We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. ~ Ben Franklin
Picture this – 56 men have gathered together on a hot day in July. These men have discussed the problems with maintaining the status quo for months. Time and time again they see they’re lives crumbling around them – bound further and further by some selfish outside presence with the desire of removing their freedoms one by one. As these men gather, the conclusion is made – we must abandon the current state of things. They must abandon what had been comfortable for them, their stability, their resources, their income and unite together and depend on each other to meet their needs.
Suddenly we hear the voice of an elderly man chime in, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” With that, Ben Franklin and his 55 cohorts signed the Declaration of Independence – discarding what little stability they knew to band together with strangers hundreds of miles away to fight an enemy that seemed insurmountable.
Establishing UC over the past few months has been an amazing journey. It’s an exciting fight – and it must continue. At the point that we become a member of this local Church body – we, like the signers of the Declaration of Independence, make a commitment to each other to stand in support of one another.
By nature, we as humans are divisive, often pointing out the difference between us (especially the negative ones) to keep people at arms length. The problem is that once we’ve distanced all but the select few, we walk into battle, and there’s no one there to fight with us. The differences between each one of us are vast, and the potential for division is enormous. Friendships and churches alike have split over doctrine and carpet color, music style and song selection, major issue and minor issue as well.
My warning today is this – be aware. Many predators work to get their prey separated from the pack, and once they have, they’re dead . Though missing a weekend service, connect group, or rehearsal may seem insignificant, the possibility of being separated from those you’re in covenant with is always there, and may produce unwanted results.
Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Pet. 5:8
I encourage each of you to examine the relationships in your life and the commitments you’ve made and honor them. Discover the pettiness of the items that bring division to you and other believers and focus on this one thing – love. It’s hard to hate those you love.
Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Acts 2:1
From the Biblical examples we can see, God clearly honors those who do two things:
Come together in unity
Seek Him
I want to see the power of God manifested in and through us like Peter and Paul saw; however, as long as we allow ourselves to be divided – not just by doctrines, but by how we feel – we will continue to be devoured by the enemy.
I want to camp here just a little longer. One of the things God taught me recently is that I mustn’t forget on the bad days what He has promised me on the good days. It’s much easier to have faith when everything feels right. It’s much harder to have faith when it doesn’t feel like things are going to work out. It’s much easier to follow through with your commitments when people are always easy to get along with and never hurt you – but alas, this is not the world in which we live.
Get the negative talk out of your mouths and out of your thoughts and bind together in unity – one heart, one mind – and see what God will do.
