I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”  1 Corinthians 1:10-12

As a young man growing up, I was the oldest of three boys.  We were about 5 years apart in age, so there were very few periods of our childhood in which all of our interests were the same.  This caused a great deal of division in our house, along with the occasional wrestling match or fist fight.  We did not agree on much, other than spankings from Dad were no fun at all. We expressed our differences in ideas, and subsequent displeasure,  in a number of ways. Some examples that I can recall were whining, stubbornness, sabotage, and general disobedience or acting out.

It seems crazy to consider that I am over thirty years removed from that time in my life, and there is obviously no way that I would act out in the same manner that I did when I was young (italics used for sarcasm).  I believe that there have been recent situations that I may have reacted in the very same manner when faced with a situation that I disagreed with.

I believe that there is a valuable lesson in Paul’s letter to the church of Corinth when it comes to being united with our Christian brothers and sisters. In this particular passage he is speaking specifically on church leadership, but I believe it also applies to a church that is actively searching for that leader.

The part of this text that draws my attention is “…perfectly united in mind and thought.” It appears that Paul is teaching the members of that church to unite for what is ultimately important for the entire church, and that is to keep Christ at the center of all things. An important lesson as we continue to work the process of finding a new shepherd for our flock. More importantly, now that Bro. Andy has been announced as the Interim, we do not become complacent and comfortable, and allow this behavior to work its way in.

Have a great week!

~Danny