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ORIGINAL: ChristopherJ007

I think the key here is "brothers" dwelling in unity. If you're talking about another Christian (a true believer in Jesus Christ, not just someone who attends church), then you should always strive for unity. As I just posted in another thread, Augustine said:

"In essentials, UNITY.
In non-essentials, LIBERTY.
In all things, CHARITY (or Christian love)."

In other words, I can walk in unity and fellowship with believers from other denominations who might have a different style of worship, different beliefs concerning the end-times, different beliefs about whether or not the gifts of the Spirit are for today. As long as we have unity on the essential Christian doctrines of the Bible being the Word of God, Jesus being the only begotten son of God, salvation being by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, etc, then we can walk in unity...

By the way, Psalm 133 is one of my favourite Psalms - it stresses the importance of unity. Let's contend for unity in the church!

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"In essentials, UNITY.
In non-essentials, LIBERTY.
In all things, CHARITY (or Christian love)."

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ORIGINAL: Bluethread

This is not a command but a psalm. Poetry is designed not to establish a principle, but to state that principle in a way that gets one's attention or can be easily remembered. It is good for brothers to dwell in unity together, so remember to acknowlege those things on which there is agreement as you are wrestling over an issue.

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How we believe: this makes all the difference. So much emphasis is put on what we believe we forget that means absolutely nothing without knowing how to believe.

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I have found few christians know the true nature of humility.

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ORIGINAL: agapist

How we believe: trusting, open, and receptive to the holy spirit in each moment, perpetually surrendering ALL our heart, mind, soul and strength to him. We are to possess absolutely nothing.

We must become as a little child. The moment is our sole end, allowing ourselves to be simply a means without ends. We move by a lamp unto our feet, the only illumination coming from the holy spirit. No preconceived ideas. No motives. There is no "I" to compete with God's voice. To be genuine is to be godly, and genuineness is byond intent.

Humility is not the recognition of our smallness in a lowly comparison to God, humility is the realization of our oneness in a loving companionship with God. The right use of will is always submission. Nothing good happens without humility.

Without the submissive heart, the how of our belief, the why and what we believe does us no heavenly good.

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How we believe: trusting, open, and receptive to the holy spirit in each moment, perpetually surrendering ALL our heart, mind, soul and strength to him. We are to possess absolutely nothing.

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dweeling together

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Thanks, Chris. Yes, I've heard the quote. I've rarely seen it lived out. I've watched churches divide, families divide, friendships end, etc and I see and hear some of that divisiveness here as well.

So is the problem that we differ over 'essentials'? Or is it just a flesh problem? Not walking in love, by the Spirit, that is essential for unity?

Further thoughts?

And BTW, is that quote from Augustine? I was thinking perhaps someone else?

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ORIGINAL: ChristopherJ007

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Thanks, Chris. Yes, I've heard the quote. I've rarely seen it lived out. I've watched churches divide, families divide, friendships end, etc and I see and hear some of that divisiveness here as well.

So is the problem that we differ over 'essentials'? Or is it just a flesh problem? Not walking in love, by the Spirit, that is essential for unity?

Further thoughts?

And BTW, is that quote from Augustine? I was thinking perhaps someone else?

Liveloved,

True, the quote is easy to type, harder to live. It is hard, yes, but still something we should strive for. I think sometimes the strife comes when we divide over essentials, non-essentials, or yes, like you said - sometimes just being in the flesh. As we get to know Jesus more, and become more like Him, and there is more of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, we will be more loving, peaceful - and unified.

In regards to the quote - I believe it was originally said by Augustine, but others have 'adopted' it as their own. For example, I am a minister in the Foursquare Gospel church, and our founder, Aimee Semple McPherson, added that 'credo' into our beliefs...

Blessings!

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ORIGINAL: cposey

I personally have not heard a lot of false teachers. I have heard a lot of opinionated people though. Why is it that we think we are more important than our brothers and sisters in Christ? We like to take a small sum of things and lump it in as a whole. What I mean by this is we hear a teaching and we like to examine it and break it down and test it with scripture. Then our reaction is whatever we learned, everyone else needs to hear it. Well unless you are called to be a teacher, maybe that understanding was for you. We forget that everyone is at a different growth stage with Christ. Disunity is caused by pride. Our pride wants everyone else to be right exactly where we are at. i look at how God has taught me over the years and things he is teaching me now are completely different adn i wasn't ready to accept them years ago. While the truth is the truth no matter what, the guidance of the Holy Spirit is what matters. Is the Holy Spirit flowing between you and the brothers and sisters when you gather? Or are you just speaking out of what you think they need to hear? The Holy Spirit will unify us all. We just like to act on our own accord. How quick are we to quote scripture and spout of ideals and stuff like that? How quick are we to seek Jesus in prayer before we speak? This should give everyone an insight as to where their hearts are. To sum it up logically is everyone learned to be guided by the Holy Spirit then there would be no disunity. It is not part of the Holy Spirit.

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ORIGINAL: Liveloved
My psalm for today was Psalm 133 which begins:

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers
to dwell together in unity!

. . . .

So, how do you discern when to discount a teacher or a friend and not dwell in unity with them? Be as specific as you can be but I'd prefer not using individual names. What qualities or aspects of teaching lead to choosing disunity?

• one because that person is just too rude for me to handle (it bothers me to admit that)
  
• one because that person is just way too critical of everyone other than that person's self
  
• and one because that person kind of talks in circles but doesn't mean anything by it -- it is just their way

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ORIGINAL: deliveredarling

Hi LL, I have a few thoughts on unity this morning. i agree with the poster that said something about unity having to do with our spiritual maturity or lack of it. That's really what this boils down to. often times we will dimiss or argue things we personally have not come to an understanding about.
I remember when I first joined this forum, I had a righteous streak! I was so "righteous" that I simply could not have the ears to hear. At the time, for me, it was about learning the ways of God, rather than understanding He lives and breathes through me to others. There was little compassion and way too much condemnation. Over the past couple of years He has revealed to me the meanings of the words He has written on my heart. He connected the head knowlege to a heart understanding. That continues and will continue until I go to glory.
Now, disunity is not so much about pride as it is revealing the understanding He has given me. Way back when...I had those non listening ears, I may not have heard then what was being said, but I understand today, what was being said! I remember the posters word's and how they resonate with me now in a "I get it!" fashion. You, LL being one of those person's.
So, while we may have disunity on things, we must always trust that the Lord's words will never return void and that He does work things to His Glory in His timing!
Sometimes, we just have that obstinate road that must be walked for Him to work in us.

Sometimes is just also about combating a false teaching that is damaging to the body. I don't think we are ever to remain silent in those areas. Just like above, God will revel the truth in His own time. But to remain silent, seems like a denial of Him-especially when we know better.

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Perhaps it is more about the Lord's teaching me to keep my mouth shut and rely on Him by praying than anything else.

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ORIGINAL: makarizo

Eph 4:1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
Eph 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
Eph 4:3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

I think Ephesians 4 covers this well.
our sermon today was "unity is not uniformity"

as I read the OP I chuckled a little as I remembered a poster telling me that my quote from hebrews was not valid becasue that book was written to hebrew priests and didn't apply to "us" (lol)