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United We Stand

We would all agree that church unity is important as a mark of obedience and a testimony to the world, but how does it play out in practice? We often blithely assert that what we have in common as Christians counts for more than any other thing that could potentially divide us, and yet conflicts still occur. Let us learn from three church members how they practise and promote unity in their different roles.

 

Cheong Hee Kiat: Peacemaker in the Making

Unity is important because the Bible commands us to be united: in Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians and elsewhere. In 1 Corinthians, Paul compares the Christian church to a body having parts (members) with different functions, which need to work together in harmony and unity so that the whole body can thrive. Psalm 133:1 tells of how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live in unity. Our Triune God works in perfect unity as an example for us to follow. So we should obey!

But even without such exhortations, we know that if any group of people is not united, it cannot move well together, cannot be as effective, and cannot achieve much beyond the capabilities of the individual members. We all know this in the secular world. While this is also true of the church, the lack of unity is also a bad testimony, dishonours God, weakens members’ spiritual relationship among themselves and with God, causes the church to lose its primary focus, and allows the devil easy entry to do his work of wrecking the church. We don’t want that!

One more thing: if we keep a constant eye on unity, we can also be reminded of, and more readily adopt, those characteristics and habits described in Ephesians and Colossians which help us to live in unity with our fellow Christians.

I see my role as a peacemaker as anyone else in the church would – we have a responsibility to keep the peace and be ready to help in resolution and reconciliation when we can. Jesus called peacemakers blessed – it is important to Him. We should not allow a conflict to fester, and worse, spread to involve others. It is easier said than done, but at the very least, we should not be contributing to the messiness by gossiping, taking sides, judging without all the facts, and adding coal to the fire. In other words, don’t get involved out of curiosity and especially when you cannot help!

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A peacemaker has ‘thick skin’ and a forgiving heart.

My first strategy for peacemaking is spiritual – I pray for the situation and persons involved and trust the Holy Spirit’s intervention, in His time. I strengthen myself with Biblical instructions, and try to get the conflicting parties to view the importance of unity. Next come the practical strategies – listen (there are always two sides to the story); help each side to see the other’s viewpoint (bring parties together in a safe setting and encourage open sharing); be patient (some conflicts are deep-seated and long-drawn); be realistic (some differences are not humanly-reconcilable; we must be realistic in our expectations about what we can do, and how we expect the matter to be resolved); try not to be judgmental or take sides; and watch the tongue (James 3) (don’t gossip or betray confidence).

If I am in a situation where I am offended by someone, I pray and seek the Lord’s wisdom and protection, especially at the point of provocation or offence, and try to see the offending party as a weak, fallible human being like myself, needing tolerance and forgiveness. I look at the bigger picture and reflect on my position – is my pride involved, or do I put peace and unity between the other party and within the church (if the conflict blows up) above my own self-interest in the matter? Patience helps (it comes increasingly with age, I find!) and a listening ear – I try to see the other person’s perspective and if needed, ask the person about it. Then I reflect – did I upset, or do something wrong to the person? I aim to forgive even if I am wronged – it is actually good for the soul because keeping grudges can really eat into me and poison my inner being. 看开一点 is something I try to be better at. My good relationships with others can also be affected (especially perceived ‘friends and supporters’ of the other party), which are just as important to preserve. We should overlook the offence, if only to obey the Lord (Prov 19:11).

All easier said than done, but we must try our utmost.

 

Helen Chee: Secretary to the Rebuilding Steering Committee (SC)

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The Rebuilding Steering Committee: Helen is standing in the back row, first from the left. Hee Kiat is the first from the left in the front row.

The family at GBC is unanimous in believing that God has called us to rebuild our physical premises for His glory. This dictates only one acceptable response – that we stand united in this matter in obedience to His guidance.

Rebuilding is a major undertaking in faith and execution, requiring the commitment and participation of the entire congregation, every step of the way. Being united means that we pray humbly and continuously for His enabling and wisdom, commit to resolving differences of opinion, accept others’ views with grace, and work together to solve problems as they arise. Being united is a demonstration of God’s love in action – strengthening our relationships with each other even as it greases the progress of the building programme.

There are many areas in the project which draw differences of opinion; some examples are the design and layout of the facilities, number of classrooms to provide, and whether to use pews or fixed seats in the sanctuary. The SC welcomes diverse inputs and ideas and steers these to closure by seeking professional views from our architects, engineers and competent parties in our congregation, adopting best practices, weighing the trade-offs of cost against functionality, studying compliance with local building regulations, and most of all, undergirding every decision with prayer. The conclusion we seek is that members feel their inputs have been solidly considered and that the final decisions are God-directed.

To God be the Glory!

 

Chan Kim Hoong: Care Group Member

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The Care Group iCare: Kim Hoong is standing second from the left.

iCare, one of the Care Groups in GBC, was formed in August 2010 and is led by Khee Peng and his wife Nan Yoong. Setting godly examples of sacrificial love, they received overwhelming support from the CG as leaders despite being the youngest members (1 Tim 4:12). Their key motivation and desire is for CG members to grow in their walk with God, studying His Word and being accountable to one another, with those stronger in faith supporting and encouraging the weaker ones (Heb 10:24-25).

To forge unity in the CG, an iCare chat group was created. This has proved useful for sharing encouragement from the Bible, prayer needs, blessings, and updates of each member (including their families). It has helped the CG members to stay connected constantly and uphold one another outside of the usual CG meetings. In the words of one member, “We never feel alone.” Outside of CG meetings, informal small group gatherings are often initiated to further strengthen bonding and for members to share about their walk with God.

CG members carry out simple acts of love (1 John 3:18), such as buying and bringing food to those who are sick, praying for those traveling overseas, and ministering to one another emotionally and spiritually. These help to lighten each other’s burdens, and contributes greatly towards building a genuine concern for one another. The CG has learnt to submit to one another out of reverence for God (Eph 5:21), and in so doing to serve with humility (Eph 4:2) and sensitivity. Above all we aim to live out Christ-likeness in our daily lives (1 Cor 11:1).

The saying ‘the whole is greater than the sum of all its parts’ is certainly true of submission.Submission forms the basis for unity and is vital in preserving harmony in the church, in a Care Group and in any relationship (Phil 2:1-4).

 

Compiled by Rachel Wong