A symphony is a wonderful experience; however, the warmup does not sound like a concert. While musicians are tuning and practicing each of their parts, it can sound like a trainwreck. Yet when the conductor steps to the stage and everyone plays their part, it creates something beautiful. So, it is with the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our churches should not be doing their own little performances. Instead, we should be looking to the conductor–the Holy Spirit. We should align ourselves to His rhythm. 

The word together in Romans 15:6 makes me think of Acts 4:24. After Peter and John heal the lame man, they are arrested and beaten. It would be the first time that persecution came upon Christians. After being released from prison, Peter and John went to a prayer meeting. The church prayed with such power that Acts 4 says the place in which they prayed was shaken by the power of God. Acts 4:24 tells us specifically how they prayed, “together they lifted their voices.” The Greek word for together is symfonía. This is where we get our English word, symphony. 

Can you see the beauty of this biblical word picture? When God’s people are in alignment, and we lift our voices in prayer, it is like a symphony in the ears of God. Isn’t this a much better way to live? Rather than being a divisive and angry person who is always arguing and quarreling, I would rather be at peace and in harmony with others. Rather than living solo, I would rather join my heart to God’s people for God’s glory. 

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Finn Hafemann

Chad Roberts is the founder and lead pastor of Preaching Christ Church. He is the author and Bible teacher for Awakened to Grace. He has authored Calling on the Name of the Lord, Awakened to Grace, and He’s in the Waiting. He has traveled through forty countries, sharing the Gospel, and training leaders. When the unexpected storm of blindness slammed into Chad’s life in 2018, he had a decision to make. He could resign to the life of disability or he could go forward trusting God with the unknown. He could not have continued on without the support of his amazing wife of over fifteen years, Sadie. Their four children, Piper, Emmy, Hudson, and John Mark, are their greatest joys. They live just outside the Great Smoky Mountains in Kingsport, Tennessee.

Chad’s pastoral career has not been defined by blindness. Rather, it is his clear, biblical teaching that continues to grow an audience. He has traveled through forty nations, training pastors and strengthening churches.

Today, Chad teaches people to trust a God they cannot see. His days are filled with the things he loves most: leading, speaking, writing, and of course, coffee! He is a spiritual content creator. By God’s grace, he is emerging as a trusted spiritual voice in people’s lives. Chad may have blindness, but blindness does not have him.