‘What unites us?’ by Owen and Claire Lynch, 19 January 202

When people in churches disagree, is there anything we know that should unite us? Owen Lynch looks at how Paul addressed believers who were becoming divided over personalities, leadership, ideas and practical issues. The believers and leaders were diverse, surprisingly inclusive to many. Was the answer to change that? Or was the cross of Christ uniquely powerful and necessary to unite people?

Claire Lynch brings a “Lectio Divina” meditation on these words, taken from Paul’s letter to the Colossians:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Transcript

In his book Sapiens, the historian Yuval Hariri seeks to answer the question why our species - Homo sapiens became the dominant species of the Homo Genus. In his book he suggests that it is because of the ability of our species to unite together around a common story, enabling peaceful communities to exist with the common goal of thriving rather than just surviving.

Henceforth the world over, communities are held together by common cultural and religious stories about meaning and purpose. As well as religious stories involving deities, human beings have created powerful stories like capitalism and industrialisation that has driven human development forwards.

Having grown up as a child in the northwest of England in the 70/80s to church going parents, I was raised in a white working class community with a worldview shaped by the story of Jesus Christ.

When I went to university in 1991, I was mildly radicalised by other white evangelical Christian students who encouraged me that protestant evangelical Christianity was the only true form of Christianity and that Catholics and Liberals were heretical and the rest of the world was living in sin and would end up in hell! Their perspective, however well meaning, was very blunt; they saw clear dividing lines between people groups and they were sure that they were right.

I know that many of those students have softened their views with age. They have probably realised that their rigid world views don’t make any sense of the complexities of life and relationships. They have likely encountered an amazing diversity of cultures and peoples that have made them question their certainties.

Since then I have changed my perspective, I have encountered such a diversity of cultures and beliefs that I have revised my worldview, I have become less interested in what divides us and much more interested in simple things that unite us.

I use the word “simple” to mean easy to understand but accurate as opposed to “simplistic” by which I mean so easy to understand that it is often inaccurate.

Twenty-five years of pastoral leadership has taught me that Christians disagree on so many complex issues of theology and oftentimes get distracted from the simple basics of what it means to try and be like Jesus.

Today as we continue our study of the book of Acts, I want to reflect the story that unites us.

Turn with me to Acts 18:18-28: 18

Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervour and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

This is episode 13 of my boxset on the book of Acts and Paul has been in Corinth for a long time, which at that time was the provincial capital and much more important that Athens. Many Jews and Gentiles have become united in community by the story of Jesus and Paul is keen to return to Jerusalem to report back to the original twelve disciples what he has been doing.

Before he leaves he gets his head shaved, which was an obscure Jewish practice whereby someone makes a vow and then does not cut their hair until the vow has been completed. Once the vow is fulfilled a Jew would shave their head as a sign of fulfilment.

So Paul has fulfilled his vow to the twelve disciples in Jerusalem and he’s heading back to give them his report.

I want to highlight here, that Paul always felt that he was an outsider with the twelve disciples. He kind of believed that he was one of them, but it’s clear from other accounts that he still felt like an outsider with the twelve, despite his deep awareness of the Holy Spirit with him.

I suspect that it wasn’t just Paul’s insecurities that made him feel like an outsider, I’m sure there were many Jews who were trying to drive a wedge between the leaders of this Jewish political, social and religious revolution.

If you want to destroy a revolutionary movement, you need to divide and conquer. Paul made repeat visits to Jerusalem to report to the twelve to counter exactly that threat.

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos arrived in Ephesus from the Egyptian city of Alexandria.

Alexandria was a really important Mediterranean port city, a huge centre of trade between Africa and Europe. It was a wealthy and powerful and provided much of the shipping in the Mediterranean Sea at that time. With the decline of Athens, Alexandria had become the cultural and intellectual centre of the western world with schools of Greek philosophy where Apollos would have been educated.

Apollos was an impressive person - well educated, a winsome personality and a commanding presence. We can see by the words that Luke uses to describe him, that he clearly admired Apollos.

It’s interesting that Luke notes that Apollos knew all about Jesus, but knew only the baptism of John. That phrase is code for the events of Pentecost that caused the revolution to spill beyond the walls of Jerusalem.

In other words, Apollos was convinced that Jesus was the leader of the Jewish revolution (the Messiah) and he would have known about the resurrection. But he didn’t know that the revolution has spread to all the people groups of the known world.

Priscilla and Aquila bring him up to speed on this and then they pack him off back to Corinth to persuade more Jews there, that Jesus was the Messiah.

Apollos becomes very popular in Corinth, because he is very clever and persuasive. But his influence there quickly becomes the source of division, because some folks in Corinth compare him to Paul.

We know this because Paul addresses this division in his first letter to the Corinthians - 1 Corinthians 1:10-17: 10

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Peter”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptised in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptise any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptised in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptised the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptised anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Not only are the Corinthians comparing Paul and Apollos, they are dividing among those who follow Peter and would you believe even those who follow Jesus!

If you are familiar with this letter, have you noticed that before? It appears that there are groups following Paul, Peter, Apollos and Jesus!

This is a precious insight into the possibility at that time, that Jesus was getting lost in this Jewish revolution! This movement was subdividing into the Paul camp, the Peter camp, the Apollos camp and the Jesus camp! Wow - that’s what happens when people focus on what divides them instead of what unites them!

Paul tries to sort it out by reminding them what it is that unites them - was Paul or Apollos or Peter crucified? Whose baptism did they receive - Pauls? Eh no!

Paul reminds them of the simple things that they can agree on: Jesus died on the cross, and Jesus was resurrected and ascended so that the Holy Spirit could, in the words of the prophet Joel be “poured out on every human being”. It was this “immersion” in the Holy Spirit for all people that united all the people of the world!

Please note that Paul never pretends to not have differences with Peter and the other twelve disciples. He never pretends to not have differences with Apollos.

But he does say that there is a simple core agreement that underpins this revolution, this story: the cross of Christ.

He says that the cross of Christ turns conventional wisdom on its head. He says that the cross of Christ shows that true power lies in love and sacrifice not in fear and domination.

He says that the purpose of the cross is to unite the whole world with the story of love and sacrifice of Jesus. It’s a compelling story that really can unite all people of all cultures and traditions, who have all manner of differences and contradictions.

Within this small community of Severn, we disagree on many things that are important to each of us.

We all interpret the Bible from our own unique perspective, but I think that we do agree that real power lies in love and sacrifice not in fear and domination.

I think that we do agree that we think that God has shown humanity what that looks like through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

And I think that we choose to make this the simple core belief that holds us together.

Claire is going to lead us in contemplation that will remind us and celebrate the love and sacrifice of Jesus for all humanity.

More talks in this series