When the Tent of Unity Disappears - Martin Wiles

And now I want to plead with those two women, Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. Philippians 4:2 NLT

“Sometimes, the circus is larger than the tent.”

My wife and I were mingling with a few church friends at one of the local funeral homes when I heard the remark. Why the subject of people not getting along came up, I’m not sure, but the statement holds so much truth and is similar to a more well-known quote: “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”

As we talked, my wife contended that women are more likely to be contentious than men. Perhaps Paul would agree. He had two he could shove forward as examples. One gentleman disagreed. He worked with nothing but men and had several stories to tell about their contentiousness. Truthfully, the circus houses both.

Like Paul, I once knew two women who were church members and couldn’t get along. Both were strong-willed and enjoyed being in control. While one was more humble than the other and typically gave in, their disagreements always created a strong undercurrent in their relationship and also had a ripple effect in the church.

When the circus becomes larger than the tent, we forget several things. Believers are unified in Christ. This doesn’t mean we are clones, but we have a common bond—our belief in Christ and in the work he has given us. Remembering we share this bond with other believers should make us work harder to put aside what divides us from them and look harder at what attaches us to them.

Just because believers share a common faith doesn’t mean we share the same personalities. Obviously, Eudoia and Syntyche didn’t, and neither did the two ladies I worked with. I’ve discovered, though, that we can disagree without being contentious. Common ground always presents itself if we look.

The faith journey we're on isn’t all about us. It’s about our faithfulness to God and his Kingdom’s work. Our responsibility is to promote Christ, not ourselves or our selfish ideas. Our testimony, and the testimony of God’s church, lies at stake. And if the disagreement is such that we honestly can’t see a way to solve it, we can always find another church rather than ruin the reputation of the one we're attending.

Do what it takes to make the circus smaller than the tent. God wants his people unified in love. 

Father, help me love others in a bond of unity so my testimony before others will shine brightly. 

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