Romans 15:1-7 (NIV)
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Life in the kingdom of God is not about personal preferences or personal agendas. It is rather a whole-hearted taking up of God’s agenda of growing and expanding His kingdom to fill the whole earth (Revelation 11:15). And to achieve that agenda requires unity among all His people.
This unity is not merely a synchronization of beliefs, but the synergy of people whose efforts are all directed toward a single goal. And that kind of synergy requires acting in the common interest of the whole body.
When the body is working as it should, those who are strong do not lord it over the weaker parts, but come alongside them to support them and to build them up (1 Corinthians 12:24b-26, 13:1-13). Thus the whole body is strengthened, and is set up to be more and more effective in all it is doing, directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, who is thus able to work all through the body, unhindered by self-interest and division.
The model for this other-centered living, as in everything in the kingdom, is Jesus Himself. He did not live to please Himself but went so far as to lay down His own life in order to move God’s agenda forward, and to make possible the best of the kingdom to everyone who lives in it.
Paul clearly understood that this kind of other-centered living does not come naturally to humanity. Instead, it is created and facilitated in each person as a gift, a grant, given through the Holy Spirit as He lives and works in each person. Having the same Spirit at the center of each life enables every part of the body of Christ to live and work together in harmony, so that each part can be effective in its assigned task.
The bottom line is that we must never allow divisions to exist in the body. Just as we have each been accepted by Jesus, so we are to accept each other. There is to be no division based on race, social status, background, language or role. Instead, each is to be accepted, embraced, supported, lifted in prayer, and appreciated for who God has made us to be.
Father, this is about as clear as it gets. These days the body of Christ has been so divided by sects and denominations and hierarchies that it is easy to forget that we are all on the same team, all working on the same agenda, all serving exactly the same Master. Therefore, despite our difference in polity and practice, we need to keep the understanding of our intrinsic unity, calling and purpose front and center, and work together to grow Your kingdom and to advance Your agenda. That is how we will glorify You. But, as Paul points out, we can’t do this in our own strength or power. We need your Holy Spirit to be able to do this effectively. Help us, Lord, to surrender ourselves to you entirely, so that You can fill us with Your Spirit and shape us into a single body that is powerful and effective in advancing Your agenda. Amen.