrounds calling on the name of Jesus to set them free from the boulders that pin them to their destinies of solitude. Take joy! You were never meant to climb alone! You are a part of a people; a community; a body!

You are not alone!

Over the next several days, we’ll spend more time on this idea. For now, allow our conversation and these prompters to spur you in community with God through prayer.

• Thank God that the burden of following Jesus alone has been lifted from your life.
• Thank God for Jesus who has brought you into His family and His body.
• Ask God to make you more aware of your need for community.
• Ask God to give you an increasing desire to connect with others in the Body of Christ.
• Ask God to help you to reach out to others and invite them into this community of faith.
• Spend a few moments and think through the people who have helped shape your faith. Thank God for them and ask Him to give you the courage to be that for someone else this week.