What Makes Sierra Tick? #8

Our philosophy of ministry
by Paul Null, FormerTeaching Pastor

"Unity in Diversity"

Periodically we will receive registration cards in the offering bags which include personal comments about the service. Most often they are complimentary but sometimes they are critical. The critical comments are usually directed at our style of worship. The other day I was visiting with an old friend who was a member at my former place of ministry. He has since joined another fellowship. He admitted that he liked his new pastor's approach to preaching better than mine. One of the greatest challenges of ministry together is to promote and preserve unity in a congregation of people with differing opinions and personal tastes.

The promotion and preservation of unity is of primary importance. In the epistle to the Ephesians, for instance, after three chapters of celebrating the richness of relationship with Christ (Ephesians 1-3), Paul's first plea is that the believers would put all of their energies into living in harmony with one another. "I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (4:1-3). This powerful statement leaves no room for debate. Unity is more important than personal opinions or tastes. In fact, as the passage will go on to teach, unity is the only foundation upon which a healthy and fruitful diversity can be nurtured and expressed.

The passage then goes on to clarify the basis for our unity. "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all." (4:4-6). Unity is based upon our belief in and relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit which joins us to one another as members together of the family of God. You've heard the old saying, "Blood is thicker than water." Well in this case God has directed that our spiritual family relationship is to take priority over anything and everything that might contribute to disharmony in the family.

Just after this Paul introduces the healthy and fruitful kind of diversity that arises out of the basis for unity just outlined. "But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift." (4:7). The grace he is speaking about is the special motivation and ability given to us individually to contribute to the ministry of the family of God. That "gift", as he will later refer to it, not only enables us to make a unique contribution to God's work through the church on earth but it gives us special eyes to see special needs that others perhaps don't.

Herein lies one of the potentials for conflict in the family of God. Whose ministry burden takes priority? That question is not always easily answered. The point of the passage is that it must be answered in a way that is characterized by cooperation, not conflict. This is where the qualities Paul first mentioned come to the fore, "humility," "gentleness," "patience," and "bearing with one another in love." It is often difficult to remember when we feel strongly about something, especially something ministry related, that it is more important that we do the work of God together than that we do it at all.

The Corinthian believers faced a conflict between the individual exercise of gifts and harmony in the family. In that case Paul made very clear what was to take priority, the building up of the family (1 Corinthians 14:5, 12, 26). Paul says it this way in Ephesians, "But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love." (4:15-16). When each believer concentrates on making his or her own unique contribution to the ministry of the family of God in cooperation with the other believers then the evidence of unity in diversity is unmistakable.

But sometimes concern for ministry and the church is simply a guise for promoting personal agendas (A personal agenda is something not openly communicated that we want for ourselves). James speaks to that in the third and fourth chapters of his epistle.

3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

4:1 Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? 2 You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, "God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says,

"God opposes the proud,

but gives grace to the humble."

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Notice the difference in the outcome between personal agendas and "the wisdom from above" (3:14-18). And notice the destructiveness when there is conflict in the family (4:1-3). And finally, notice God's attitude toward those who try to force their personal agendas on the family of believers (4:4-6). Again the cry is for humility, this time in repentance before God (4:7-10).

The great difficulty is that we often feel more strongly about personal tastes and personal opinions and personal agendas than we do the Word and work of God. And we are also fairly clever at equating our personal likes and dislikes with genuine spiritual concerns. You might ask yourself, "Is my strong opinion about ministry biblically based?" "Is it possible that my opinion is simply a cover for a personal agenda?"

I'll say this in conclusion. At Sierra we as leaders are always willing to listen to personal opinions when shared openly and honestly and in a spirit of cooperation. You can be certain that they will be weighed seriously against the biblical criteria outlined above so that the body will continue to build itself up in love.

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