DO THESE THINGS (PART 3)

Can I pray for you in any way?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

... agree with one another.

2 Corinthians 13:11 GNT ESV

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Over the past two messages, we have been taking a micro-look at a series of five exhortations the Apostle Paul gave to the Christians in Corinth as he closed his second letter to the church there.

After first calling them to strive for perfection, he urged them to listen to his appeals which were appeals grounded in the Lord’s word and Spirit, much like the words of the Old Testament prophets.

As we look at today’s encouragement, we find perhaps the most challenging one yet. For look again at what Paul was calling the Corinthian believers to do in verse 11 of Chapter 13:

... agree with one another. GNT and ESV

Different translations of this verse help us understand this petition even further. Here are a few to consider:

be of the same mind  HCSB

be of one mind.  NIV NKJV

Have you ever been a part of a church where everyone was in agreement with each other, where everyone was of the same one mind?

If you have, then you were a part of the exception more than the norm. I know I can’t remember one church I have been a part of that was in perfect consensus on everything. In fact, the request seems almost like an impossibility until we remember that we serve a Lord who routinely makes the impossible possible.

So this begs the question, “How can we get to a place of agreement in the church, to a place where we are all of one mind?”

Well, in order to be of the same mind, we need a standard we call can adhere to, a standard outside of ourselves, a standard that never varies or changes with the times.

That standard is God’s word.

You see, the Lord has provided us all we need to be like-minded Christ believers. He has given us the scriptures and all we need to do is designate it as our common ground. We all need to read it. We all need to make sure it is central to our thoughts, words, and actions. And we need to allow it to drive everything we do in the church.  

When we do this, when each Jesus follower within a church commits to allowing the scriptures to define who they are and what they do, then the congregation will be in agreement and of the same mind.

Jesus, quoting the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy in Matthew, Chapter 4, said this:

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Deuteronomy 8:3

The word of God is our spiritual nourishment every day. It keeps any believer healthy and when all believers are reading and studying the Word daily, then they will find themselves on the same page, bound together by the Bible and the Holy Spirit that brings understanding and like-mindedness.

If you want your church to be of one mind, dedicate yourselves to allow the scriptures to be central to everything you do. In this intentional act of surrender, you will be honoring the words of Proverbs where we find this important sharing of wisdom:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com