Scripture
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32)
Observation
I recall reading an article that detailed the genesis and genius of the record breaking offense of the Golden State Warriors. Now they all wanted to win, but it wasn’t until they united in how they were gonna win did they start their championship run. The main point of the article was that in the years previous to Coach Kerr’s arrival the Warriors played a lot of one on one isolation, and while most games this would work due to their talent, they would fall short in the playoffs when the half-court game ruled. The answer? For Coach Kerr is wasn’t the triangle offense that won him 3 championships with the Bulls, nor was it the 7 seconds or less offense of the Suns teams he General Managed. The answer was a hybrid of the two where, teamwork and unity, passing and movement, were the keys to success. It meant star players would give up stats for wins and that team chemistry would take precedent over personal awards.
Now I’m not comparing the saints of the early church to the Warriors, but the Bible does say it time and time again, when people are united there is no stopping them. When there is one mind and one heart, the bind is tough, nearly impossible to break.
Application
The scripture says that unity is the result of being one in heart and one in mind. The heart part kinda takes care of itself in that when I look at the team I’m privileged to run with, Jesus is the reason and the resource we all serve and pull from. When Jesus is the center, our hearts are aligned and beating together in a united rhythm.
When it comes to one mind, that’s where I think it gets a little challenging. While we’re all here for Jesus, we often look at it from different perspectives, and I think that’s great! What we can never do though is let our perspective affect our purpose. While we can rally around and run to Jesus to maintain our oneness of heart, pursuing oneness of mind takes a little more effort; well, at least it does for me.
In order for me to attain a oneness of mind I need to constantly educate and evaluate myself on 3 key areas:
- Am I being a person of grace. A genuine grace that sees the best in people, not a grace that just turns the other cheek just to keep the peace. Blessed are the peacemakers, not the peacekeepers. I need to be willing to have the tough conversations that in reality are not tough at all when compared to the consequence of not having them.
- Do I understand everyone’s journey and am I willing to walk a mile in their shoes. What I know, I’m confident in that. What I don’t know, I really don’t know. When I genuinely take the time and effort to know my teammates and what it takes from their positions on the court, where the shooting guard likes to catch the ball, where the center likes to roll on the pick, then I’m able to understand and apply my position in an effective and unifying way to make sure we score the hoop. When I know what my teammates need from me I’m able to serve them better. And when I serve them better I move closer to being one in mind with them.
- Am I being true to what God is calling me to do. No plan of His can be thwarted, so as I stay fully committed to follow His voice and His direction then there really should be no problem. It’s His plan anyway. Different perspectives may arise, but again, that has to be okay with me. I just can never leave it at “agree to disagree” but rather pursue oneness of mind by collaborating until there’s consensus. That’s where faith is tested, humility is birthed and unity is attained.
Prayer
Jesus thank You for the blueprint, the Bible. I pray for the boldness to die to myself over and over again. Unity in Your kingdom is worth it. Thank You for Your example of grace, for knowing Your children and loving us so much that You came to earth to live and die as one of us in order for all of us to be saved. I invite you to be the center of my heart and mind that I may be a peacemaker and unifier in Your kingdom. Amen
