Meditate: Acts 2:44
It’s this whole business of the Spirit bringing us together that seems to cause all the confusion. But I think I know why that is.
Did you ever see a magician use one hand to distract you so that he can put the coin in the other hand?
We often idealize this early Church in a way that makes us overlook some basic things:
Biblical unity is spiritual not organizational-”one body, many parts.”
It is mystical, “one Spirit,” not physical, “one heart.”
It’s relational not structural-”one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all.”
We’re comfortable with things that are organizational, physical, and structural. Why? Because they’re real, right?
Well…that’s kind of what we tell ourselves. But does that mean that the spiritual, mystical, relational things are unreal? No!
But they are intangible. You can’t reach out and touch them, and you can’t point to them.
You can point to evidence that these things do exist-like when we see an old couple leaning on one another as they’re walking and we say to ourselves, “They must really love each other.”
And when you think about it that way, you realize that just because a scale or a camera or a measuring tape are no help doesn’t mean that something doesn’t exist.
Now, in the same way that I’m going to make really sure that my daughters know what real love means, we need to make sure that we know what real Christian unity means. I don’t want my daughters heading off with just any guy that talks a good game.
And God warns us that we’ll be invited to tag along with people that say they’re following Him but aren’t.
And they’ll try to distract us from the relationship He calls us to. But how can we be sure? What’s really real?
- What’s real in my life? What’s not?
Pray:
Praise: You are Eternal. When all that seems real is gone, You will remain.
Confess: I’m more concerned with my temporary reality.
Thank: You make Your Truth known in so many ways.
Ask: Give me Your wisdom to see things as they truly are.
Digging Deeper: John 17
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