God will One Day Reconcile us ALL to Him!
In my last blog, we discussed how (eventually) God’s church will unify, and there will then be only one religion for all people. I know that some will accuse me of being narrow-minded because I didn’t cover their religion, and I ignored those who have no religion. If you feel that way, I’m sorry, but I believe there is only one God responsible for the existence of all things, and eventually, He will bring us to a point where we finally see that. When we attain that position, all religious differences will disappear, and we will see and worship God as one.
The Challenge of Agreeing About God
In this blog, I want to address what we can do until that time comes. Again, I have to clarify that my vision of God and the unity He is trying to bring us to is derived from the only book ever written, whose author is ascribed to be the one and only true God – the Bible. Some people say, “The closer you get to God, the more you understand about God,” yet even those who study the Bible can’t agree on everything. The conundrum behind knowing God has been likened to three blind men each taking time to study an elephant, and then coming together to share their findings. One “sees” the elephant as a massive tree trunk because all he paid attention to were the legs. Another “sees” him as a squirming snake, because he focused exclusively on the trunk. The last “sees” the creature as thin folds of skin because all he felt were the ears. All perceptions are correct, but not collectively accurate. The elephant is defined by the sum of its parts, not just by any one part! This is the problem when it comes to learning about God:
It is impossible to get your head around God,
because He is too complex to get your head around.
The Apostle James expressed the goal in this way: Come close to God, and He will come close to you. James 4:8 NLV That is certainly good advice for us to begin the journey toward a common perception of God, but is it enough? History would suggest it’s not. But the Bible teaches that we should never stop trying.
The Path Forward: ALMS
Today, I want to cover four New Testament verses I think will help us all in our goal to draw closer to each other and to God. All four encourage us to strive for something worthwhile. To help you remember what is important, I’m going to use the acronym “ALMS.”
Alms are a sacrifice we bring to God as an offering of our respect, appreciation, obedience, and love for Him. When directed toward others, it can simply mean: Giving motivated by love.
The secret to being a unified body is to focus on giving our ALMS to God with a desire to be closer to Him and His Body:
- A: Be At One with God (John 17:21). At the Last Supper, Jesus prayed this prayer (I’ve provided two translations just to bring out more depth of meaning):
Father, I pray that they (My disciples) can be one (as a group). As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can also be one in us (one in the spirit). (NCV)
I pray that all of them will become united (My disciples as a group). You, Father, are in me, and I am in you. I pray that they also will be united in us (one in the spirit). (EASY)
The relationship Jesus has with the Father can only be compared to the state of “One Flesh” as described by God in holy matrimony, where “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:6 ESV) Being at one with God means learning how to unite our differences in thought, values, actions, and so on – just like we’re supposed to do in marriage. Ultimately, the Bible teaches that our relationship with Jesus should resemble that of a marriage where Jesus is the bridegroom, and the church is His bride.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her…that He might present her to Himself a glorious church…For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. Ephesians 5:25-27 NKJV
- L: Unite in LOVE (Colossians 3:14 TLB). True love always brings unity because the focus is outward, not inward.
Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the whole church will stay together in perfect harmony.
When we love each other, “the whole church will stay together” because we practice the instructions of the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 13 where he said:
4 Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, 5 never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. 6 It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. 7 If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him. I Corinthians 13: 4-7 TLB
- M: Unify your MINDS (1 Corinthians 1:10 EASY). This is probably the toughest part of the assignment to unify, because our minds cherish the freedom to choose our own way.
My Christian friends, I tell you this with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘Please agree with each other. Do not become separate groups. Be united and think about things in the same way.’
When our minds are united, division ceases. Note that the Apostle Paul is begging us to do this! Seek agreement with each other! Being of like mind requires (a) much study, and (b) a determination to “think about things in the same way” vs. “our way.”
- S: Unify your SPIRITS (Ephesians 4:3 EASY). In life, we “hear” many voices in our head directing us. When we can tune our ears to God’s voice, peace will follow.
Do your best to let God’s Spirit keep you united. You belong together so live in peace with each other.
When our spirits are united, there is peace . There’s no jealousy, discord, competition, or judgment – just peace among brothers and sisters.
Being unified in God’s church requires work! We must be deliberate in our goal of unity. This is only possible when we love God enough to see Him in each other, because we have drawn that close to Him through the loving giving of our alms to Him.
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