Unity: Swim in multiple streams

The first half of the vision for #LiveFully is “to unite a global community that believes following Jesus is the most full life.”  Before anything else, we view Christians coming together in unity as first priority because Jesus himself held it in such priority. In his prayer to God the Father on behalf of future believers, Jesus said,

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” John 17:22

History has taught that the way to reach this unity is not by all Christians coming into perfect agreement over extensive doctrinal statements.  We are not all going to agree on what it means to be “baptized in the Holy Spirit” or whether or not God’s sovereignty means there is a “double predestination.” If we are waiting for this kind of unity then we are waiting for a moment that is not going to come, at least not in this present age.

To take it further, I am not sure why we would even want that.  Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” One way this “sharpening” happens is through respectfully confronting our differences- both in theology and personality- which stretches, challenges, and matures us as Christians.

This “sharpening” is not about becoming someone you are not, nor is it about being unwilling to change.  It’s the process of becoming the completely unique person God has called only you to become.  The interesting thing is that this process cannot happen without the sharpening of other people who God has placed in your life.

One problem is that we can be so quick to compare ourselves to others and feel pressure to become someone we are not.  An example of this would be when we learn of spiritual experiences of another person which we have not personally experienced.

In a moment like this, there are several different responses.  We can discredit the experience as fake, feel insecure and in the wrong because we lack such an encounter like that, or we can be provoked to further explore it.

I believe the third option is the most healthy and biblical.  This means that we ask them about their experience, and sincerely learn more about it.  We converse with God about it and study the Bible in regards to the issue. After further exploration, we may feel led to ask God to experience Him in a similar way (assuming it is not against the Word of God).

However, we must not put expectations on God that He must reveal Himself to us just like He did for someone else.  This type of request is birthed more out of personal insecurity than it is a true desire to know God more deeply.

Broadly speaking, Christians are called to respect all people.  Further, we are called to share even deeper commitment with those who are spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ.  This love must transcend particular theological camps, denominations, or worship preferences.

Richard Foster’s book “Streams of Living Water” examines six historical movements, or “streams,” of Christianity, specifically: Contemplative, Holiness, Charismatic, Social Justice, Evangelical and Incarnational.

This book validates each stream as a legitimate approach to Christian faith, and also provides the strengths and weaknesses found in each of them.  Foster does not attempt to convince the reader that one particular stream is better or worse than the other.  Rather, he presents each as unique and significant.

As Christians seeking unity, we must be willing to learn and appreciate different forms of Christianity than the one we embrace.  On a more personal level, we would be wise to not just read books and listen to sermons from one stream.  I believe that if we want to experience the most rich and vibrant spiritual life,  we need to be engaging with works from multiple streams.  Don’t expect unity with all Christians if you boast that all you read is John Piper…or Andy Stanley…or T.D. Jakes.  All these leaders have something to say and can sharpen us.

The second half of the #LiveFully vision is “to positively change how followers of Jesus are perceived in mainstream cultures of the world.”  This correlates with the next line in Jesus’ prayer for the future church.  After He prays that his followers would have “complete unity,” he adds,

“then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23b)

The result of unity among Christians will naturally change the way the culture perceives followers of Jesus.  What Jesus says here is stunning- if his followers live in unity, then the world is going to perceive that God sent Jesus and that God loves his followers just as He loves Jesus.  Wow.

The goal of #LiveFully is not to please the popular culture so they will love us and love all our churches.  The goal is not to avoid being rejected for our faith.

The point of positively changing the perception of the world toward Christians is to reclaim the calling of Jesus to be the salt and light of the earth.  The point is that people see the good deeds and full lives of Christians and glorify our Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:16)  Just imagine that for a moment– followers of Jesus living lives that compel outsiders to the Christian faith to acknowledge and glorify God.

We are not seeking to agree on everything, just 3 main things.  You can check out these core convictions here.

Do you still believe unity is possible for Christians?  Do you only take in Christian content from one “stream,” or many? Do you value the thoughts and opinions of other streams of Christianity? Share your thoughts with us.