Embracing Unity: The Call to Collaborative Living

From families, to workplaces, to ministries, to things like community improvement, community involvement, parties, celebrations.I don't think we're going out on a limb by saying that most of our truly meaningful experiences happen in the context of relationships.Happen in the context of laboring together.Happen in the context of collaboration. That should not surprise us, because we're designed, we're created by God himself to live and work to, if I could put it this way, to actually do life in the context of relationships. Shouldn't surprise us. Why? Because we bear the image of a triune God. [00:06:05] (66 seconds)  #LifeInRelationships

Paul gives a sense here that this concept, this idea of collaboration, of co -laboring, of working together. Hear this. Is a non -negotiable for a Christian. A non -negotiable for an in -christer.Like, there's no wiggle room there.That is part of what it means.To be a follower of Jesus. We are to be in unity. We are to be co -laboring. We are to be working together. Not an option. Like, God does. Okay. There is an option. It's called disobedience. So, really, there's not an option. [00:24:07] (50 seconds)  #NoWiggleRoom

With that mentality, be careful, with that mentality, we begin to see people as means to our ends rather than ends in and of themselves. People with that mentality become objects, not persons.And we begin to use people.When selfish ambition wells up within us, mark it down, we begin to use people to attain our ends. [00:26:22] (58 seconds)  #PeopleNotObjects

But in humility count others more significant than yourself because this is golden humility comes from a a word humilis which means low or lowly but wait there's more that word the root of that word is humus or hummus which means earth or grounded somebody who is humble is grounded they're not high and lofty they somebody a humble person is a self -aware person they know who they are and they know who they're not like you find people like that hang around them we can learn some stuff from the they know who they're not they know what they bring to the table and they know what they don't bring to the table they're humble incredible self -awareness [00:32:22] (60 seconds)  #GroundedHumility

At a minimum, collaboration requires alignment around a shared purpose.And this involves, guess what, considering the preferences of others. And such an, you know this, such an attitude flies in the face of one of our cultural idols. Radical individualism.That is one of our cultural idols. I, me, my. [00:35:37] (32 seconds)  #SharedPurpose

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering me for our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Super important to note, the words, the phrases.In verse 1, the church of the Thessalonians, easy for you to say, Thessalonians, and that little word you, and then in verse 2, all of you and you, and then in verse 3, our and your are all plural. All of them.Paul, Silvanus, Timothy, we, us, to you, plural. They're all plural. Like there's no individuals. It's us. It's we. [00:41:43] (60 seconds)  #PluralFaith

It's an act of faith. When I got married, that was an act of faith. Those of you who are married, when you said yes, I do, and all that kind of good stuff, was that an act of faith? No? Like, you know who the person is going to be like 10 years from? No, it's an act of faith.I like to tell the story.My wife and I have been married 41 years, and in those 41 years, not only has she been married to me, but she's been married to four or five other guys. All me. All me.And the same is true for me toward her. [00:43:32] (42 seconds)  #MarriageIsFaith

Third phase, the phase of steadfastness of hope. Steadfastness could be translated endurance. It's the idea that there's a stick -to -it -iveness in light of the hope of fulfilling our common objective. It's a hope that, in the face of adversity, is able to overcome obstacles, both relationally and circumstantially. It's a tenacious courage that says, I will not quit. I'm not going anywhere. There. Steadfastness of hope. [00:48:35] (40 seconds)  #SteadfastHope

Christian brotherhood is not an ideal we must realize.It is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may partake.The unity, the brotherhood, is already there. We're already from the same womb. It's already there. The only question, folks, that remains is, will we participate in it? Like, that's the variable. [00:49:49] (39 seconds)  #BrotherhoodReality