Unity In The Church

On the last night of His earthly life, Jesus prayed, "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their (the disciples) message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought into complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:20-23 (English NIV)

Question: When will the world believe?
Answer: Could He make it any clearer? The world (including our loved ones) will believe when Christians become one in Christ!

Like willful children we've been disrupting God's family with our differences. We fight over how and when to worship. We squabble over doctrine. We point fingers at what we perceive to be the weakesses of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Is it any wonder the world looks on and says, "I want no part of that!"?

Paul Billheimer summed it up, "The continuous and widespread fragmentation of the Church has been the scandal of the ages. It has been Satan's master strategy. The sin of disunity probably has caused more souls to be lost that all other sins combined." Is that plain enough for us to understand? If not, let's try one more from Jesus, "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another."John 13:35

Look at our own physical bodies. They are made up of many different parts. Ears created to hear, eyes suited for seeing, feet designed to carry the body over the earth, and hearts made to push blood through the veins.

What if the feet refused to cooperate with the eyes because eyes are weak and lacking in bone structure?
Perhaps the eyes should mock the ears. After all, it's entirely possible that sound is just an emotional thing that happens when ears get carried away.
Perhaps the heart will refuse to supply blood to that nasty, dirty skin covering the feet.
And those eyes! Aren't they just a bit too quick to share a vision concerning everything that happens. If those visions are real, why don't the hands see them?

It's a natural fact - bodies that act this way are not healthy. We call them ill and disabled.

Healthy physical bodies seem to celebrate the differences - the eyes are carried by the feet and give the feet a constant stream of information regarding where to step. The mouth and the ears rejoice together sharing sound and music with the rest of the body. The many parts of the body function as one. Could we ask for a better example of unity in diversity?

If the body that serves us on earth needs many different parts each with its own capability, it is any surprise that the body of the church is diversified and multi-talented? Borrowing an example from Max Lucado's book, In The Grip of Grace*, we see that God has enlisted us in his navy and placed us on His ship and our role is one of service. Each of us has a different task. Max writes about the diversified roles of Believers.

Some, concerned with those who are drowning, are snatching people from the water.
Others are occupied with the enemy. They man the cannons of prayer and worship.
Others devote themselves to feeding and training the crew

But all have had a personal encounter with the Captain; each has received a personal call. He found us among the shanties of the seaport and invited us to follow Him across the gangplank of grace onto the boat. There is one Captain and one destination.

So what divides us? One of Satan's better lies. He's convinced us that we have all the right answers. He tells us that it would be heresy to work with any person or group who does not subscribe to all the same doctrines and practices. He's divided us into little clusters so that the feet can't carry the body, the eyes can't give information to the hands and the mouth and the ears won't even go in the same building with the nose. He's even convinced us that this uncoordinated, ineffective mess is healthy! This lie has worked to undermine the effectiveness of Believers for nearly 2000 years.

Our orders are clear. Unify the church. Unify what church? How do we know who the Believers really are? Jesus told His disciples not to stop those who were doing powerful things in His Name. (Mark 9:39). In Matthew 7:17, He said to look at the fruit. Are people being helped or hurt by the ministry? Is the fruit good? Look at the faith. Is it being done with the authority of and in the power of Jesus Name?

Putting it simply, Max Lucado states, "Where there is faith, repentance and a new birth, there is a Christian. When I meet a man whose faith is in the cross and whose eyes are on the Savior, I meet a brother."

Where do we begin? With the basics.

Join activites which seek to overcome the barriers of denomination, race and culture through shared worship and prayer.
Guard your words, thoughts and actions. God does not need us to point out the error in our fellow Christians' doctrine or practices. If there is an error which offends Him, He is perfectly able to point it out on His own!
Pray for the day when the world is won because the church is one.*

* Much of this writing is taken from In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado. The book is available through your public library, church library or book store.

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