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 Living In Harmonyby Jeffrey Dillinger Psalm 133:1-133:3 In John 17 we have the priestly prayer of Jesus. In this prayer to His Father he prays for his disciples. Then as the prayer begins to close, Jesus prays for all believers. Listen to the words of Christ in John more… 
How to Maintain Harmony in the Church Houseby Gary Wagoner 1 Corinthians 1:10-1:17 The church is the ecclesia, the called out of God. In the days of the Apostle Paul, anytime a Roman city had a town meeting the “ecclesia” would gather together. These were the ones called out to decide more…
Guideline #6: Maintain A Spirit of Harmonyby Michael Luke Ephesians 4:1-4:6 A preacher went to his high school reunion. One of his friends asked, “How many active members do you have in your church?” The preacher said, “They’re all active. Half of them are working with me and more…
Keeping Harmony in the Churchby Brian Bill Titus 3:8-3:11 Roger Staubach, who led the Dallas Cowboys to an NFL championship after the 1971 season and was voted Super Bowl MVP, admitted that his position as a quarterback who didn’t call his own signals was a more...
 Harmony in the Local Churchby Ed Vasicek 1 Peter 3:8-3:12 When conflict arises, some Christians throw out all or many of the rules. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. "Stevenson’s man found a trick by which he could change himself into the person of more...
The Power of the Right ConductorAt a meeting of the American Psychological Association, Jack Lipton, a psychologist at Union College, and R. Scott Builione, a graduate student at Columbia University, presented their findings on how members of the various sections of 11 major symphony orchestra perceived each other. The percussionists were viewed as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing, yet fun-loving. String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and unathletic. The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose "loud" as the primary adjective to describe the brass players. Woodwind players seemed to be held in the highest esteem, described as quiet and meticulous, though a bit egotistical. Interesting findings, to say the least! With such widely divergent personalities and perceptions, how could an orchestra ever come together to make such wonderful music? The answer is simple: regardless of how those musicians view each other, they subordinate their feelings and biases to the leadership of the conductor. Under his guidance, they play beautiful music. Contributed by: Dana Visneskie
Staying in FormationWhen I was in the South African Air Force I had the opportunity to march in a military tattoo. There were about 120 Air Force marchers lined up in rows of three. We drilled several hours a day for many weeks. Finally, we got to the military tattoo. It was marvelous to watch 120 Airmen dressed in blue uniforms with white spats, white gloves and white belts marching in perfect unison. There was an incredible symmetry and harmony as we went through our drills that evening. The secret to our marching was the lead person in the formation. He was in the front right. Everyone took their cue off that lead person. Paul is saying that now that we live by the Spirit we are to take all our cues off the Spirit. We are to watch the Spirit; we are to follow the Spirit; we are to keep in step with the Spirit. Contributed by: Freddy Fritz
Choices“Every time you are making a choice, you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself… Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other." SOURCE: C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 92. Contributed by: Jeff Cheadle In Tune With the Word"Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him.” SOURCE: Hudson Taylor Contributed by: SermonCentral Adrift at SeaGod has enlisted us in his navy and placed us on his ship. The boat has one purpose-to carry us safely to the other shore. This is no cruise ship; it is a battleship. We aren’t called to a life of leisure, we are called to a life of service. Each of us has a different task. Some, concerned with those who are drowning, are snatching people from the water. Others are occupied with the enemy, so they man the cannons of prayer and worship. Still others devote themselves to the crew, feeding and training the crew members. Though different, we are the same. Each can tell of a personal encounter with the captain, for each has received a personal call. He found us among the shanties of the seaport and invited us to follow him. Our faith was born at the sight of his fondness, and so we went. We each followed him across the gangplank of his grace onto the same boat. There is one captain and one destination. Though the battle is fierce, the boat is safe, for our captain is God. The ship will not sink. For that, there is no concern. There is concern, however, regarding the disharmony of the crew. When we first boarded we assumed the crew was made up of others like us. But as we’ve wandered these decks, we’ve encountered curious converts with curious appearances. Some wear uniforms we’ve never seen, sporting styles we’ve never witnessed. “Why do you look the way you do?” we ask them. “Funny,” they reply. “we were about the ask the same of you.” The variety of dress is not nearly as disturbing as the plethora of opinions. There is a group, for example, who clusters every morning for serious study. They promote rigid discipline and somber expressions. “Serving the captain is serious business,” they explain. It’s no coincidence that they tend to congregate around the stern. There is another regiment deeply devoted to prayer. Not only do they believe in prayer, they believe in prayer by kneeling. For that reason you always know where to locate them, they are at the bow of the ship. And then there are a few who staunchly believe real wine should be used in the Lord’s Supper. You’ll find them on the port side. Still another group has positioned themselves near the engine. They spend hours examining the nuts and bolts of the boat. They’ve been know to go below deck and not come up for days. They occasionally are criticized by those who linger on the top deck, feeling the wind in their hair and the sun on their face. “It’s not what you learn,” those topside argue. “It’s what you feel that matters.” And, oh, how we tend to cluster. Some think once you’re on the boat, you can’t get off. Others say you’d be foolish to go overboard, but the choice is yours. Some believe you volunteer for service, others believe you were destined for the service before the ship was even built. Some predict a storm of great tribulation will strike before we dock, others say it won’t his until we are safely ashore. There are those who speak to the captain in a personal language. There are those who thing such languages are extinct. There are those who think the officers should wear robes, there are those who think there should be no officers at all, and there are those who think we are all officers and should all wear robes. And oh, how we tend to cluster. And then there is the issue of the weekly meeting at which the captain is thanked and his words are read. All agree on its importance, but few agree on its nature. Some want it loud, others quiet. Some want ritual, others spontaneity. Some want to celebrate so they can meditate, others meditate so they can celebrate. Some want a meeting for those who’ve gone overboard. Others want to reach those overboard but without going over board and neglecting those on board. And, oh, how we tend to cluster. The consequence is a rocky boat. There is trouble on deck. Fights have broken out. Sailors have refused to speak to each other. There have even been times when one group refused to acknowledge the presence of others on the ship. Most tragically, some adrift at sea have chosen not to board the boat because of the quarreling of the sailors. SOURCE: Max Lucado— ”In the Grip of Grace” Contributed by: Joel Ferren 
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