stephen R Harrison

As I sat this morning with brothers in Bible study, like most Saturdays, we reached a passage (as we all eventually will) where we found slight disagreement. Well, mostly we had questions, curiosity, and a desire to know and live out the truth and be faithful to a certain passage of Scripture. How did we proceed?

I was so glad the atmosphere was one where our hearts had been knit together by Christ’s redeeming grace and where we were deeply devoted to God’s glory, truth, character, and witness prevailing over our opinions, experiences, education, and perspectives. What a group of godly men and friends. We prayed, listened to the Spirit and one another, and studied the Word.

I wasn’t studying with unbeliieving heritics far from gospel truth bent toward blaspheming God and destroying the church, but with faithful church members who love God and one another and who have committed to grow in Christ together. How we forget that in moments of disagreement or even slight difference!

As we asked questions and conversed, nobody felt the need to quit the group, leave the church, or go post passive aggressively on social media. We all had varied levels of understanding and interaction with a certain text, but we all had the same Lord and desire to love him, his truth, and one another. We were committed to patiently learning from the Lord with one another.

As we studied the Word and asked the Holy Spirit to lead us to truth, convict us of error, teach us, and multiply our fellowship, unity, and brotherhood…He did! Amazing! He always will if we don’t get in the way!

Often this isn’t the case! We sometimes want to be right and our interpretation to be seen as superior with minimal regard for unity in the body of Christ or our fellow brother. Truth and unity can both win! They did today and can every time believers assemble. We left with some questions answered, others raised, but mostly with a sincere honor, love, and loyalty to God, His Word, and one another. We left with hugs and prayer.

I look forward as we study together more next Saturday and with more of our brothers and sisters tomorrow, Sunday, the Lord’s day. May we do so with desire to glorify God, desperation for true humility, teachability and illumination from the Spirit, hunger for God’s truth, and love for Jesus’ bride the church.

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!  It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe.  It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” -Psalm 133