Live in love, harmony
What is all this talk about being a Christian and a staunch church member? Are you really a true Christian? Are you an authentic believer in Jesus Christ?
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To show that we are genuinely true believers, we are to live in love and harmony. In a letter to the Church family in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul teaches them to live a life of godly love.
Together, the members are to function as a biblically healthy Church family. It is said that our human body is as healthy as the individual cells and the individual organs and parts of the body.
An extremely painful finger or hurting waist, makes the entire body feel uncomfortable. And the organs of a body matter. A healthy kidney and a healthy liver, make the body function well.
So also, how spiritually healthy and Christ-like each member of the Church family is, contributes to experiencing genuine godly love and harmony in the Church family. But how can we better work towards living in love and harmony in the Church family?
First, we are to imitate God in our Church family. The biblically healthy Church family is a Church in which members imitate God: “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”
(Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT). The model of Christ’s selfless, sacrificial, and life-giving love becomes the example for us to follow or imitate.
To imitate God is to live a lifestyle of godliness with integrity. It is to seek to think and live according to the standard of God’s word. We are to join the hymn writer, to pray:
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.
Second, we are to seek to continually be infilled with the Holy Spirit: “Understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 5: 17-18 NLT). The language used in this Bible text on “Be filled with the Holy Spirit” is very descriptive. It looks at how a drunk person is so much controlled in their walk and behaviour by “alcohol buzz.” But instead of that negative handing over of control to alcohol power, we should submit to the Lord Jesus Christ and His word and come fully under the control of the Holy Spirit.
A Church family that lives in love and harmony will be made of individual members and couples, and households, which seek to be regularly full of the Holy Spirit, and submit to the will and guidelines of the Holy Spirit in God’s word in our day-to-day interactions with one another, at home, at the work place and in the Church.
Our behaviours and attitudes on Sunday must not be different from our behaviours and attitudes from “Monday to Friday” and “Saturday.” Being filled with or full of the Holy Spirit, is the secret to living in love and harmony.
The reason why some people succeed in growing truly Christ-like and live a balanced life, and experience victorious Christian living, and good success, while others live defeated, guilt-ridden and inconsistent Christ lifestyles is their relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit-filled individual husband, wife, or daughter or son is a joyful, godly person; and make it their goal to please Christ, at any place and at any time! The Church family that lives in harmony will be a Spirit-filled Church.
The Rev. Dr John Stott comments on this Bible text (Ephesians 5:18) as follows: “Paul has already told his readers that they have been ‘sealed’ with the Holy Spirit, and that they must not ‘grieve’ the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:23 & 4:30).
Now he instructs them, ‘Be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ There is no greater secret of holiness than the infilling of Him whose very nature and name are holy. ‘Be filled’, is not a proposal, but an authoritative command.
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is obligatory not optional.” All of us believers are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. All of us are to be Spirit-filled Christians. In fact, we are to go on being filled with the Holy Spirit.
If you are regenerated or born again through the agency of the Holy Spirit and you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will definitely have God-given capacity to live a victorious, holy, fruitful Christian life. As the Ghanaian adage goes, “ƆkƆtƆ nnwo anomaa” (a crab does not give birth to a bird).
The Apostle Paul then lists four benefits that result from being filled with the Holy Spirit. And when we are walking closely with the Holy Spirit, these qualities must show in our individual lives and in our Church fellowship:
Speaking: addressing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (teach and counsel one another with all the wisdom the Holy Spirit gives you (Col 3:16).
Spirit-filled people walking in step with the Holy Spirit promote genuine godly fellowship and building up the faith of the community of believers.
Singing: making melody to the Lord in music, worshipping the Lord with all your heart. Spirit-filled Christians, walking with the Holy Spirit engage in true worship. They are enabled to truly worship the living God.
Giving thanks: continually thanking God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The grumbling spirit is not compatible with the Holy Spirit. Spirit filled people walking in step with the Holy Spirit are grateful people to God and others; they are effective praying men and women.
Submitting one to another: Spirit filled believers walking in step with the Holy Spirit submit to God-given authority; and live in such a way as to maintain the unity of believers in the Church and promote order and harmony in the home.
Does your Christian life show these four qualities of a Spirit-filled person who is walking with God the Holy Spirit? And in increasing measure?
We can live in love, harmony, and peace in our personal interactions with people, in our married life, and at home, in our work place and in our Church family and community, when we are continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Are you a Spirit-filled Christian? Are you in a Spirit-filled Church family?
(The author is a consultant in authentic Christian Spirituality and Discipleship and former CEO of Scripture Union)
