Comments on 1 Corinthians 1:10

Thursday, August 14, 1997

This morning the family enjoyed comments on 1 Corinthians 1:10: "I exhort you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fitly united in the same mind and the same line of thought."

What are some of the powerful factors that contribute to our unity? (1) All of us worship Jehovah and acknowledge his right to set the standards for what is right and what is bad. Having a close relationship with him moves us to adhere closely to his righteous ways. (2) Wherever we are in the world, we have God's Word as our guide. To be united we need to read and apply what is written therein. (3) All of us benefit from the same spiritual feeding program, and we recognize the faithful and discreet slave class, who dispense spiritual food at the proper time. (4) One vital factor is that Jesus Christ, and no human, is our Leader, and the only one through whom we approach Jehovah. (5) No matter where we live, we look to God's Kingdom as the only hope for mankind's future. (6) The fuitage of God's holy spirit produces the qualities needed to maintain unity among the brotherhood. (7) All of us have the responsibility to preach the good news of God's Kingdom. These factors contribute to our united worship of Jehovah.

Is your personal opinion paramount? Some might be inclined to say yes, maintaining that "everyone is entitled to his own opinion." But what if you found it difficult to agree with the Christian congregation on some important matter? How would you deal with that so that the peace and unity of the congregation could be maintained? In the first century a situation developed when some Christians viewed their personal opinion as paramount on the matter of circumcision. Those who accepted the Governing Body's decision continued to be made firm in the faith and experienced joyful increase. Those who rejected the direction of the Christian congregation later subverted the faith of others and destroyed their own good relationship with God. We surely want to avoid the same mistake. When Scriptural direction may seem to us to be open to different opinions, we need to demonstrate the humble responsiveness that was shown by the early Christians and accept decisions and directions from God's congregation. Even in areas which a matter is Scriptually neither right nor wrong but is left to personal decision, we should highly esteem peace with others, thus being open to yielding frequently. If we are willing to display such a spirit, we will be showing a fine sense of balance, recognizing that peace and unity are more precious than our own personal opinion.

Our chairman opened his comments by recounting a story which nicely illustrates today's text. The story begins in 1970, Webb City, Missouri, where a congregation badly needed a Kingdom Hall. After purchasing some land, they started work on the foundations. However, progress was slow because no one in the congregation was a builder. When the circuit overseer came to visit, he expressed concern and telephoned Brother Stan Peck in the neighboring state of Kansas, asking him if he could come and help the congregation build their Kingdom Hall. Brother Peck and his helpers came down and on one weekend they erected the main framework and did considerable work on the roof. There was still much to be done, and it took months to complete the job; but an important part of it had been completed in a very short period. After the project, they thought: 'Why not do this for other congregations?' And so the projects started to come in, and they kept coming. After a while it became a little game to Brother Peck and his team, as they wanted to see if they could go a little further to completion with each Kingdom Hall. During the next decade, as the brothers worked together on about 60 halls, obstacles were overcome, and more efficient methods were developed. In time, they realized that after work on the foundation was done, they might almost be able to complete an entire Kingdom Hall in a single weekend. In 1982 the first quickly-built Kingdom Hall was erected in Canada; in 1983, in England; and in 1987, the Society began to coordinate quickly-built construction through Regional Building Committees. Now, of course, the quickly-built construction program is international. This is an inspiring story. What is the lesson for us? Essentially, we come back to our day's text. It could not be accomplished without unity. Jehovah blessed the initiative shown by Brother Peck, and the system of construction as it was worked out and applied by those involved. When some compared what Jehovah's people were accomplishing to "barn raising" done by some communities, it was pointed out that "barn raising" involves neighbors helping out neighbors, but quickly-built Kingdom Halls are raised by teams of people travelling hundreds of miles to assist people they have never even met! Yes, much is accomplished in the spirit of unity. This also applies to us serving in Bethel, and in the congregation; much can be done if we promote the spirit of unity. The result will bring increased productivity and joy, and we will be assured of Jehovah's blessing.

Enjoy your Thursday, everyone.

Andre Mendes da Costa
NZ Bethel
New Zealand



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