Philippians 2:2 Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

You see the emphasis on oneness, unity, sameness here, right? “…like-minded…same love…one in spirit and purpose.” The emphasis on unity is even stronger in the Greek behind this translation. This is an important quality for a faithful and functioning Christian congregation.

It is true that God gathers his people from diverse backgrounds. When Jesus gathered the Twelve, he chose a number of working-class men. Almost half of them made their living fishing. But there was also a wealthy government bureaucrat, and a member of an anti-government fringe group. Later he added a prominent Pharisee. These people were as different as my conservative and liberal friends on Facebook who post their strongly held and strongly worded political convictions. If there was an evening that Jesus wasn’t doing most the talking, I’m sure they could have had some interesting discussions.

So Christians don’t roll off an assembly line with completely interchangeable brains. Jesus does not produce us by cookie-cutter. And the different gifts, and different insights, each of us brings to the table is part of his plan to build a multi-talented church with all the resources it needs to reach the world with the gospel.

And yet, there is an important sameness God’s church requires. Paul introduces us to three areas where unity is important. Up first is “like-minded.” The church is an organization whose mission is to share a message. If we don’t have one mind about the content of that message, if we don’t share a common set of beliefs, then what are we going to share? We can easily end up working at cross purposes. What good does it do for one man to teach something, and then another one comes along and contradicts it all?

Have you ever told your kids to pick up the toys, and as fast as one is picking them up, another one who didn’t hear the order, or who is too young to understand, is dumping them all out again? What does that accomplish? It’s frustrating. You make my joy complete by being a like-minded congregation, united in your faith.

Another feature of this united faith is “having the same love.” This can include agreement about what is a loving thing to do, and what is not. That is not always easy for Christians to discern, you know. Sometimes we confuse making people happy with loving them. We can mix up giving them what they need, and giving them what they want. It’s helpful to agree on the loving thing to do.

But more than that, living faith gives birth to a selflessness, a genuine concern for other people that loves them without conditions. That colors all our interactions with all the other members of our church, and everyone outside as well. It gives a pastor no greater joy than to see his people practicing this same love with each other, love born of faith.

Altogether, a united faith produces a congregation that is “one in spirit and purpose.” Today, Christian churches involve themselves in all kinds of activities. They may collect food for the hungry, build homes, operate nursing centers for the elderly, host support groups of various kinds, operate Christian schools, run daycare centers, organize dinners and fund-raisers and trips. These are all noble projects. None of them, in and of itself, is the mission of the church.

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Jesus reason for leaving us here is clear. We are here to reach the lost, preach the gospel, win souls to faith in Christ. When our meetings, our conversations, our priorities, and our participation reveal that we are united in that faith and purpose, like Paul we have found another reason for joy.