Peace and harmony. Fellowship and love for one another. Goodwill towards men. These are some of the platitudes that get discussed at Christmas time, but are seldomly seen in our world today. Instead, we have discord in our homes and families. Our workplace is often a dog-eat-dog environment as those around us attempt to climb the corporate ladder. The church is often no better, as we call out religious hypocrites, have disagreements about what should be done, disagree about how the money should be spent, and even whether to turn the thermostat up or down on a Sunday morning. The hard truth is that humankind thrives on disunity and criticism and these are the enemies of peace and harmony.

At the Christmas season, we talk about “peace on earth” and “goodwill towards men” but often don’t see it in daily life. However, the realities of fellowship, cooperation, and brotherly love are not just fairy-tale ideas that Hallmark has capitalized upon. Rather, the basis of true peace and brotherly love is found in Jesus Christ – which is why we celebrate those virtues at this time of the year. But how do you make this a reality in your own life?

In Philippians 2, Paul not only gives us instructions to “be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2), but he also gives us some insight into how we can achieve this. First, he tells us to identify our selfish desires – “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory” (Philippians 2:3). You can’t have a “goodwill toward men” attitude when you are only seeking goodwill for yourself. Second, he tells us to “esteem each other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3). So, after eliminating our selfish ambitions we can’t be content to put ourselves on a level playing field with others – but rather we are to have a humble spirit that elevates others and puts them first. This type of humility should characterize us because it characterized Jesus. When Christ left His position in heaven to humble himself, take on human flesh, and be born to a poor couple in a stable – He did it for our benefit and to offer “goodwill towards men”.

Brotherly love, fellowship, peace, and harmony are things that are supposed to characterize us as Christians. Our demonstration of these virtues is a key part of our testimony to the gospel that faith in Christ changes lives (and attitudes). It always thrills my heart when I see people cooperating, uniting behind a common vision, and working together at things they wouldn’t normally do for the sake of accomplishing something together. Each year our church family does just that as we come together to present our drive-through live nativity. Some volunteer to help with serving food, some with traffic control (in the cold and rain), and some get out of their comfort zone and get dressed up to be our live actors in the scenes presented. It wouldn’t work without everyone doing their part and uniting under this common vision. As a result, I often get those from the community who notice the way we are working together.

What brings believers together is more than a common vision or goal – it is a common faith in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us “there is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:5). This unity we have as believers is an identifying characteristic of our faith. Jesus himself reminds us that “all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). Our object is not just to get along for the sake of our own sanity or to get a little escape from conflict. Fellowship among believers is a key means to give glory to Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:11 says that the end result of living out this brotherly love is so that unbelievers will turn to Christ and that “every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”. In other words, it’s part of the Great Commission – and that is only possible because Jesus Christ put on human flesh and came to earth as the Savior of the world.