Rev. Li Tao (pseudonym), who has extensively studied the churches of the apostolic age, believed that those churches were genuinely healthy, with one particular trait being "joining together in ministry."
However, in many churches today, there is factionalism, disputes, and a lack of consensus. A veteran pastor with decades of service in the church expressed disappointment with TSPM churches and despair of house churches due to internal conflicts. Addressing how to achieve unity, Pastor Li Tao presented his perspectives.
Consider others better than ourselves
Dissension often surfaces during interactions in the church. Many have their cliques or groups, leading to meetings where they speak for themselves, unable to find consensus on nearly everything. Some oppose remarks from those outside their group, irrespective of the content.
Rev. Li stated, "As humans, we all have people we don't particularly like. We need to discern what they say and can’t judge according to our preferences." He continued, "We must follow the Lord's command to regard others as more important than ourselves, rather than think we're better."
Additionally, the apostle Paul taught believers not to do anything out of selfish ambition or vain conceit or to look only at their interests. For instance, people can’t aspire to leadership positions solely for glory. Li mentioned that many people solicit votes in diverse ways during the election and even promise a lot of benefits to the church and voters. This is a disguised form of strife, which greatly affects the fairness and result of the election.
Jesus is the practical example.
Pastor Li proposed that a practical example better fosters service in unity. For Christians, there's only one eternal example: the Lord Jesus.
He, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Pastor Li shared a story from his youth when he and another young core worker served in the church. When the church leadership changed, Li became the new leader, and thereafter, the core workers began opposing him at every turn. Their once great relationship turned into enmity, with the core worker voluntarily leaving the church.
Li said, "Jesus is truly God, but he did not try to remain equal with God—He was sent by the Father to earth to be a man, volunteering to be a servant with no respect. When Jesus had this obedience, God exalted Him."
"But if we don't follow the path Jesus showed us and insist on promoting ourselves through roping in, defaming, or speaking ill of others, we'll never truly be elevated."
Concrete manifestations of unity and consensus
"Unity" can manifest in three aspects: conviction in truth, submission to authority, and surrender in life.
In today's diverse era, Christians must walk together, starting with believing and practicing biblical principles. Subsequently, as Christians, we must obey God, with significant aspects being submission to authority and respecting those in governance. Furthermore, there should be order in the church, with believers following group leaders and group leaders listening to overseers of pastoral areas who submit to the church leader.
Lastly, we need to live a surrendered life. Sometimes, we might find others' actions beyond our understanding and boundaries, and in such instances, your faith is beautiful if you are surrendered.
To reach "consensus," Christians should value God's word, fathom God's purpose, and experience God's heart.
In considering any matter, we must first observe and contemplate what God's will is in that matter, then follow it unconditionally, regardless of the fame, money, or material loss we might face.
When Jesus preached in Bethsaida and Chorazin, many locals rejected him. Yet, in prayer, He said, "Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." Often, we struggle to agree because we tend to focus solely on others—"You weren't good to me; you didn't give or help me..."—without seeing God behind them. If something happens, it's because God has good intentions. When we embrace and appreciate God's goodwill, it's much easier for people to come to an agreement.
Furthermore, while we often talk about obeying the truth, in some matters, there might not be explicit biblical truths to guide us. Before being arrested and crucified, Jesus prayed three times for the disciples to be united. In many situations, right or wrong, gain or loss, unity is more crucial than a unified opinion.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
