11 June 2015 - identity in unity

The LORD wants to show us the way to be righteous. He wants to clear any obstacles from our entrance to the Kingdom of heaven. He wants to teach and encourage us so that we can remain faithful to him with firmness of heart.

This is the mission of his Holy Spirit among us this morning. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of unity and it is on this that he calls us to focus today.

For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body--whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink (cf. 1 Cor. 12:13).

The Spirit insists on a unity of his people which is not merely superficial. It is a lot deeper than merely avoiding external violence. It is more than merely not lashing out in anger at our brothers. It is more, even, than watching our words and carefully policing the thoughts which we choose to express. It is about cultivating genuine love and real relationship with our sisters and brothers. Even if all of the problems of our relationship seem to be on the side of the other we are still called to do all we can to be reconciled with him or her.

The Holy Spirit is not working freely where these relationships are not flourishing. He has the power to overcome our human limitations in order to make possible a unity which is supernatural in origin.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (cf. Eph. 4:3)

We can't have this righteousness unless we let the Spirit work in us. And we can't imagine we are allowing the Spirit to work in us if he seems to work in isolation from the people of God. He is building a family. When we are open to his Spirit as the source of our unity and our righteousness amazing things happen.

Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger,
Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.”

We no longer have to do everything ourselves. We can play the specific parts which God prepares for us. We no longer have to be so strong. We have brothers and sisters surrounding us to help us. The Spirit fills us, encourages us, and guides us. We finally begin to express the deepest truth of our identity.

and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.