Unity

Eph.4:^2-3 “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”

Yesterday, we looked at two of the three predominant themes in Jesus’ prayer. Jesus prayed for Protection, Jesus prayed for Glory and thirdly for Unity. Jesus prayed for unity. Jn.17:^{21, 23} “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you… I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” (emphasis added). The unity of Christians is important to Jesus. I know it is said in some churches that you can only marry from that church. This is wrong. If you bring a wife or husband from outside, even if they conduct the wedding, they will make your life miserable. Why? Jesus prayed that we will be one.

So, I am praying that a time will come that the Church will be one, when we are not concerned about glory and not concerned about our own kingdom. A time when we are not concerned about our own turf. People are just so egoistic it is unbelievable. But I am confident that Jesus’ prayer will be answered. I was having a meeting with my colleagues some time ago and one of them said that in the time of Jesus, miracles were what brought people to God. Then they hear the Word of God and become saved. But these days, miracles have become so adulterated, people are even arranging miracles. So, people do not even know the ones that are legitimate such that even when God does a legitimate miracle there is still doubt in people’s hearts, so it does not command as much power as it used to and that is the truth.

So, the question is, what are we going to do in our time? Jesus says John 17:²³ “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” (emphasis added). Jesus is saying, when the Church is United, the community will know that these are Jesus’ people. Let’s start with the local church; when a local church is united, when there is no division, everyone around us will know that these are Jesus’ people. Then when churches are united, Jesus says that will be a huge statement that we belong to Him. Unity is so unbelievably crucial. There are so many things that affect unity in the church, for example, gossip.

Nothing tears a community apart faster than gossip. That is why in God’s Favourite House, we have zero tolerance for gossip. We do not do gossip; we shoot it down with a bazooka, sort of like killing a fly with a double-barrel gun. That is how we respond to people that gossip. When people hear that Pastor has heard that they have been the source of gossip, they just disappear from church. I say, ‘bye-bye because if I catch you!’. You do not have time to be poking your nose into people’s affairs. Mind your business! Focus on God, you are in church to worship God.

Prayer: Father, I pray that the Church of Jesus Christ will experience perfect unity; this unity will be a witness for Christ and the world will be drawn to You, in Jesus Name. Amen!