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In Tune from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

In Acts chapter 14, the Apostle Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch after a long mission trip. The Holy Spirit had worked with them to confirm their words with signs, and they had led many Gentiles to the Lord Jesus Christ. To be clear, a Gentile is anyone who is not a Jew. When they returned, they gathered the church and told them about the trip.

(Acts 14:27–15:2 NKJV)  Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. So they stayed there a long time with the disciples. And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.

So there were a lot of Gentile believers like me who had come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Rednecks and bumpkins. Then some Jews came and taught that these Gentiles weren't saved at all unless they became like them first by being circumcised and keeping the law of Moses. In other words, "You can be saved, but you got to be like me and do what I do."

The controversy over this was so strong that they had to have a council meeting of the Apostles in Jerusalem to resolve it. It was the old wineskin trying to constrain the new wine. The council decided, "We should not make it difficult for those turning to Christ." James said this:

(Acts 15:19–20 NASB)  "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood."

In short, the council decided that Gentile believers didn't have to become like Jews to be saved, nor be circumcised, but should live in peace with them. And if they could ever sit down and eat together, to avoid offending them by your choice of food. To be sure, you could set your preferences aside for one meal and maybe not order a rare steak in front of them. It was the bond of love, not law. The Apostle Paul stressed this:

(Ephesians 4:1–3 NKJV)  I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Unity is not gained by making someone become like us. We should never try and force non-Biblical requirements on others, especially our cultural traditions. It's fine to have personal preferences like our preferred style of music, clothing, colors, language, denomination, political party, food, and hairstyle. Still, those ideals should never be forced on others as a biblical requirement. They need to become more like Jesus, not like us.

We are a diverse group of believers from all walks of life. The body of Christ consists of people from every nation and race. What we do have in common is the Lord Jesus Christ. Humility is key to unity in the community. The Apostle Peter wrote it like this:

(1 Peter 3:8–9 NASB)  To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

I love that word, "harmonious." A harmony note is not the same pitch but one that accents another. It means sweet-sounding, not discordant. There is no better example of unity than musical instruments being in tune. If you take a tuning fork and tune a room full of instruments to it, they will also be in tune with one another. 

For example, you can take a complex 88-key piano and tune a simple white 4-string bass to it. Then tune a black 12-string acoustic to the same piano. Continue with a red 6-string electric and a brown 5-string bass. Though they are diverse colors, shapes, and sizes and play different parts in a song, they will all play together in unity, for they are tuned to the same source. In this case, the piano.

Similarly, when we are each in tune with the Lord Jesus Christ, we will also be in tune with one another. We often hear the words "kindred spirit." When you meet another Christian and immediately feel a bond, something in common. When two instruments are tuned to the same source, they will resonate at the same pitch. So we don't have to be alike to live together in unity and harmony.

Peace on Earth, in our communities, and in our marriages can be obtained if we all love the Lord Jesus Christ first and foremost, and our neighbor as ourselves. When we sacrifice our selfishness and put on humility in love. Meekness is not weakness, but strength under control. Jesus Christ said:

(John 13:34–35 NKJV)  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

So don't be concerned about making someone more like you. Let's love Jesus Christ first and foremost, and pray for those who don't.

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me get in tune with You and what You are doing on Earth today. I want more of You in my life. Help me find my part in Your orchestra. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!