We Are one

‘We Are One’

Today’s scripture in Acts brings us the story commonly known as "the conversion of the Philippian jailer." But this story is not just about a jailer. Paul and Silas are going to a place of prayer. They were going to a place of prayer, as we read in last weeks scripture, when they ran across a group of women and began a conversation about Jesus Christ, resulting in the conversion of Lydia, the purple cloth merchant and first European convert who later went on to set up a house church. This time they came across a slave girl with a gift of divination. What is the gift of divination? She had the ability, by virtue of being posessed by demons, to be able to fortell future events. The Bible instructs believers that participating in such activity is sin, as we are to have no fellowship with the father of lies, Satan. Seeking out such services or participating in activites of similar ilk such as ouija boards and fortune telling puts us in a position of being open to the power of darkness and not the God of light. This poor slave girl was under the power of darkness and was harassing Paul and Silas when they walked by. It annoyed Paul and Paul prayed for her and cast the spirit out. She immediately lost her ability and her slave owners were very mad. So mad that they grabbed paul and Silas and dragged them to the authorities accusing them of creating a civil disturbance. Paul and Silas were ordered flogged and thrown into prison. Flogging was no easy punishment. It is still happening today, in Asia, the mid east and parts of Africa and is considered torture by human rights groups. This is the type of treatment Paul and Silas received, unjustly for delivering the poor slave girl. It would be human nature in their position,to be weeping, upset, depressed and angrey with God for letting this happen, asking him why? But Paul and Silas were singing, not complaining and praising the Lord. They were raw, bleeding and bruised from the floggings with their feet secured in stocks in the prison while the rest of the prisoners listened, like a congregation, to their songs and prayers. All of them remained in the jail when the earthquake occurred, as if they were one community, none breaking ranks or looking out for himself. The jailer, peeking in, heard the simple, unbelieveable words "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, and your household" but did not respond alone or even at that moment. Instead, he brought Paul and Silas home, took care of their wounds, shared a meal with them, and then his whole household heard the word and were baptized.

Our unity as Christians is both vertical and horizontal. The reading from John’s gospel is from the "high priestly prayer" of Jesus, a prayer for complete unity of Father, Son and disciples through the Spirit. This unity is not unity for unity's sake, but its purpose is that the world may know the Father and the Father's love through Christ in us. Our unity in the body of Christ then is not a unity of preference, or sameness. Our unity is like more the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle which are normally cut into different shapes yet somehow all fit together.
  Delving into the history of jigsaw puzzles it is interesting to note that in 1880, when Milton Bradley made the first jigsaw puzzle for children , he called it "The Smashed Up Locomotive." By printing a lithograph of a steam engine locomotive and cutting it into pieces, the "smashed up" effect was achieved when a child opened the box and saw the locomotive all in pieces. Because of his Puritan upbringing, Bradley's nature was to seek order. Therefore, the object of the "The Smashed Up Locomotive" was to make the locomotive whole once again. If we are not in unity of the spirit we are like the ‘smashed up’ locomotive, the body of Christ in disheveled pieces.

How do we put this puzzle together and view the beautiful picture? First we work on our our own personal relationship with Jesus I think in terms of three P’s.

The three P’s, Praise, Prayer and Penitence will keep us as it did Paul and Silas close to Christ. The Lord heard their praise and prayers, the earth shook and captives were set physically and spiritually free. Praise (Deut 10:21), Prayer,(Eph 6:18) and Penitence (Jas. 4:6)

When we and our Saviour are in unity with one another we listen to the holy Spirit as to how we can best be fit into the body or help join others into the body.
The fitting together of the body of Christ can be thought of also in this way:
Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side-by-side, sharing machinery and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference and finally, it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence. One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days' work," he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with? Could I help you?" "Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That's my neighbor. In fact, it's my younger brother! Last week there was a meadow between us. He recently took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I'll do him one better. See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence an 8-foot fence - so I won't need to see his place or his face anymore." The carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you."

The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day -- measuring, sawing and nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer's eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge... a bridge that stretched from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, handrails and all! And the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming toward them, his hand outstretched... "You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done." The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other's hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox onto his shoulder. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother. "I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, but I have many more bridges to build.

Imagine now the extended household of Christians in Philippi —Lydia, the wealthy woman who hosts the house church gatherings, a formerly demon-possessed slave girl set free, and now a jailer and his family. A diverse community, puzzle pieces, fit together by the proclamation of the gospel in the power of the Spirit! We too though, very different are one body in Christ, in Espyville and every community of faith. As long as we seek to maintain that unity of the spirit through praise, prayer and penitence, a humble heart, more of the pieces of puzzle will be put into place. God will reveal the beautiful picture He has designed. We maintain the vertical relationship, He will bless the bridging of the horizontal relationship among the brothers and sisters in his family.