May 9, 2013 … No Lone-Ranger Christians

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 129

Passage of the Day: 2nd Chronicles 30: 12 [In the context of verses 10-12 [NLT] …  
10 The messengers went from town to town throughout Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as the territory of Zebulun. But most of the people just laughed at the messengers and made fun of them. 11 However, some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem. 12 At the same time, God’s hand was on the people in the land of Judah, giving them a strong desire to unite in obeying the orders of the king and his officials, who were following the word of the LORD.
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Contextual Study for today’s passage: 2nd Chronicles, Chapter 30 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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 Reference Passage #1: John 13: 34-35 : [Unity out of diversity.] …[NLT] …  
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.”

My Journal for Today: Wouldn’t you agree that independence has become a hallmark cultural value of the post-modern, western society? Even to the point, as Os Hillman points out in his blog for today, that Lone-Ranger pursuits have become a road block to organizational success at times. Individualism to the exclusion of institutional unity can become a major anchor, holding back any organization from group progress.

Have you ever been on a task group or committee where one in the group wanted to fly on his/her own? Yes, all in a task group must do their individual parts; but if there is no “covenant” or unity of purpose – i.e., everyone buying into the same mission for the group – the organization will sputter and become defeated by a “lone-ranger” in the group. And to illustrate this, Hillman, uses a familiar example of how Canadian geese fly TOGETHER in a V-pattern with each goose in the group sharing the head of the V for a short time to collectively break the headwinds and allow the group to fly TOGETHER much more effectively.

In any Christian church, lone-ranger Christianity just doesn’t cut it when it comes to the church or smaller groups of disciples trying to fly right and to accomplish the charge of Christ’s Church, … which, of course, is primarily the Great Commission (where do you find that charge in the NT? – See my prayer below for the answer.). Jesus was really quite assertive in His teaching (see John 13: 34-35 above) about His disciples flying together in the Church, each of us choosing to love one another in the Church as the primary way we show Christ’s colors TO the world, … but also to fulfill Christ’s charge of being effective witnesses IN the world (see Acts 1: 8).

We’ll just never be able to fly right in carrying out Christ’s charges for believers if we try to fly solo with no unity with other believers.

 My Prayer for Today … So, Lord, I pray that I always fly in unity with other disciples in Your Church so that others will more readily see our unified purpose in carrying out Your Great Commission – found in Matthew 28: 19-20… Amen