Unity in Richness
Being a Christian certainly means many things to many people, especially to all sorts of unbelievers. We are observed and judged constantly by the world. This is not out of its love towards us:
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
(Joh 15:19)
We claim certain truths and we are expected to produce fruit off of those truths. Every single failure is noticed and remembered, and in fact, there is no other faith so openly watched and scrutinized as Christianity. It is essential, then, to give forth the good fruit, not only for the sake of our souls, but also for the sake of the Church, to prove the world wrong in its assumptions and accusations towards us.
What is the most obvious first step in this direction of producing the good fruit? There is no one right answer, but if I may say my meaning, it would be the blessing effort to be one body of many souls, one body of Christ, one body of the true Church, worshipping Him in the way that pleases Him. What is the barrier? Language? Nationality? Job? Age? Sex? Culture? When I look around, I see people of all sorts coming to faith and agreeing on His Supremacy. Isn't that the prelude of Heaven?
We are coming to Christ with our rich and various experiences, many of us broken and sad, but still cherishing the light of Hope. We supply endless energy of rich cultural variety into this mutual praising of our Creator. The torch of faith never ceases to burn because of what His Grace accomplishes in us constantly.
Look at this flame, so beautiful and with so many colors, tiny flickers getting strength from the bigger ones to keep on burning. Would this be possible without us being so many and so different from one another?
Richness in Unity
Diversity is one aspect of it, but do not forget the importance of being as one. The real strength of Christianity is its unity and ability to withstand opposition and persecution.
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
(Eph 4:13-16)
Many people ask whether it really is important to go to a church, to meet other Christians, to live close to them. Some have erroneously understood Bible's teaching and concluded that it is all right to walk alone, as long as they believe. But, oh, how wrong they are, and how dangerously they live.
We are to build one another, to help and support others, to worship God together with others. Our faith becomes richer and stronger when we see others believe also, and they too grow spiritually while seeing us believe and worship. We bear an individual responsibility for our own lives, but we cannot forget the importance of prayer and support we can give to others by being with them and letting them know that they can count on us.
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
(3Jo 1:4-8)
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