"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1)
Unity is a good and pleasant thing, something that every Christian group should possess. By this, many challenges can be overcome and many things can be achieved.
Sadly, many Christian circles don't have this valuable trait.
Some Christians in the church don't reach out to others because they don't like them. Some church leaders despise leaders from other churches due to perceived differences.
Worse, some Christians don't want to unite with others because they have their own agendas.
Because of this, some local churches in one vicinity can't come together to lift the name of Christ together.
Because of this disunity, we are unable to show the world that we truly follow Christ:
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)
Friends, we've got to come together. We've got to develop one thing that's necessary for us to build Christian unity.
We've got to agree on our purpose and direction: towards the Lord Jesus Christ.
Agreeing to go together
Some Christians say the ingredient to unity is love. That's true, but we've got to have a clear definition of what "love" means in this particular matter.
- Some say it's about welcoming each other. That's right, but it's not enough.
- Some say it's about respecting one another. That's also correct, but we need more than that.
- Some say it's about submitting to one another. Well, that's also correct, but we need more than that too.
We need to come to an agreement to pursue just one thing, regardless of our differences. Amos 3:3 tells us,
"Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"
Friends, we've got to walk in agreement with each other. We can't say we love God and pursue different agendas. We can't say we love one another and do other things.
Keeping it simple
Here's a simple way to explain how agreeing with each other for just one purpose helps build the unity we need:
Christ Jesus is our Lord and Master, and His Word is our instruction (John 14:15, 23). Regardless of our differences and personalities, if we all agree to follow His lead and obey His commandments as according to the Word of God, we will all unite as His people (see Matthew 16:24).
After all,
- We all have just one God and Father.
- We all have just one Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
- We all have just one Holy Spirit living inside of us and sanctifying us.
And so, why the scattered direction? It's because we follow ourselves. If we truly follow Christ, we'll all go towards one direction: heavenward.
"I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
