Unity

How frustrated do you think Paul had to get before he told the Corinthians, "Thank God I didn't baptize any of you?" He was in the baptizing business, after all.

What got Paul going was this (1 Cor 1:11-12): "For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I follow Paul,' or 'I follow Apollos,' or 'I follow Cephas,' or 'I follow Christ.'” He asks, Is Christ divided? No? Well, then?

Stupid Corinthians. Wait a minute, though. How often haven't you heard someone argue a position on music, or worship, or women in office, by saying, "R.C. Sproul says . . ." or "Pastor So-and-So says . . ." We're in the habit of letting other people tell us what scripture means. We're also in the habit of arguing those positions with passionate certainty, as though it were impossible that we could have misunderstood our favorite guru, or that our favorite guru could have been wrong.

Paul's frustration here is echoed elsewhere in scripture, and it raises the question: What things would God say are more important than unity among his people? There are probably some, but I don't think there are very many.

Our fellowship is critical, because that's the support structure God gave us to strengthen us for his service. We won't provide much support if we're fighting with, or ignoring, each other. So the next time I'm tempted to get on my high horse and defend my opinion, I need to ask, "Is this Christ's position too?" And if it is, then "Does He need my help defending it?" Not every error is heresy, and most of the little ones aren't as important as doing ministry.

Army lesson: You need to choose carefully which hill you fight on -- it might be the hill you die on, after all. Picking a fight in church won't get you killed, but fellowship could be a casualty. Not worth it, most of the time.