Ephesians 4:1-3

Can we truly value one another above ourselves?

DEAR KY FAMILY,
As expected, this new year is off to a great and busy start. For many of us, at home, the children are back to the grind of the academic school year. In the office, the work year has restarted and strategic goals or KPIs have been set. In church, the various ministry meeting dates and programs have been planned and we are all starting on the various things we have been tasked by the Lord to sow into.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Eph 4:3)

As we start to busy ourselves, I am reminded that this year is a year for UNITY. Apostle Paul tells the church in Ephesus,
…to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Eph 4:1-3)
The key phrase in verse 3 is “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit”. This tells us that as a church belonging to Christ, we are already ONE in the Spirit. This is a gift from the Spirit to the church. However, this unity requires effort to maintain. And if we are not diligent in keeping united, unity can be lost.
How then should we “make every effort”? The answer is found in Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi,
then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus (Phil 2:2-5)
To be like-minded does not mean that we will always agree. Instead, the meaning of like-mindedness in Scripture comprises having the same purpose (v2) and Christlike attitude (v5). We may not always reach the same conclusions but we must share the same humility. Because Christ has already made us one, all we need to do to keep the unity of Spirit is to have the same Christ-shaped posture towards one another. The question for all of us as we share a common life in the Spirit, and serve alongside one another in this Kum Yan family is: can we truly value one another above ourselves?
I will say more in the next edition of Pastor’s Heart. But for now, what we can do immediately is to pray for our church and for one another. May the Lord be glorified through our love for one another!