Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. I John 4:11-12
The first principle of unity, the principle of the Spirit, teaches that the Spirit of Christ Himself lives in every believer and that we should relate to each other accordingly. It is the first and foundational principle of unity in the church. Every conflicted congregation with whom I have ever worked had parties to the conflict who had either forgotten or outright ignored this principle.
This season we celebrate that very truth… Immanuel: God with us.
Over the years I have noticed that, though I still get calls from churches during the Christmas season, the number of calls drops off considerably this time of year. Maybe it is just because our church calendars are crammed full of “stuff” this time of year. Maybe it is because our individual lives are also too busy to bother with church fights this time of year. Or maybe there really is a more profound reason…maybe we are just ever so slightly more in touch with Christ in one another, due to the constant reminders all around us during the Christmas season.
Immanuel. God with us.
It really does matter. It really does change things, if we will get ourselves out of the way and let it… if only for a season.
© Blake Coffee
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