How the Church Was Meant to Work Together

In September 1999, NASA lost a $125 million Mars probe, not because of an asteroid, not because of alien interference, but because two teams of rocket scientists weren't unified. One team used the metric system, the other used the imperial system, and neither side recognized the error until it was obviously too late. A $125 million satellite completely destroyed because of a lack of unity in the process of completing the mission. If that kind of disunity can destroy a mission to Mars, what does disunity do to the mission of the Church?

From Theology to Practicality

In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul makes a significant shift in his letter to the church at Ephesus. The first three chapters raved about God's goodness, glory, and purpose for the Church. Now, beginning in chapter four, Paul tells us what God's goodness and grace are there for, which is to call us to mission.

Paul outlines God's mission in two very practical ways: unity, or right relationships, and holiness, or right living. The great blessings of God described in chapters one through three are there for the purpose of calling us to live lives worthy of those blessings.

Humility: The Foundation of Unity

Paul gets right to it with one of the most important characteristics that underpins the unity of the body. In Ephesians 4:1-3, he writes:

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

In the pagan, non-Jewish world of Paul's day, the values he encourages here, humility, gentleness, and patience, were not seen as virtues. To get ahead in life, you were supposed to be the boss, to bully your way to the top. But for Paul, this attitude of humility and gentleness was the proper response to the grace we have received from God. Christian unity doesn't originate on the outside with some sort of structure or program; it begins from within each one of us in the attitudes of the heart.

Humility and gentleness are not weaknesses, but strengths. Jesus described himself with both characteristics in Matthew 11:29 as being "gentle and humble in heart." And in Mark 10:43-45, Jesus expects the same from us: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Humility says that our disagreements, even if they are substantial, should not divide us.

One Body, One Spirit, One Mission

With humility as a foundation, Paul paints a beautiful picture of our unity in the Spirit in Ephesians 4:4-6:

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

Paul's emphasis is on the unity of faith and the unity of the family of God, bound together under the notion of the Trinity: one Spirit, one Lord Jesus, one God the Father. And unity in a family does not rely on uniformity. Think about your own families; chances are there are some similarities among you, but you probably have some important differences too, in personality, interests, and talents.

Diversity Is a Gift, Not a Problem

God has created each one of us unique, and there is beautiful diversity in the body of Christ. In Ephesians 4:7-8, Paul writes:

"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: 'When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.'"

Paul is borrowing imagery from Psalm 68:18, applying it to Christ's ascension. When Christ rose from the dead and ascended, he gave gifts to his people and the Holy Spirit is the one who gives us those gifts of grace, giving each of us a unique calling in order to fulfill God's mission.

Think about an orchestra. You have families of similar instruments, like brass, woodwinds, strings, or percussion, but a symphony orchestra is not composed of an entire group of people playing the same instrument. Every player has the same song, but different parts to play. When these diverse instruments play together in unity, they don't sound the same, but they create a unified piece of music together. Unity doesn't mean uniformity, but diversity doesn't mean chaos.

Gifts Are for Equipping, Not Performing

In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul lists some of the gifts given to the Church, specifically apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, and explains their purpose:

"...to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

Notice what Paul says: these gifts are for the purpose of equipping God's people for the works of ministry and service. The model Paul lays out is that those in pastoral roles are supposed to prepare God's people for them to be the ones who go and do the works of ministry and service. The idea that paid church staff are supposed to do all the ministry while the congregation sits and listens is not only exactly the opposite of what Paul describes here, it's probably the number one cause of pastoral burnout.

Growing Up: Maturity in Faith

Spiritual gifts aren't just about service, they're also about helping us develop maturity in faith. Paul describes this in Ephesians 4:14-16:

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ."

That phrase "speaking the truth in love" may be one of the most misused passages of scripture. In the original Greek, there is not actually a word corresponding to "speaking." The Greek word here is aletheuontes, a present, continuous, ongoing action that could be literally translated as "truthing in love." This means not only speaking the truth, but living the truth, acting on truth, and basically “doing truth.” If we are really “truthing in love,” living our lives above reproach, then speaking the truth is almost not even necessary.

A New Way to Be Human

All these characteristics (humility, unity, diversity, giftedness, and maturity) lead us to a new way of being human. In Ephesians 4:22-24, Paul calls us to "put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

When we try to go about life our own way and build unity on our own terms, we end up forcing people where they don't fit and ruining the master plan. God didn't just give us a bin of loose parts to work with. God provided a blueprint for our mission, people with diverse and unique gifts, and the Holy Spirit to hold us all together.

Putting It Into Practice

God has called us to unity in diversity, built on an attitude of humility, supported by the Holy Spirit, producing ministry from our gifts, and developing maturity in our faith. That's a tall order but it's the new way of being human that God wants us to be. Here are some practical ways to live this out:

• Examine your attitude. Before your next disagreement with someone at church, ask yourself: am I approaching this with humility and gentleness, or am I trying to bully my way to the top?

• Discover your gifts. If you're not sure what spiritual gifts God has given you, talk to a pastor or leader. The gifts listed in Ephesians 4, Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and 1 Peter 4 are a great starting point for reflection.

• Get involved in ministry. Your role in the Church is not to sit and listen, it's to serve. Find one area this week where you can use your gifts to build up the body.

• Practice "truthing in love." Before you use "speaking the truth in love" as a reason to point out someone else's faults, ask yourself: is my life reflecting the truth I want to speak?

• Celebrate diversity. The next time you encounter someone in the Church who is different from you in personality, background, or gifting, thank God for the richness that diversity brings to the body of Christ.

Reflection

Take a few quiet moments with these questions.

1. Paul says Christian unity begins not with a structure or program, but with the attitudes of the heart. Where in your relationships is pride or impatience quietly working against unity? What would it look like to replace that with humility and gentleness?

2. Unity doesn't mean uniformity. Think about the people in your church or community whose personalities, gifts, or approaches are very different from yours. Are you treating their differences as a threat to unity, or as a gift to the body?

3. Paul challenges us to be "truthing in love," not just speaking truth, but living it, continuously and actively. Honestly ask yourself: When you've claimed to "speak the truth in love," were you motivated more by love for the other person or by the satisfaction of being right?

Prayer

Gracious God, Thank you for the staggering grace you have poured out on us, grace we did not earn and could never deserve. Forgive us for receiving your gifts and then living as though they were only for ourselves. Teach us to be people who are completely humble and gentle. Remind us that Jesus described himself as gentle and humble in heart. If that was enough for him, Lord, let it be enough for us. Help us make every effort to keep the unity you have given us. Grow us up into maturity. Let us “truth in love,” not just with our words, but with our whole lives. We want to live worthy of the calling we have received. In Jesus' name, Amen