Harmony预览

Harmony Between Believers

When talking about harmony between Christians, the Bible paints a beautiful picture. When done correctly, a community of believers who love each other represents Christ’s love for us. That means that the way we love other Christians should demonstrate to non-Christians how much God loves people. In fact, in John 13:35, Jesus says that the way others will know about Him is by watching us! A group of Christians can, and should, be the most inviting, loving environment that anyone could ever experience on this side of heaven. It should be different from anything you have ever experienced, to the point where once you get a taste of how promising and beneficial it is, you will be left distraught with the realization that the rest of the world is nothing like it.

The Bible actually tells us quite a bit about what a harmonious Christian community can look like, and most of us would agree that it is the duty of all Christians to help create that environment for fellow believers. It is not a pipedream, and it is not only the pastor’s job or youth leader’s job to help shape that sort of environment. It is yours and my opportunity and responsibility.

Sitting around waiting for this type of Christian harmony gets us nowhere. We can’t just wait for someone else to take charge and create it. God calls all of us to take that step into fostering an impactful and God-honoring space. It can start with you, and it can start with showing love to one other person. This will be difficult, as this type of lifestyle is completely counter to human nature and to the world around us. To love others fully will take an immeasurable amount of humility and grace, but when we allow God to work within us in these ways, we will see an incredible amount of growth in our communities. Let's look at how Scripture paints us a picture of what real harmony looks like and how we can start fostering that in our everyday lives:

Philippians 2:1-4 talks about how we should not be selfish. Specifically in verses 3-4, the Apostle Paul, who wrote this book and many others in the New Testament, makes it very clear that the way of Christ is to look after other people’s interests as much as we do our own. Paul actually encourages us to make ourselves lower in order to lift others up, putting them before us. It is impossible to create harmony when we refuse to listen to the others’ voices.

Acts 2:42-47 gives us a beautiful image of how the Church should operate. This passage tells the story of early believers who loved each other so much that they gave away their own possessions to provide for each other! The believers would literally sell their things so that they could bless someone else in need. And they did this often, not just once. For them, generosity and love were a lifestyle. In the modern American world this seems like an outrageous practice. Most of us own a lot more than we need, but we still get defensive of our possessions and even our time. We often see other people’s problems as just that: their problems, and we don’t feel the need to help. What would it look like if we cared enough about others that we could give sacrificially in order to help them?

Christians are called to walk in unity. Churches are not buildings, but communities. In the same passage, verses 46 and 47 emphasize how grateful believers were to simply just be in the presence of fellow believers. They did not just go to church on Sundays and call it a day. It says they met daily, invited each other into their homes, and even brought new believers into the fold. Think about your own life and your own community. Why do you enjoy spending time with other people? Why do we love “Friendsgiving”? Why is it more fun to run errands with our friends than alone? And why do we generally enjoy spending time with people that we love? It is because God created us to be in harmony with others, and harmony with other believers is God’s goal for us.

You may have also seen this on the opposite side. Have you ever had a friend or classmate with whom you didn’t click? Life is much harder when we live in conflict with those around us.

Colossians 3:12-17 gives us instructions as to how we are to show love to each other. We are to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forgiving, and most importantly, loving. These are not just random attributes. Read Romans 12:9-21 which gives some very practical examples of how to do this.

Discussion/Reflection Questions:

1. Can you imagine sacrificing some of your possessions like a phone, a paycheck, a car, or even your bedroom if that meant another person in need would be taken care of? If not, ask yourself, "Why not?" If yes, what are some ways that you can sacrifice something possibly more valuable, such as your time, to help someone in need today?

2. Can you think of any place that you attend or have visited that truly felt as harmonious as Paul has described in these passages?

3. Which of the virtues we discussed (compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, etc.) do you find yourself struggling with the most? What is one way that you can improve on this area today?

Bonus Content:

Check out the song "They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love" by Peter Scholtes (or "By Our Love" by For King & Country if you’d like a modern adaptation). These are beautifully written songs with incredibly moving and convicting lyrics (and Harmony!). Ponder the lyrics and imagine if every Christian lived this way.