Unity is a very important word to dwell upon because it is very important to Our Lord.Jesus prayed on the night He was betrayed for the disciples to be one, just like He and the Father are one. He also prayed that those that would come to believe on His name would be one.* At the cross, all believers are the same. We're all sinners saved by grace.
Many of God's people belong to fellowships that together make up the one true church. We must be careful to find a group that we can be united with in unity. God hates dissension and strife and we must be careful to never be the one that is sowing discord.* We are told in the New Testament:
"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."*All men - I take this to mean everyone, and can I just say, unity is just as important in your families. It is said "a house divided against itself cannot stand." Perhaps disunity is one of the reasons for so many broken homes today.
So many times, unity does depend on you. It depends on you keeping your mouth shut, not telling everything you know, not saying the thing that really doesn't need to be said. Yes, there are times when things need to be set right, but before you take that drastic step, stop and think. "Does this really need to be said or am I just wanting to be vindicated?"
You see, the motive is the thing. If your motive is pure and not for self-gain, then feel free to speak what God has laid on your heart. If you have the slightest doubt, the best thing is to let God take care of it.
You can trust He will!
* John 17:11-23, Proverbs 6:16-19, Romans 12:18
This post was written in community with the April A-Z blogging challenge. To read others' work, go here.
Unity is important!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely need to have unity in the church; I think we can disagree on the minors, like people's opinion about infant versus adult baptism, but we can never disagree on the majors, like who Jesus is, Jesus is the only way to heaven, the Bible being the true word of God, etc.
ReplyDeletebetty
I wish we were all more united. But, I fear that is an impossibility. Yes, we have small, united groups, some overlap, but in the grand scheme of things, man is inherently greedy and jealous. It’s something that can’t be helped. Tamed, yes, but there will always be someone wanting more than he has. Always. I do like to find that group that will welcome me and make me feel united in something. Small has always been better for me anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteJamie Dement (LadyJai)
My A to Z
Caring for My Veteran
I really enjoyed this post. You make such a wonderful point about when to speak up. If my motive is about me - proving I'm right, etc. - then I should keep quiet. If my concern is others or the body of Christ, then I should not be quiet.
ReplyDeleteYou also make an excellent point about trusting that God can take care of it. So many times we jump into an issue because we fail to trust that the Spirit can accomplish something without us. I'm slowly learning that if He wants me involved, He'll let me know. :)