Competing isn’t Leading

Competitors or Partners in Unity

I have written quite few times about unity. Yet I always felt there was something missing. Now I think I have found that little spark that I previously missed. Most people have never heard of Dr James Scott – aka Scotty – who is a minister from Parker, Texas. Scotty has a great blog (http://extraordinarylivingbydrscotty.blogspot.com/) and he recently wrote this about unity. It is entitled “Competing isn’t Leading”. I have missed off the first photo and very small part as it will probably mean little or nothing to folk in my part of the world.

“Competing isn’t Leading”

by Dr James Scott (with permission)

It is the sense of competition that keeps most people from sharing, and it's a sense of competition that keeps church leaders out of each other's churches.

Instead of seeing the Church as one body --- the body of Christ --- and the family of God, with the church down the street or around the corner being where our brothers and sisters gather, we instead compete to build communities instead of expanding the family.

Instead of praying for one another, helping each other, learning from each other, collaborating with each other, even pooling resources --- instead of being brothers and sisters from the same family with the same Father --- we compete to be bigger or more successful than the other church.

That's far more like the attitude of James and John in Mark 10:35-37, " Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him [Jesus]. 'Teacher,' they said, 'we want you to do us a favour.' 'What is your request?' he asked. They replied, 'When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honour next to you, one on your right and the other on your left'.”

James and John were looking out for themselves, wanting to build their own sense of glory. That's too much like some of today's church leaders. And any of that attitude is a far cry from the exhortation the Apostle Paul makes in Ephesians 4:3-6:

^" Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all."

Paul says, "Make every effort ..." to do these things that unite us!

Just exactly what are you doing?