Pakikiisa sa Ngalan Niya

by: Leonora “Nor” Gonzales

Pagkakaisa – ang tema natin ngayong araw na ito.  If you will recall,  our theme last year was also similar:  “Unify Us, O Lord.” I asked myself, “is unity in IVCF so evasive and difficult to achieve that it requires to have it again as our theme today?   My goal today is to inspire all of us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to see the need for unity and, together, focus on IVCF’s mission of making disciples of Christ in campuses all over the country.  I accepted this invitation today with much fear and trembling as I know I will be facing today the giants or the “Pauls” of IVCF, our manongs and manangs, the people who, in one way or the other have “Timothized” me in SVCF.

Kaya, hayaan po ninyo akong ibahagi ko sa inyo ang aking reflection tungkol sa unity.  Kahapon po ay inalala natin ang kamatayan ni Ninoy. Noong Agosto 1 po ay namatay ang kanyang maybahay at dating Pangulo, ang minamahal po nating si Cory Aquino.   Noon pong 5 araw na lamay at hanggang libing ni Cory, nakita po natin at naranasan kung paano po magkaisa ang sambayanang Pili[pino. People from all walks of life, from different ideologies, from opposing political parties, even families that we thought were mortal enemies, came together to pay their last respects to Cory.  Some of us lined up for hours, were more patient and gracious with other people in line,  more tolerant of each other, because we said, it was the least we could do for Cory.  For 5 days, we saw the Philippines back on the map of the world, and in a very positive way.  For 5 days, we held our heads up high, and reminisced how we were held as the model in the world that brought back democracy through a bloodless revolution.  For 5 days, we told ourselves, and everyone agreed, “Proud Again to be Pinoy.”

I ask myself and I also ask you: Is it possible to achieve the same kind of unity in IVCF?

Our reflection this morning is found in Ephesians 4: 1-13.  I will read it from the ESV. I used to carry the NIV. Nearly infallible version.  But ESV makes me think of the good old days when were required to carry RSV.  So much so that we called it “Required Standard Version.” Now it is ESV. OR permit to brand it, Everyone’s Standard Version.
Unity in the Body of Christ

1I therefore a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of  the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord,one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

9In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,to mature manhood.

Context: Ephesians: Letter of Paul, not only to one church, since it was not specifically addressed to the Ephesians, but most likely it is a circular letter, first sent to believers in Ephesus, but to be read to all nearby churches.  The first three chapters are theological, teaching specific doctrine, like, who would forget our memory verse:  Ephesians 2:8-10?  (COPY from ESV). Then the last 3 chapters, including this passage that we are reflecting on, are all about practical Christian behavior.
Let us try to understand what this passage says about unity.

First: Unity in the Spirit, as indicated in verse 3, has been bestowed upon all of us, believers in Jesus Christ.  This is further explained in 1Cor 12: 4-13. Building unity is one of Holy Spirit’s roles.

12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
We are already one in Christ. That is God’s work. Christ reconciled individuals, us, to God.  In Paul’s time, this meant  everyone, including the Jews and the Gentiles.

Second: While the Holy Spirit leads, we must all be willing to be led and do our part.  We must all strive to keep that unity.  Although unity is a gift of the Holy Spirit, the same verse says that unity must be treasured, cultivated by our intentional response.
The words or phrases used were active verbs: Endeavor to be united.  (KJV). Make every effort to keep the unity. (NIV/NLT) Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit…(ESV); endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (NKJV)
Carelessness and neglect can destroy the unity the Spirit provides.  While it is given to us, we can lose it by our irresponsibility or by simply doing nothing.  It is a serious responsibility.  How are we endeavoring, striving to keep the unity of the Spirit?  This call is not only for the staff, or for the Board, but for all members and supporters of IVCF.

Third:  Keeping our unity in the Spirit is part of Paul’s challenge to live lives worthy of the calling we have received.   Along with the call to be humble, meek or gentle, patient or long-suffering, Paul also challenged the church to keep the unity of the Spirit.  To do all possible means to keep that unity. To strive means to be proactive and not wait for a Cory-like phenomenon to happen.

Now that we have been reminded that unity in the Spirit has been bestowed upon all believers in Christ, now that we have been reminded that we should not be complacent about it and that it is part of the challenge to lead lives worthy of the calling of all Christians, how do we keep that unity?

The same passage offers us a few principles or guidelines to follow:

Guideline #1:  Focus on God, not on oneself. Verses 4-6 remind us about the place of Christ in our individual lives and in IVCF.  We have one Lord, only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all living through us all. Christian unity is based on each person’s commitment to Christ.  We are united with Christ in 2 ways:  1) by believing in his death and resurrection and 2) by devoting ourselves to living as he requires, depending on his teaching for guidance and trusting in the Holy Spirit for power.

Let us think less of positions or ourselves. Someone said that the highest place in the world is still down at the Lord’s feet.”  In many camps and cell groups, one thing that I have learned is that Jesus is not only my Savior, He is also my Lord.  Eto po minsan ang nawawala sa Gospel sharings or teachings ngayon sa ibang grupo or simbahan.  Mas maganda kasing imarket ang:  Jesus is Savior, my healer, my friend.  Pero my Lord, teka. Baka naman konting Lordship lang pwede na.  In IVCF, the cost of discipleship is faithfully taught.

On many occasions, I find that God has a sense of humor. He teaches me and shapes me and asks me if indeed He is Lord of my life, in very simple ways.  When I am angry and it feels so good to employ the silent treatment on Josil.  When I am tempted to make a rushed decision with my career. When I detest the work of my fellow believer. In all these things, He tells me, Not you, Nor, but me, Your Lord.  Funny that in a fellowship like this, He teaches us to be true disciples not by the threat of flagging or crucifying by unbelievers as in the days of Paul, but by the simple acts of seeming unthoughtfulness, unkindness and other “nakakairitang ugali” of fellow believers!
Recently, I was confronted with a painful decision in our church.  I had a proposal to the church that I thought I really prayed hard for, thought of, and was 101% convinced that it was something from the Lord and would certainly trigger a revival!  I spent a lot of time thinking, praying, planning, and working on it.  But it was turned down by the Board of Elders. I was fuming mad and I thought of several ways of expressing my disgust and protest to the Board. I thought of quitting my post as SS coordinator in our Adults dept. of leaving in a huff (because they could not seem to appreciate all my sacrifices, like my weekends and late-night meetings.  In other words, like some of you, I could behave like a toddler and could easily throw tantrums when my ways are not followed.  We have to stop behaving as if “we want people around us to exercise freedom…and that is the freedom to obey what we say.”   It is not I, nor the staff. nor the funders, nor us, but Jesus Christ who is Lord of all, and certainly Lord of IVCF.

In this regard, as a body of Christ in IVCF, let me ask this question:

Is there any wound so deep, any discrepancy so significant, any decision so unacceptable, or any position so non-negotiable that could not be submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

Going back to recent events.  Cory’s wake and burial put together people from all walks of life, different ideologies, political parties, even families that are mortal enemies.  And the rallying figure was Cory.  In IVCF, we have one rallying head, and His name also starts with a C.  Christ Himself is our rallying leader.  And His death is much, much greater than the death of Cory or Ninoy, or of any hero on earth.  After all, our Hero did not only die but lives to this day! Why can’t we employ the same energy, the same force, as when we got together to remember Cory?

Guideline #2. Focus on what unites us, and not on what divides us.  (v 4-5)
This is related to Guideline #1.  But there is more than the Lordship of Christ that unites us.   One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father. We did not invent these areas of unity.  Our unity is based not on the uniformity of our clothes, nor the length of our hair. We are not like other groups who, in unity, and upon the command of their leader, would vote for one candidate! Scripture is clear, we have more than enough common ground with other believers, to be able to maintain the unity of the Spirit.  Let us focus on what unites us, rather than on what divides us.

Guideline #3.  Focus on how you can use your God-given gifts to bless each other and glorify God. (v12)

We are one body. Christ reconciled individuals to God, But He went further:  He also reconciled saved individuals to one another.  (2:11-22). He called us to be brothers and sisters. This is a calling not only Into a relationship  with God but into a relationship with one another.  But then, as if that is not enough, He has united these brothers and sisters, Jews or Gentiles, masters or slaves, into one body, the church.  As a body, we have to use each other to function as a body.  As a body, our individual talents and gifts would go a longer way if used together with other members of the body. While there are gifts and talents that are shared more with the public, such as teaching or preaching, members who have these gifts must realize that these are “kaloob” or “biyaya ng Diyos.  There should be no superstar among our ranks.  Could you imagine, if you, as a gifted speaker, would come prepared with a great message, but would be surprised by an empty hall because the person who should do the inviting forgot to invite the people who should listen to you?  With unity, everyone is important and his contributions, whether big or small, are necessary for the building of the group and should therefore be appreciated. In IVCF, we need to tap our greatest resources, our people.  Our student members, leaders, graduates, donors and friends. I have never seen a Christian group as talented, as creative as IVCF! There is unity in diversity. If we have unity, 1+1 will be equal to 3 because we have enormous talents within this group. The people are as important as the money we raise.

But don’t get me wrong. Money is important, too. Together, if we all give a sacrificial portion of what we earn, the base of financial support would be much wider and we might even surpass the present giving which is dependent on a few organizations and individuals.  Year in and year out, I notice that our financial report  shows that we rely more on external donations rather than on domestic contributions.  How could we as one body, unite in making IVCF a financially sustainable organization, where we, as one body depend on the generosity and goodness of God? I hope that come December, when most of us enjoy our 13th month pay or bonuses, we will not have a situation again wherein our own IV staff have not received their salaries for August or September! As Ate Elisa Espineli-Chinn said in one meeting last year, “that isn’t just right!” I believe that we should not allow this to happen because we are members of one body.  When we ignore this need, I imagine ourselves going to a party and dance the night away while we suffer from a toothache or a migraine.

Guideline #4. We have to proactively work at maintaining unity. How do we do this? Paul tells us so. We need to actively practice: Humility, Gentleness, Patience.
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is a common denominator in all three virtues: They all require renouncing oneself and treating others as better than ourselves and looking after the interests of others.

Humility is the foundational virtue. Meekness and patience build on it.  Meekness is an inevitable result of humility.  What does it mean for us to be humble? In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul exhorted the believers to “ Be humble and to think of others as better than yourself. Do nothing from(A) rivalry or(B) conceit, but in(C) humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you(D) look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Humility is NOT pagmumukhang kawawa. It is not the appearance. Sometimes, we would like to look kawawa to the point that we become the center of attention.  Neither,  magbobobohan ka because you do want to make your neighbor feel that his idea is better than yours. Nor do you go around and tell other people that you are the most humble person.  Someone said that the moment you think you are humble, you may just have lost it. Rather, humility is demonstrated by a willingness to be used even in the most unnoticeable role and least prestigious position. Truly humble people compare themselves only with Christ, realize their sinfulness and understand their limitations.  On the other hand, they also recognize their gifts as “Kaloob or Biyaya ng Diyos” and strengths and are willing to use them as Christ directs.

Meekness – The Greek word for this, “prautes,” connotes a humble, gentle attitude that maintains patience despite offenses and is untainted by vengefulness or malice.  A beautiful picture of this attitude is found in 1 Peter 2:21-23.
21For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

Patience – Greek word (makrothymeo) focuses our attention on restraint. Patience does not use force or manipulates others.  Like the father of the prodigal son, he eagerly waited for his return. The patient person is always ready to pardon and is willing to be reconciled.  He has a capacity for self control despite circumstances that provoke him to anger.

In closing, allow me to echo the call of Paul to lead a life worthy of the calling we have received when we became Christians.  A life led by the Lord calls for humility, meekness, patience, love for others and actively striving to maintain the unity of the Spirit. May we all strive to do this as we have been instructed by God through the letter of Paul.  I pray that next year, we will have another theme!