Unity is a critical topic these days. Seems everything is fractured around us – from long-term marriages ending in divorce, to the local church searching for yet another senior pastor, to the vicious infighting within the country’s political parties. Everywhere we turn, we see division.
So what does unity mean? Merriam Webster defines unity as “the state of being in full agreement”. In this age of tolerance, everyone is encouraged to speak his/her own opinion. We are certainly finding fewer opportunities for agreement and more situations settled with the “we’ll have to agree to disagree” mentality.
However, the Bible clearly speaks of unity among the followers of Christ. In fact, all throughout the Bible we are given examples of unity:
- The creation and joining of man and woman (Gen. 1:27-28, Matt. 19:5)
- The Lord’s instruction to the nation of Israel to remain as one (Deut. 7:6)
- The spreading of the gospel beyond the borders of Jerusalem to all the world (Mark 16:15)
- The actions taken by the newly formed Church (Acts 2:42-47)
- The imagery of Christ, the bridegroom, and the church, His bride (Eph. 5:25-27)
Peter tells us:
Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. (1 Peter 3:8 NLT)
The Amplified version states it this way: “…be like-minded [united in spirit]”.
Isn’t it interesting that unity is determined by the actions of individuals? Each of us plays a role in sustaining a harmonious body of followers. And although we don’t always agree with each other on everything, there are some core values we have to agree upon to be a unified church:
- The Bible is the Word of God and true in its entirety.
- Jesus is the son of God who came and walked among us, died for our sins on a cross, and was raised to life three days later.
- We must accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Without this vital connection, we are not a part of the true Church.
- Our role in the body of Christ is, and forever will be, a servant’s role no matter the position.
And what of women in the Church? Well there is just something endearing when Christian women unite for the sake of the gospel. Perhaps the tenderness that we can channel gives us the ability to be key players in the church. But we must always be conscious of certain emotions which may sneak in and attempt to trip us up. Jealously, envy, and insecurity should have no place among us. Oh, I pray that grace abounds (Romans 5:20) in our hearts today. That at this moment, your heart is swelling up with love for your Christian sisters and that your arms ache to hug their necks. I pray that words of encouragement are ready to just fall off the tips of your tongues as you engage each other. Today, let’s stand united. Right here and right now! Take a moment to lift up your hands and tell God how grateful you are to be counted among your fellow Christian sisters!
Blessings!
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.