Galatians 5:1, 13-25
1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
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13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. 14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15 If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. 16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
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Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
A few weeks ago I was standing on our parking lot with Vernace, Buddy and Norman; we were trying to make up our minds where to put the tent for our one-day revival. It was hot, and we wound up under the oak tree where I normally park. As we deliberated this pressing issue, Norman suddenly looked skyward and said, “Well, would’ya look at that tree limb.” Of course we all looked, and then had a 20 minute discussion on how the limbs of an oak tree could grow together.
Well, there’s actually a rather simple explanation; when a tree’s limbs grow close enough to each other to touch, the windy days on Bethany’s hill will cause the limbs to rub together- the bark will rub away, sap will run - and after the wind dies down, the hardened sap will permanently bond the limbs - for life.
And so, with all deference to Norman’s choice of words – we were looking not at “that tree limb” but at limbs – two distinct limbs that had quietly, but permanently, joined forces at some point in the past. This kind of “joining” is not without pain, but it most always yields profit; the tree gets stronger!
In some ways this is exactly how we must be in the church. In this passage, Paul uses very cautionary language that Heaven is in the balance, and we’ve been warned that we should choose our actions carefully when it comes to how we treat each other. The Apostle didn’t have a digital camera to snap us a picture, but the picture of his words clearly shows the “rub” that happens when the flesh and Spirit go to war.
Paul lists a whole shopping cart of attributes that belong to the flesh: fornication, impurity, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissension, envy, drunkenness and more. Standing in contrast is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience and several others. Paul makes a very clear object lesson for us out of this comparison – he says “live by the Spirit; put the flesh to death”!
There is plenty of opportunity to see the friction that is available in human relationships. My daughter, Jennifer, once sent me a prayer she wrote:
“I pray for:
• Wisdom – to understand my man;
• Love – to forgive him;
• Patience – for his moods;
Because, Lord if I pray for Strength, I’ll beat him to death. Amen!”
There was a pastor who grew up in New York City. He couldn’t tell a cow from an ear of corn. Then he met a beautiful young girl from South Georgia; they married and moved to a small country church. The day of his first sermon, the city-bred preacher tried really hard to fit-in with his rural congregation – maybe too hard. With his precious young Georgia bride sitting in the front pew he began, “I never even saw a cow until I met my wife.” [1]
Life provides plenty of opportunity for friction that will make the sap run! The “close places” of our lives is where it happens – places of relationship. We are close in our homes; we spend time with each other. We are in close relationships at work, perhaps thrown-together on projects or as partners. And in the church we are perhaps closer yet, sharing a focus on eternity that is built on, and all about relationship! We call it “communion”.
In this warning passage to the Galatian believers Paul gives us two alternatives:
• Verse 15 – bite and devour one another – be consumed by the rub.
--- or ---
• Verses 24-25 – crucify the flesh – be controlled by the Spirit…and live!
The wind that causes the rub is a good metaphor here, because the Hebrew word for Spirit is “ruach” and it actually means “wind”.
• In the creation account it was the wind of God’s presence that brooded over the waters.
• When God led Israel out from Egyptian bondage it was the very wind of God’s own breath that separated the waters of the Red Sea.
• In the Christian Scriptures [2] we read of the Spirit coming as a mighty rushing wind.
So how does this apply to the communion of God’s church?
We are in-community, a faith community. As the branches of that old oak tree are in communion with each other, strengthening and holding each other up – so we must be a community of strength.
And that strength has a purpose – it is the mission. Just as God created that tree to stand tall and provide the photosynthesis that turns carbon dioxide into oxygen for our health, He also created the communion of saints to be life-giving strength and breath for all who pass our way. This mission is not about being self-serving and comfortable; this mission is to be the people of God in God’s mission field – giving, loving, healing, and proclaiming His kingdom. We don’t come to church to get our problems fixed, get saved and go to heaven – those happen to be the by-products of belonging to the communion. Rather we come to find out what our marching orders are – where God wants us to serve others. But there are those who will disagree – we want our church like we want it; don’t mess with it, preacher! And therein is the rub, beloved!
Did you know that not all friction and trouble is from Satan?
God tested Job, Gideon and a few others; God tested one of his best friends, Abraham! Sometimes the wind blowing through a church, a family or a workplace is God’s Spirit rubbing us together so that we’ll find ways to be strong against the real struggles of life.
Notice how that old tree’s trunk grew straight up…then way out to expand. The wind caused the branches above to rub and get joined at just the right spot to provide a brace for those lower wide branches. It forms an almost perfect triangle…one of nature’s most vital and powerful configurations. The Preacher of Ecclesiastes [3] tells us that a rope made of three strands is unbreakable.
The communion of saints is to be like that. It isn’t all mystical, warm and fuzzy, this “being church”. Sometimes the communion in a tree can get downright irritating as you’re rubbed the wrong way by the branch next to you. Sometimes the sap runs hard and the wound is rough. But God’s building a triangle here, and you’re part of that equation, just like wood was part of the cross issue for Jesus.
The wind blows and the boughs rub, but it’s just a prelude to building a bond that will last through eternity. That’s how God does stuff…sometimes with a cross and blood – more lately with the wind, and blistered bark and healed wounds. He tests us, and we get a little broken. And if we’ll let Him, He’ll use that healed wound to create a bond that you’ll lean on for all your life, and into eternity.
Trust Him, beloved…he knows just where and how to rub! He’s just polishing you up…so you’ll shine!
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ENDNOTES
1] Reader’s Digest
2] Acts 2:2ff
3] Ecclesiastes 4:12
