Working together in unity

https://odb.org/2024/04/26/serving-together-2

I think congregations serving God together in the context of a local church is normal. For the church activities to run, everyone works together, whether it is Sunday worship services, cell group meetings, bible studies, prayer meetings, or visitations. There could be some minor personal disagreements here and there, but differences will be put aside for the sake of the programme.

What is less common, however, is churches working together for a common cause. I guess individual churches are busy with their own activities. But when churches get together and do things for the community, the impact is greater because it demonstrates the unity of the body. I would say that the latter is not something that comes across clearly. I think the perception in the world is that Christians are a fragmanted lot with many different churches and denominations.

Even less common is probably churches who are well off helping those who are in need financially. Perhaps the principle is that a church must be responsible for raising its own finances. In Philippians 4, Paul exhorts the poorer church in Macedonia for helping him financially more than once, compared to the wealthy but miserly church in Corinth. If the congregation is taught not to hold on too tightly to worldly wealth, shouldn’t churches practice the same and help other churches in need? Sadly, the trend in churches nowadays is to raise funds for buildings. Some mega churches, already blessed with their own buildings, want to build more!

There is power in unity. God is pleased when we work together as a body, putting the needs of others first before ours. It is an excellent way to reflect His glory and goodness upon our church when we extend financial help to other churches. To God be the glory for the things He has done in our lives!