Engaging With Others - Part II

In the Part I of Engaging With Others, I mentioned I Corinthians 1:10:

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. I Corinthians 1:10

Paul further illustrates his point by mentioning the household ("those of Chloe") of Chloe where strife had reared its stinky head. This should be no surprise, because it happens everywhere, not just in families and marriages, but also in religious circles. The whole book of Corinthians addresses all these areas of strife issues. The Corinthians believed in God, believed in the resurrection of God's son and had received the gift of holy spirit. They all had the power necessary to live abundantly with one another. For some people, God's power is not enough, they still through human desire want to have power and control over others. This desire originates in a point of weakness in their thinking and lack of confidence in God and his Christ.

The people of this particular household were following their favorite leader and in doing so were separating themselves from each other.

12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I Corinthian 1:12-13

In contrast, Paul, a man of great spiritual understanding, admits in I Corinthians 2:1-5:

2 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 

Is Christ divided? Absolutely not! However, they certainly were acting divided! The question is: why? Pride (Genesis 3:5) come to mind.  Pride lifts our minds above others and it can also push our minds to think negatively about ourselves. Self-condemnation is a form of pride as it inflates our own opinion above God's. Personal opinion and comparison to others destroys relationships by introducing rivalry and competition. Measuring ourselves by each other seriously undermines the power of God in our lives.

The remedy to this human condition is to look at each other as godly individuals and respectfully submit to one another. We are all divinely unique and yet we all have been empowered with the same measure of faith, the faith of Jesus Christ. We should believe in and utilize what we've been given. Comparing ourselves with others takes our eyes off our own unique path for what God wants to bless us uniquely with.

21Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's; 23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

Being 'perfectly joined together' (Greek - katartizo) in the same mind and in the same judgment does not mean that we are in agree on everything or walk in lockstep robotically. Studying the Greek word for 'perfectly joined together', 'katartizo', helps us to better understand I Corinthians 1:10. Its first use in the gospels is in Matthew 4:21:

21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending (katartizo)their nets; and he called them.

It is translated 'mended', 'fitted', 'prepared',  framed', 'perfected' in other places in the New Testament. We are to be mended together in reasoning, understanding, purpose and decision. Hardly anyone is in complete 'perfect' agreement. 'Perfectly joined together' in our culture could imply having exactly the same thoughts and opinions. I like the thought of being 'mended' and fitted' with each other as followers of Christ. It sure beats isolation and strife.

Engaging With Others - Part 1

It is fun to meet Christians everywhere we go. Recently I met someone and when he told me he was Christian, I responded that I was also.  He said that not all who say they are Christian really are. Later, I thought about his statement and thought over our conversation, I asked myself the question whether I really knew what a 'true' Christian was.

I have always thought of myself as a true Christian, because I love God and believe that Jesus was the Christ and God resurrected him from death (Romans 10:9-10). Are there other defining characteristics of a 'true' believer?

Most times when I meet another Christian the conversation goes to a deeper level very quickly. It is so nice to meet someone who believes in God. We can share thankfulness with each other for all God has done. Occasionally I meet someone who, once he/she finds out I am Christian, he/she will start asking me questions about specific things I believe. I find that there usually is a lot in common to talk about, but at the same time, there are usually things we might disagree about. It is not surprising since there are more than 24,000 different types of denominational and non-denominational Christians.

As I was thinking of all the Christians I have recently met,  Romans 14, I Corinthians 1:10ff and Philippians1 popped in my head. Roman 14 warns against judging the new believer who may as yet  not have tossed out certain old traditions and beliefs. We have to remember we all have unlearned areas in biblical knowledge and understanding. Humbly growing and learning the things about God take a lifetime at the very least. Here are some verses from Romans 14:

4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

What makes for peace? God and his word is the ultimate source of peace. We can learn from each other yet each one of us has the responsibility to process what we learn:

Let every man be fully persuaded (plerophoreo - fully convinced)in his own (idios -one's own) mind. Romans 14:5b

We may disagree but we shouldn't cause problems with each other, nor should we get offended.  We should give people the truth as we know it; then give them space to think about it and make their own decision. We don't stand in the approval of others. Our approval is rooted in God with righteousness, peace and joy as our parameters. Our job is to edify (build-up not tear down) others if we can.

I was so blessed meeting a new friend the other day. I enjoyed listening to his story and how he came to Christ and I enjoyed looking at his craftsmanship in his work.  He was a excellent woodworker. I may not see him again soon, but as one of my blogger friends put it, there will always be eternity!