Day 28 0f 40 Days of Prayer: Pursue Unity!

The large number of denominational identities that exist within the Church of Jesus Christ is a sobering testimony to the difficulty of maintaining unity among Jesus’ followers.  While churches and denominations do, at times, intentionally plant new congregations to minister more effectively to a variety of needs in a variety of settings, in too many cases, churches split apart due to discord or disagreements on one sort or another.

For that reason, there are many biblical passages instructing churches on how to maintain unity.  The critical key in following those instructions is attitudinal orientation – being mindful of the need to stay united.  Another critical aspect in unity is “keeping the Main Thing, the Main Thing.”  The Apostle Paul implies this in his instructions to the Church in Corinth on staying unified.  Paul writes,

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.

If Paul were addressing trivial matters, such as carpet colors or service start times, his instructions might be troubling.  I also believe he is even calling Jesus’ People not to prioritize significant issues that divide and separate, such as political ideologies or debatable theological schools of thought, where earnest and faithful followers of Jesus disagree, but issues that do not accurately measure a person’s walk with the Lord.

I believe Paul is calling local churches to know the powerful main points of faith in Christ, live in obedience to those points, and encouraging others to do the same.  While there are debatable issues in abundance, Paul encouraged another local church in Galatia to focus on matters such as,

 …love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

There are no rules against loving one another – in fact, loving each other is a corollary of the Great Commandment, to love God.  If churches focus on living out the love of Jesus and sharing the message of God’s love through Jesus to all the world, there would be little room for debate, and much more encouragement to be united as one. 

Let us live in unity to such an extent, that “all people will know we are [Jesus’] disciples. [Because we] have love for one another!”