COAH's Core Practices- Commitment to Unity

In Acts 2, we read the inspiring account of the early church’s community, which was characterized by regular fellowship, generous sharing, and “having all things in common.” Though today’s church longs to imitate this model of Christian unity, it is painfully evident that our experience of community falls dramatically short of this ideal. Though we may strive for it to be otherwise, the breakneck pace of our lives combined with our consumer mentality leaves true Christian community elusive and difficult to achieve in our day. What steps must be taken if we are to truly be unified together as one Body in Christ?

True Christian community must begin with a common commitment among all members to pursue Christ above all else. Too often, we depend on the Sunday service and the small group experience to be the driving force of our individual pursuit of Christ, when in reality the order should be reversed. Community does not precede discipleship in the Biblical model; rather, the pursuit of Christ on the part of each member must occur first for true unity to occur. As 1 John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” For true Christian community to be a reality in our day, then, we at COAH must pursue authentic discipleship first and foremost, recognizing that such unity will naturally follow. If every member does not commit to living out our other core practices, we should not be surprised if we find unity difficult to achieve. For only when each member is individually pursuing Jesus first on their own will we be truly unified together.

Nor can unity be achieved without risk being assumed by the members of the body. Though certainly the early church’s experience of unity in Acts was blissful, awe-filled and joyful, we read immediately afterward of the hardships faced by many of its members: imprisonment, martyrdom, and persecution, to name a few. Though these may not be the risks for the average American Christian, we too can expect to face opposition and risk if we are to truly pursue unity together. For unity to truly be realized, we must be willing to be open about our struggles with others, possibly risking our reputation in their eyes. If we are to be unified together, we must not hesitate in carrying the emotional and spiritual burdens of others, realizing that such burdens may be difficult for us to bear. Above all, we will not become a unified community through a formal small group initiative handed down to us by church leadership; rather, unity will only realized when it emerges organically, as a grass-roots movement initiated by the rank and file of the church. To this end, each of us must take proactive steps to begin and cultivate open, honest, and vulnerable spiritual friendships with one another. For if we are all priests and ministers of the Most High, all of us must embrace our authority and responsibility to create relationships such as these, and in so doing become church planters in the fullest sense of the term.

Above all other callings, this is the calling that our Leader has given us: to be unified together as one Body, and in so doing to truly incarnate Christ among us. For as we are unified together as living stones, forming one Temple together, it is our prayer that God’s glory may be seen among us. Just as in the days of Solomon of old, may it be said that His Shekinah glory has filled His temple as we dwell in unity together.

COAH's Core Practices- Commitment to Solitude

All believers would agree that any God-honoring church should hold the discipline of prayer in high regard. Yet without mutual accountability to one another or common commitments to this practice among a church’s members, prayer will inevitably fall to the wayside. In our fast-paced American lifestyles, the “prayer life” of many Christians today is limited to merely talking at God, quickly offering requests and petitions to Him on the run, in the car, or in times of stress, but allowing little to no time for letting God speak reciprocally to us or actually converse with us. Try as we might to practice ceaseless prayer in our lives, regular periods of solitude with God seem to elude our grasp. Our souls need regular times of two way conversation with God, not just talking at him, but talking with him; listening to His promptings, receiving His love, and learning how to hear his voice. Yet so often, it seems easier to "pray on the run" than it is to slow down, remove our addiction to speed and productivity, and open ourselves to the still, small, and direct voice of God to our vulnerable and fragile souls.

Yet Christ’s model was one of regular solitude, withdrawing himself from his ministry to both converse with and commune with His Father. On many occasions we see Jesus after a day of ministry “withdrawing to a solitary place”, spending all night in His Father’s presence. If the Creator and Redeemer of the world practiced such regular solitude and lived his whole life in dependence on the Father's voice and power, how much more should we as His followers do the same!

In an attempt to imitate our Leader in this way, we as members of COAH embrace a intentional pursuit of solitude in our lives. Each of us commits ourselves to regular times of stillness before God, allowing opportunity to not only speak to God, but to be spoken to by Him as well. We agree that we will be accountable to one another to practice this discipline on a weekly basis . We realize that such a pursuit might have different forms for all of us: journaling, listening to music, oral prayer, reading Scripture, or simply resting in His presence, to name a few. In these times of solitude, we will give our souls opportunity to receive His love, recognizing that it is only when we have directly experienced His love ourselves will we be motivated and empowered to share that same love with others. With God's help, may we be known as such a community.