The Awesome Wonder of People Living in Unity

As I was growing up, it seemed patriotism was an indispensable quality of being an American. Taking pride in seeing our flag unfurled against an azure sky. Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance – to the United States of America – without feeling abused. These days, however, it often seems our nation is more untied than united. And that makes me sad.

 

That’s not to say I believe the U.S.A. is perfect. Far from it. Or that people don’t have a right to speak out against injustices and inequities they see. After all, the preamble to the Declaration of Independence first declares, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….” 

This is a noble and reasonable ideal, but I don’t think it can be achieved through disunity. As Jesus Christ told the religious leaders – the Pharisees – who were mustering opposition against His ministry, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a house divided against itself fall” (Luke 11:17). We see this principle being worked out in virtually every aspect of life.

 

If you’re an avid spectator of any sport, you see the importance of unity being emphasized in any contest – at least by the victorious teams. Whether it’s football, basketball, baseball, or even doubles tennis, all championship teams display unity, at least on the field, the court, or in the arena.

 

Years ago, I was in another country, meeting with business and professional men who were trying to build an effective marketplace ministry in their cities. Knowing soccer was the most popular team sport there, I used analogies from soccer to explain how they could achieve unity despite the diversity in their abilities and spiritual gifts.

 

Frankly, all I knew about soccer is what I had observed in watching my daughters participate in the game, but I knew enough. The goalie, defensive players, midfielders and offensive players all have different roles and responsibilities, but they must perform as a unit to win. Conversely, most of the players can do their jobs very well, but if one key player fails, the scoreboard will reflect that.

 

Over my lifetime I’ve had a few health issues – major and minor – that needed to be addressed, so I’ve learned quite a bit about the human body while going to various doctors for treatment and surgery. God created our bodies to be marvelous examples of unity. You could say health is a reflection of a body’s ease, just as disease and sickness is a sign of its “dis-ease.”

 

Years ago, Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey collaborated on several books about the human body, focusing especially on the problems of pain and suffering. If you haven’t read either Fearfully and Wonderfully Made or In His Image, I highly recommend them. They’re still in print and give compelling insights into how the heart, lungs, brain, lungs, kidneys and other organs work together in unity to keep a human being healthy. They also explain how the nervous, vascular, circulatory, skeletal and other systems also must function together to keep a person alive and well.

 

The apostle Paul also alluded to this in exhorting members of the ancient church in the Greek city of Corinth to strive for unity. It’s almost as if he were paging through the medical tome, “Grey’s Anatomy,” as he explained:

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink…. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body…. But in fact God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body…” (1 Corinthians 12:12-26).

 

I’ve condensed this insightful passage for brevity, but Paul’s conclusion stands out: “But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:24-26).

 

If you’ve ever gotten up in the middle of the night and stubbed your toe in the dark, you can understand the “if one part suffers, every part suffers with it” reference. That’s how it is when people are in unity, whether on a sports team, in a nation, or as members of a church congregation. We revel together in our victories, and suffer together in our defeats and hardships.

 

Elsewhere, the apostle again wrote of the priceless value of unity: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (Philippians 2:1-2).

There’s an awesomeness, a sense of wonder when we see people working in unity, pulling together and supporting one another toward the accomplishment of shared values and goals. Would that we could see more of this in our nation, as well as in the body of Christ, despite our differences in doctrine, practice and tradition. 

Celebrities and ‘Normal Folks’ – We’re All Part of the Same Body

We have a curious human tendency to accord high esteem to society’s “celebrities.” These are people who, either by virtue of fortune or fame or position, are deemed important, deserving of greater status and respect than “normal folks.”

Musicians, movie and TV stars, elite athletes, politicians – these are the “E.F. Huttons” of our day. When they speak, we feel compelled to listen, giving credence to what they say. Even when it’s outside of their areas of expertise. This can be good, but also can be bad.

This happens within Christian circles, too, when attraction to noted speakers, authors and musicians sometimes borders on idolatry. Most of the “superstars” of the Church today are very different from those that received lots of attention when I was beginning my faith journey decades ago, but the glorification given to them is the same.

It's as if there are two classes: the “somebodies” and the “nobodies.” As if people like you and me don’t matter. We’re just here to fill pews, undertake odd jobs no one else wants to do, applaud the “special” folks’ performances, and put money into the offering plates.

Reading the Scriptures, we discover this isn’t a new phenomenon. Using the human body as a metaphor, the books of Romans and 1 Corinthians both talk about the Church, comparing it to the body which has made parts that perform a wide variety of functions. For example:

“The body is a unit, though it is made of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they are one body. So it is with Christ. For we are all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we are all given one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

The problem occurs when we start thinking that one part is more important than another, as the passage goes on to explain with tongue-in-cheek imagery:

“If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?” (1 Corinthians 12:15-17).

Our pastor recently illustrated this in one of his messages. He observed that at business meetings, when seeking a consensus, someone might request, “All in favor, raise your hands.” No one says, “All in favor, raise your feet.” Does this mean hands are more important than feet? Try walking on your hands all day and see how that works for you. Or attempt to compete in a 100-yard dash using your hands.

During my dating days, when my friends and I spoke about girlfriends or young ladies we found interesting, we would say things like, “She has beautiful eyes!” But never once did any of my buddies say to me, “Man, she’s got beautiful ears.” That might work for rabbits, but for humans, the eyes have it. 

Taking this comparison a step further, we also talk about trying to see “eye-to-eye.” Interestingly, I’ve never heard anyone suggest, “We really need to try to hear ear-to-ear.” Even though, with all the division that exists in our society today, maybe that’s what we really need. (More on that in a future post.)

Concluding his discussion of the similarities between the human body and the Church – the body of Christ – the apostle Paul writes, “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be…. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that are unpresentable we treat with special honor…" (1 Corinthians 12:18-23).

We tend to take many parts of our bodies for granted, especially things like knees and feet. But try tweaking your knee while your running, or stubbing your toe while making a nighttime trip to the bathroom. Then we suddenly realize how important those parts are.

In the kingdom of God, the preachers do play an important role. As do the worship leaders, soloists and musicians. Along with the gifted authors of books that touch our hearts and challenge our spirits. For those of us who rarely if ever find ourselves in the spotlight, however, this doesn’t mean we’re not a critical part of the Lord’s eternal plan.

The Scriptures tell us that whoever we are, whatever we do, we matter to God. We’re exactly where He wants us to be – at least for the moment – and if we’re willing to be used by Him, we’re serving exactly as He desires for us to serve.

Years ago I suffered under the misconception that there were two categories of Christians – the “A team,” consisting of pastors, missionaries, evangelists and performers, and the second string, we could term them the bench warmers. I’ve even seen people shrug with resignation, “Well, I’m just a layman.” Today I would respond, “Just a layman?! Do you have any idea what a layperson can do for the kingdom of God? Are you kidding me?”

Looking back, I can see at least 10 “lay people” God has used to make profound impacts in my life for every professional, vocational Christian worker. I could fill this blog with their stories for the next year if I chose to do so.

As the Scriptures say, those individuals that are “unpresentable” – that for whatever reason aren’t asked to bask in the spotlight – should be treated with special honor. They are the ones who, if they weren’t there to fulfill God’s calling on their lives, would be sorely missed.

Pros and Cons of Diversity

These days we hear much conversation about “diversity.” Without question, diversity is an important, valuable part of life. Take, for example, the incredible variety of talents, gifts and skills people possess.

I’m a great admirer of persons that use their abilities to the fullest. Being mechanically challenged myself, I’m amazed by people that build cabinets, install electrical fixtures, make complex plumbing repairs and display other feats of manual dexterity. Similarly, I have great appreciation for those with technological expertise, knowing how to heal an ailing computer, decipher complex software or design eye-catching websites. My family has benefited from medical care in many ways, so I have great respect for physicians, nurses and other practitioners.

Having spent a career as a writer, editor and photographer, I believe I have some expertise in those areas. But I’m thankful for people unlike me, that have cultivated and honed other very useful abilities that have become their callings.

The Bible applauds such diversity, using the human body as an example: “Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body…. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘ I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less memorable we treat with special honor…” (1 Corinthians 12:12-26).

However, diversity is not always desirable. Again the human body provides good examples. Infection occurs when harmful bacteria invade the body, disrupting the harmonious interaction of other cells. Cancer causes illness, even death, when malignant cells combat healthy cells. And heart disease comes about when fat cells called LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and triglycerides amass in arteries, impeding the flow of blood to and from the organ. In each instance, cell “diversity” puts the individual at serious risk.

The Bible also addresses this. The early Church, like the Church of the 21^st century, suffered from divisions and conflict – disease afflicting the spiritual body. In his letters the apostle Paul often wrote concerning this. In one place he admonished, “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” (Titus 3: 9-11).

So diversity is good when differences complement, working for the common good. But diversity focused on its own aims and agenda, according to the Bible, can be cancerous.