The Call for Unity
Last night was a memorable evening with Zoe leading worship and Bob Russell and Max Lucado speaking. The call to unity was clear–as was the plea to announce Christ (as a united body) to the world. Some apparently stayed away from the workshop because they thought there would be less emphasis on reaching out. Wow, were they wrong. I’ve never heard as much on living out the message of Jesus for the sake of the world.
This morning at breakfast I asked Max if he knew why people were laughing when he started speaking (at a time when he wasn’t expecting laughter). He said he had no clue but thought he might have said something wrong. I explained that he was being projected up on the big screens with the words BATTERY IS LOW flashing. I told him I thought it helped lower expectations but that if, indeed, his batteries were low they seemed to become recharged as he spoke.
Bob Russell. Such a great guy. When I visit with him, I forget that he built a church from 150 to 18,000. I just think of him as the kind of granddad every kid needs–a godly man, a guy who loves his wife, kids, and grandkids, the sort of person who is listening deeply instead of just thinking about what he wants to say next.
Mike-
Sounds like you’re having a grest time there. You speak of Bob and Max as if they are helping to recharge YOUR batteries, and I’m sure they think the same thing about you.
I get out of my comfort zone when I think about what it would really be like if all disciples of Christ could agree to disagree on some issues without losing focus on Jesus. Wouldn’t the world of religion be a different place if our default mode was to concentrate on the things we have in common instread of the ways we are different?
I don’t remember ever being around Max when his batteries were low. That is hilarious!
Sounds like you are having a wonderful time. Maybe God is recharging the batteries for all you guys. We get it indirectly. Thanks for sharing with us.
Man, I wish I could have been there this year.
I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but let’s fling open the doors of all our religious meeting places and welccome all who are Christ followers to join with us on the journey regardless of what idiosyncrasies or theological ideologies might separate us. This world as we know it is soon to pass and all of us by God’s grace will share in the wonderful experience of being glorified.
May God defeat every sectarian and divisive spirit that quenches His Spirit that works in us to be a light to the world.
Peace.
Steve, your is an echo of a call I heard from Max back in the early 1990s. He said how he’d love to see at least one Sunday when all the individual church names were obliterated with a common sign displayed in its place:
“Followers of Jesus”
Amen!!
)
That would be cool, Kathy..but then before long “Followers of Jesus” would become organized and everyone would make really cool signs that said, “Followers of Jesus” and we would be right back where we started because that is the very nature of man. I mean it gets kinda funny to see all the different names; Church on the Way, Church of Living Water, The Way, etc..I think that its a heart issue that will permeate all walls and bring about some fashion of unity.
Is unity possible, Mike? I mean, is this something this generation has figured out and now we are going to attend to it? What are your thoughts?
From the beginning God calls us to be unified. As we are striving now to be unified as one in our love for Christ….to let His Kingdom Reign….His presence engulf our souls…..let us not forget to Love one another.
My spirit grieves at the fingerpointing, and name calling. The crux of the matter is indeed the heart.
Ultimate unity will not be achieved until we are sitting at the throne of our Creator. In the meantime…..I pray that we acknowledge our differences, embrace the freedom we have In Christ to worship where we are spirit led, spirit fed, and spirit filled.
Each of our journey’s are different, each of us are on a different place on the road to a deep, intimate relationship with God.
My choice in place of worship may be different than yours, how I worship may be different. Am I honoring God with my praise and worship? Are my lifted hands, my instruments, or my accapella singing any less or more sweeter in sight or sound to My Father? He is looking at my heart!!!!! Amen!!! He created us unique! Our different voices, our different prayers, our different ways of communing with Him, I believe are joyous to Him!
Oh wretched people that we are….we get so immersed in the “discussion” of it all…..why are we creating a quagmire when there need not be?
I was told as a child to look at each person as a soul that God created….that He loved them and yearned for them to seek Him and be with Him just as He did and does me.
I have been incredibly blessed in life to be a part of many congregations of people that love God. All different…all absolutley beautiful, and all striving to love God with all their hearts, minds, and souls.
Our struggle for unity….it should be simple. If it is not a salvation issue, don’t wig out…..just love. Is it a salvation issue….love, pray…be the instrument God created you to be…and let Him grow the seeds that will lead.
Most of us do not respond to harshness, crassness, or an idea being shoved down our throat….., but we do respond do love…..we responded to Jesus love for us, didn’t we????
As I recently heard Rich Atchley say: we should be covered by the blood of Christ, yet we are covered in the blood from each other.
We would be wise to take heed of the examples we were given in the life of Christ and the Apostles.
True love. Diversity? Absolutley! Yet….Love.
I know…I am naive. But I am working on allowing God to change me from the inside out…..and I know that He can do that for each of us. My prayer for each of us is to remember, succinctly, why He died for us in the first place.
Let each of us continue to seek Him, each second, of ech day. It is life changing. Remember..”we” cannot bring about unity….but God can.
And then you would have the signs that say “followers of Jesus” and “Followers of Jesus Meet Here.”
Deana, can we pray for the directionally challenged?
Then the signs would say:
First Followers of Jesus, because some Followers would sing new songs, and they would want to stick with the old.
Reformed Followers of Jesus, having purged all the not truly committed
Follower of the Jesus on the Way, to appeal to the young.
Mike – Here in Salt Lake, a good friend of mine has begun a Christian Solidarity Campain for all churches to have the same sign on or in their building which says -” one church, One God, JESUS CHRIST – worship him here.” It is a plea to show the Mormons that not all Christian churches are not fighting but are united! 35 plus churches have signed up so far. We (the Southside Church of Christ) did not. Really disappointing. I keep hearing the words of Landon Saunders when I was a student at Harding (1976-80), “I see a new restoration movement arising in the future. But I am afraid that we will be the ones who will not only to refuse to join it; but my fear is we will oppose it.”
The Real Lord’s Prayer:
“My prayer is not for them (the apostles) alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message (covers lots of ground, denominationally speaking), that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as you and I are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:20-23
To be “one”, do we have to agree on everything?
Jesus and God were one, but did not agree on everything.
See Luke’s account of the prayer. (Luke 22:41)
Jesus gave in to the will of God over his own, and they were one. Hmmm.
Mike, I have to agree with you that last night was off the charts. Max and Bob both were on target. And Zoe never disappoints in their ability to lead us to the throneroom. I also have to say that your session this morning was one of the highlights of the workshop. Thank you for allowing God to speak so clearly through you. I have always been one of those who was reluctant to share my struggles with other believers. Your comments reminded me of my need to be held accountable and prayed for by other men of God. Thank you.
“Then the signs would say:
First Followers of Jesus, because some Followers would sing new songs, and they would want to stick with the old.
Reformed Followers of Jesus, having purged all the not truly committed
Follower of the Jesus on the Way, to appeal to the young. ”
LOL Bobbie! You think this could all be accomplished, all these new divisions in just one Sunday afernoon?
Favorite quote from the weekend (from Rick Atchley, I believe)…
“You do not have to be my twin to be my brother.”
Mr. Cope,
Could you please respond to the negativity the Church of Christ is receiving following the Winkler murder? (Check out the yahoo boards discussing the articles, there’s 23,000 posts about it), lots of blogs are saying horrible stuff about the CofC. How should we respond? My coworkers already have a bad impression as it is, now this……….. THANKS
Unity – this is my dream.
Mike, I was one of the original founders of the Tulsa Workshop. It grew out of a Monday morning breakfast meeting each week of all the Joy Bus ministries in Tulsa. We would gather to brag, cry, pray, and search for ways to touch the lives of children we were bringing on the bus. One morning Alan Bryan, challenged us to bring the “brotherhood” together and share ways of Soul Winning. He did not, and we did not put a definition on “brotherhood”.
Others have tried over the years to narrowly define it, and there have been some real struggles with financial support, fellowship threats etc. In the eighteen years I was a part of the Workshop, every time we faced one of these, God moved in wonderful ways. This year is no exception.
I have moved from the Tulsa area and am no longer directly involved with the Workshop, but I am so proud to see that our original definition of “brotherhood” remains as God intended it.
Mike,
Do you know Mark Moore? I was really blown away by his classes and his messages. I can’t wait to pick up one of his books. His site is markmoore.org.
Tracy
Mike, enjoyed your message Saturday and I appreciate you much. I wish I had a chance to visit with you for a minute (like everyone else), but that didn’t happen this time. God bless you, my brother! It was a great workshop.
This year’s Tulsa workshop was a seminal moment in our movement, especially the Friday night session. So was the opening night service of the ACU Lectures/Restoration Forum XXIV in Abilene. So will be the North American Christian Convention in Louisville, KY, June 27-30, where four of the eight main session speakers will be from Churches of Christ — plus 40 of the workshop leaders!
Mike,
I really enjoyed your classes @ Tulsa…Thanks for the spiritual food! You and Randy make a great teaching team.
On an aside…is there any way to put your “Worship CD” ad on your blog. I caught the last half of the video and would love to see the whole thing. Hilarious!!
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