Allow me to paraphrase the 133rd Psalm: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity.”
I do believe as Texas Baptists—people of the Christian faith community—we have more in common than we do otherwise.
The apostle Paul, however, was not so sure about the church at Corinth. He wrote, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10, ESV).
My dear friends, we find ourselves in the midst of a divided country. We struggle to find civility in our debates, politeness in our politics, courtesy in our conduct, even common sense in our culture.
We are living in a defining moment and our identity as Christians must not ever be questioned.
The apostle Paul works to define “who we are to be” as the “faith community.” Consider Paul’s question: “What then is…Apollos or Paul?”
We are servants.
We dare not take our titles and positions too seriously. We are servants (1 Corinthians 3:5). As servants, we run errands. We are waiters, attendants, Baptist bellhops. We serve God by serving his lambs, by doing his will while feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, nurturing the downtrodden.
We are alike and diverse.
As Texas Baptists, we are an affiliation of like-minded, blood bought, born again believers with a shared hope of saving the lost.
As Texas Baptists, we represent a diverse state. There are in the state of Texas 300 identifiable ethnic groups, more than 100 spoken languages, and over 200 dialects brought together.
Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays
As Texas Baptists, we are rich in diversity. We are Anglo and African. We are Asian and African-American. We are Haitian and Hispanic. We are Indian, Indonesian and Iranian. We are the face of the state, the nation, the world!
We have different assignments.
We are called by God and given different assignments (1 Corinthians 3:6-8).
Paul was a recovering Pharisee. He gave consent to the stoning of Steven and was later converted on the road to Damascus. Paul’s assignment: “I planted.”
Apollos was a North African and a preacher par excellence who was tutored by Priscilla and Aquilla. Apollos’ assignment: “He watered.”
God gave the increase. God makes things happen. God causes things to grow.
It is not the person or the personality. It is God at work through the person.
Therefore, we are workers together in partnership with God.
We are co-laborers with Christ.
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, ESV).
What does it look like for us to be fellow workers (1 Corinthians 3:9)? It looks like the synergy of one. In Christ, we are in one accord, of one mind, with one agenda. In Christ, we are one body with one Spirit. Yes, there are many expressions, but there is still one hope.
As Texas Baptists, our one calling and one hope is the salvation of souls. Let there be no division among us on this point. To every tongue, every nation, every man and woman, every socio-economic class, we have one hope.
We are on our way to unity.
Are we there yet? Are we one? No, but we are on the way. Old stereotypes must die. The big church versus little church stigma must fade. The rural, city, urban and suburban church distinctions must no longer matter. The idea of ethnic churches being a “missionary cause” must dissipate. Smaller congregations and bi-vocational pastors must be seen as full partners in this mission.
All God-fearing, Christ-centered churches must be accepted as full partners on this mission.
Old habits must change. Mouths that criticize must encourage. The church must reclaim her role in the community as the helping place, as the healing place, as the safe place.
Jesus said, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home” (Matthew 25:35, New Living).
When we realize the power and potential of the combined membership of 2.3 million souls, revival will break out all around us, and true koinonia—oneness of fellowship—will happen.
We are not there yet, but we are God’s field. He’s working on us while we are working with him. We are not there yet, but we are God’s building. He has poured potential in us.
The foundation has been laid. Let us embrace our diversity and leverage our gifts to save our state, save our nation, save our world!
Rev. Dr. Michael Evans Sr. is the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield, Texas, and the president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He delivered the preceding message to the BGCT Executive Board during its September 2018 meeting.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.