Snapshots and Synapses

I’ve been hearing a repeated plea for unity within the Church, and I agree there is a real need for this. But what does that look like? The apostle Paul wrote “There is one Body” ( Ephesians 4:4 ), and in John’s gospel we see how Jesus prayed for Christian Unity, asking that we be one just as He and the Father are one. ( John 17:20-23 ) And even if Scripture didn’t discuss unity we could still embrace the practice. After all, practically speaking, there’s strength in numbers. For example: a healthy herd chases away predators, demonstrating how this plays out in nature. Likewise, we can observe that political parties push their agenda through when all party members vote in unity around an issue. But understand this: Christian Unity is only possible when we are knit together through the Spirit of God. When Jesus said that He and the Father were one or that He abided in the Father, it defined unity as reflecting the likeness of God. When Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus ex...

  "So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away - look, what is new has come!"  2 Corinthians 5:17 Is our Christian walk a single “one and done sinners prayer“, or is it a journey? I believe acknowledging our sinful nature is a part of that journey, and it happens on a daily basis. Sure, we need to accept the free gift of God‘s grace, and there is no salvation that we can work out on our own independent from Him. But it doesn’t end with a single acknowledgment, and we can look at how the original Christians were labeled as the pattern to follow. They were called: “followers of the Way.“ Our life as a new creation begins as we hand the keys of our life over daily to the God of creation. So I have no resolution this year other than this: to hand over my life’s goals to Him daily and trust Him to lead me to green pastures.  With His help, I will follow well and lead others well, using whatever influence I have to represent His Kingdom we...