On the way to church this past Sunday, my family and I saw signs for several fall festivals. That’s not unusual until you realize the fall festivals were in the same neighborhood. And even that’s not astonishing until you realize the neighborhood’s fall festivals were all organized by churches within a few blocks of each other.

I’m sure all these separate fall festivals will do fine. However, the churches involved still lost an opportunity to work together for their neighborhood and for the glory of Christ.

Why does any of this matter?

Well, it all comes down to being effective sharers of the Gospel. More people (and potential new believers) can be served when churches work together for a purpose than when churches work in silo. But more importantly, our separateness clouds the visibility of Christ while our togetherness points directly to him.

Related Post: Unity Within the Body of Christ; A Body of One

It’s simpler than all that though. While it might be difficult to work on things together, we can certainly praise each other and lift each other up.

Romans 12:10 – Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (ESV)

Ultimately, this brotherly position is the best place to reside. It keeps envy from causing us to make counterintuitive decisions.

Wisdom in Togetherness

For example, what’s the usual response when a new church plant comes to a city? The news is usually met with jeers and fears. That’s counterintuitive though because new churches reach new believers more effectively than established churches. Romans 12:10 Christians should be overjoyed about new churches instead of opposing them.

If you’re in a church that works in silo or scoffs at new churches, bring it up to your church’s leadership. It’s possible they weren’t aware of this blind spot and will steer the congregation towards repentance.

Pray and fast for your leadership to right the ship. Pray and fast for the Holy Spirit to warm cold hearts.