9)
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which
is evil; cleave to that which is good.
10)
Be kindly affectioned one
to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring
one another;
11)
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving
the Lord;
12)
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation;
continuing instant in prayer;
13)
Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to
hospitality.
14)
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse
not.
15)
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with
them that weep.
16)
Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not
high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own
conceits.
|
I |
t
is often difficult to get people who profess the same belief to operate in the
same mind. The inability to achieve unification is a trick of the Adversary and
a serious problem. The root of this problem is pride. How so? In order to
achieve unity, we must all speak the same thing. Obviously, it is unlikely that
everyone automatically will know the same thing. This, of course means that
someone will have instruct and someone be instructed. This
poses a problem in that everyone likes to think that
he knows something. This is a mentality perpetuated by the world and a lethal
flaw in the life of a saint. Unfortunately, there is no easier way for
confusion to be propagated.
The
devil is quite familiar with something that it seems we have yet to accept -
the most successful route for divisions the mind. And we make it easy for him
because we are willing to follow it above all else and all others. It is an
unfortunate attribute of man that what he does not understand, he will
automatically fight.
Though
we offer it as a reminder, the admonition to :be of
the same mind" is not an option. If we are to be "alike, we must be
about the same thing and indeed, how can we be different? After all, what God
requires of one, does He not require of all?
If
we would only face some facts, we would find it a little harder to rationalize
our differences. After all God, Himself, is not
divided. he has only one head and only one Church in
order to be a part of that Church, we must all agree.
When
will we ever come to recognize that only the devil benefits when we manage to
stay separated and divided? Imagine what would happen if all churches taught
the same thing. What would happen to the devil's program? The program of
salvation is what should be promoted, not the devil's program of division.
One thing is certain: a central focus amongst the people
of God would greatly aid the pursuit of singleness of mind. All who call
themselves servants of and members of the
Unfortunately,
even after salvation we sometimes maintain commitments to things which ought
not to be. when our attention is divided, it is
impossible to give the required attention to the things of God.
Having
the "same" mind for God implies being of the "right" mind. The
latter is defined as a mind dedicated to serving the Lord. You know , much is said now of there being "one
foundation" which covers all denominations, all professions and all states
of being with God. According to scripture, there can be no foundation outside
of baptism in Jesus' name and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This is what
precludes all from being on one accord. Man can never speak or accept the same
thing if he will not accept the basic requirements of God.
Not
only can men be divided and serve God, neither can a man be divided in himself
(his mind) and serve the one true God. It does not make sense that an all-wise
God, with one mind would tell different churches to do things different ways.
The
only way truth is known is by the Word of God and only by all knowing truth,
will we ever be able to exist on one accord. We are definitely living in a time
when too many have known the truth only to be deceived in the last hours.
In
order for us as individuals to maintain a consistent (same mind) within
ourselves, we must make a commitment to be steadfast. No matter what—not just
when things are going our way.
Finally achieving the "same mind" will make us
unafraid of teaching the truth, for we will fear offending no one. Of course
this will first be accomplished by us submitting ourselves to agree with God
on all points at all times.