I shared this last month at St. Christopher Camp & Conference Center with the staff.
I spent a summer during college working at a Christian camp. One day the entire staff had a meeting with a local pastor who was brought in to speak to us. We did not know him, and I don’t think many of us really warmed to him. He spent some time teaching about what real fellowship looks like. He talked about being a community, being unified, and that is all I recall. It was part way through the summer and the directors were keenly aware that there are three things that have to be maintained in the course of a summer serving at camp. One is energy. Another is focus. And another is unity. This third one was what led to this geeky pastor coming to speak to us. Anyway, this pastor got done talking and encouraged questions and discussion. People were silent. Then one girl, raised her hand and asked “Why is it that we used to have 2 ply toilet paper and now we have 1 ply?” Most of us were shocked by her question. What does that have to do with anything? She then went on a rant about how miserable that was. Imagine if St. Christopher decided never to serve it’s “mud pie” dessert again. That was the sort of rant we got from this girl. Sadly, in my mind she became “2 ply (name)” for the rest of the summer. I never said that to her face of course. But what was the real reason for her angst? It wasn’t toilet paper. I don’t remember anything she said after she complained about the toilet paper because I was so struck by the reality that something deeper was at stake here. She was really expressing the disunity of the staff right after someone talked to us about being a community. The sad thing was that no one was willing to own up to what the reality was. They needed to work together for the sake of the gospel and they did not.
Now, I was on maintenance staff. I had nothing to do with campers, nor the bulk of the staff that ran program. I cleaned toilets, cut grass, cleaned the pool and whatever. All of my free time was spent with this cute girl I met that summer who was working in the kitchen staff. Decades later, most of my free time is still spent with that cute girl who was working in the kitchen staff. (we had babies together, all of which served on this staff in the past) We were actually glad that we were not caught up in the disunity of the staff because for some it was really painful.
Psalm 133 It’s very brief. It is book ended. Notice that you can cut out the descriptive middle parts and get the point. The description is full of imagery… There are two metaphors. Both convey abundance and beauty. Both are greatly exaggerated. The point is that God pours out his blessing on brothers and sisters who are unified.
Question # 1 for you as a staff… Do you want God to pour out his blessing on CSC this summer? If so, be unified!
Turn to John 17:20-23 (Ch 17 is part of the longest prayer by Jesus recorded in the Bible. In it he prays for himself, for his disciples, and then for all who would follow him because of his disciples. That means Jesus was praying for you and me!)
What is the primary prayer in vv 20-23? That we would be one! Why? So the world would know!
Question #2 for you as a staff… Do you want kids to know Jesus this summer? Do you understand that your unity has a direct impact on whether or not kids come to faith?
Bree was on a track team that my wife coached. Because many of the runners were part of our youth group, she started coming along. Bree was not a Christian but she really did not know that yet. She then signed up to go to a huge evangelism conference with some of our group. We were surprised, but knew she would hear the gospel there. She did and was seriously considering coming to faith. But… one night in her room, a girl in the group who had grown up in our church spent a while dissing the group and talking about how many Christians she knew that were hypocrites. Her comments totally turned Bree off from the decision that she was about to make.
The kids that come to camp will notice if you love one another as Christ has loved us. They will notice if you are one just as the father is one with the son. Your unity as a staff will affect whether or not kids hear the gospel and respond to it.
Now, what unifies us?
The gospel has the power of unifying people! Why is that? Let’s take a look at Ephesians 4 to see.
Ephesians 4:1-6
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
The “therefore” indicates to us that Paul has already made a case that this is building on. So, what is the case already established? Let’s turn back two chapters.
First, Our unity starts with a level playing field. Specifically our sinful nature, our human depravity and inability to be purely good or earn God’s favor means that we are all equally bad in God’s eyes. Chap 2:1-3 tells us:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
From that we can conclude that no one here has the right to claim to be better than anyone else. We were all dead in our sins. Equally dead! No one is holier than another. No one is spiritually superior. Each has their own issues.
Second, our unity is based on the reality of what God has done!
Chapter 2:4-10 tells us:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Back into chapter 4. Paul instructs for you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Christians are to live in a manner worthy of the adoption, holiness, and unity to which they were called. We live differently knowing that we are adopted by God and it was not our right to be called his children. We are to live lives of holiness, meaning we are to be different to the world, set apart. And we are called to walk in unity.
…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.ˆ
Humility is not natural to us. Humility requires that we consider others ahead of ourselves, to view others as more important than ourselves. In Paul’s world humility was an odd idea. Pride was actually more highly valued.
Gentleness requires us to set aside anger and frustration and demonstrate love for one another. Patience likewise calls us to wait and set aside our urgency in favor of the concerns of others.
We should be eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. What peace is Paul speaking of? It is the peace that comes from no longer being enemies of God. It is the fact that God has saved us and that God did all that was necessary to put us in a right relationship with him that gives us peace. It is a peace with God that unifies us, not a peace with each other. The peace with each other should follow the peace with God. Does that make sense?
Now, let’s look at a way to live in unity…
Turn to Hebrews 10:19:25
There are two truths that we can see in this passage. Each follows the word “since”.
– Our confidence to enter is made possible by the body of Jesus, the blood of Christ.
– A great high priest is our mediator between God and us (namely Christ)
There are 3 “Let us” statements
- Draw near (which is a shocking idea). This is heavily emphasized in Hebrews. God has done everything necessary for us to draw near.
- Hold Fast the confidence of our hope (hanging onto a pole in a hurricane) or clinging to the hope we confess. God created you first to hope in him and then to let that hope effect those around you.
- Consider how to stir one another up toward love and good deeds. (we confess our hope to one another because it spurs us to love + good deeds). Note: this does not tell us to love each other and do good deeds – that would be biblical and right – but there is something more profound here!
Focus on helping others to love and do good! Our goal is that others are doing it and if that is a group goal, then others will be stirring you to do it as well!
Here is the practice of unity… get up each morning and focus all day on other people – specifically how you could help them love others and do good things.
This will move you away from being self-centered and towards being others centered!
It will be practicing humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love.
Then, none of you will be 2 ply (name), bitter about the lack of community and instead be a unified staff where God will pour out his blessing and kids will see the love of Jesus in you because you are one… just as Jesus and the father were one!
Let’s Pray!
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