God says we are one body with many members. But if God has united us in Christ, then why do we often seem to be divided by class, race, gender, and culture? Why are some people elevated as important and other Christians kept in the shadows? How do we live as a unified community when we seem to be at war with each other?
God says we are one body with many members. But if God has united us in Christ, then why do we often seem to be divided by class, race, gender, and culture? Why are some people elevated as important and other Christians kept in the shadows? How do we live as a unified community when we seem to be at war with each other?
To faithfully navigate the tensions of our church communities, living in faith that we are one, valuing our differences, and wisely engaging with conflict and sin, that we might all grow to maturity in Christ.
I recently heard about a church with a painful crisis: it was growing. Years earlier, the church had launched a contemporary service to attract the next generation. Now, the contemporary service was packed beyond capacity, while the traditional service had declined in numbers.
For the church to keep growing, the contemporary service needed to move into the much larger, main sanctuary. But that meant the traditional service would have to take place in the gym.
What does it mean to be united in Christ?
In most churches, status and respect are measured by stage time. If you're speaking or performing, you're important. The sound technician watches the preacher get a standing ovation while their technical expertise is unnoticed. The faithful prayer warrior feels invisible next to the dynamic missions trip leader.
Paul tells us, "God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other" (1 Corinthians 12:24-25). Do you feel that the less honorable are given greater honor in your church?
In Acts 15:36-41, Paul and Barnabas get into an all-out disagreement. After the dust settled, they ended up going in different directions on separate missionary journeys. But in later letters, Paul mentions both Barnabas and Mark as colleagues!
How many Christians have separated over political differences? Hurtful gossip? Overheated conflict or cold resentment?
One of the most repeated passages of Scripture is Galatians 3:28. It reads, "There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Our diversity should reflect God's kingdom, but how can we come together? Racial reconciliation is often a dream, but rarely an experience.
But when diversity is how we divide ourselves, how can we claim to be one in Christ?
**God Unites Us**: One of the most fundamental Christian convictions is that we worship one God in three persons. That's why we value unity: As we each respond to our Triune God of love, we can't help but draw closer to one another!
**Love Unites Us**: The only way a former KKK member and a black pastor could be united in friendship is because they chose to love each other. Sometimes, love looks foolish. It's as crazy as God loving sinners, and Jesus dying on the cross to unite us to him.
**Grace Unites Us**: Repentance and forgiveness are how God heals the damage of sin and restores us to unity.
**God Will Unite Us**: In every generation, division has plagued God's people. We can only trust that God knows who truly belongs to him, and one day, he will unite us with all the other faithful believers!
Samuel Stone published this beautiful hymn in 1886. It speaks to God's great love for us, our unity in Christ, the pain of our divisions, and our hope for God's eventual restoration.
Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all... And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ's fullness.
Paul was literally in jail for Christ because his own people had rejected him and because he included Gentiles as equal members of the churches he started. How does Paul's commitment to unity inspire you to reach across our world's dividing lines?
In your own words, explain how Paul reasons that we should be unified because of who God is and what God does.
How does your church equip the saints for the work of the ministry? How are you promoting the growth of the body of Christ?
How does unity protect us from being tossed and blown around by deceptive leaders?
Father, you created us to love you and love each other. We are all made in your holy image. And your love has united me to you. Help me to see my brothers and sisters as you see them.
Jesus, the cost of our union was your sacrifice on the cross. How did you love us to the point of suffering and death? Empower us to love each other as you have loved us.
Spirit, you have already united us to one another. Help us to see the work you have done, and to protect it! Give us the strength to be humble, gentle, patient, and steadfast in love.
If every Christian lived in godly unity with every other Christian, what would that look like?
Name one specific issue that divides you from other Christians. What's one practical step you could take to bridge the gap?
What's one group of Christians that is 'less honorable' in your church? How could your small group show them honor?
What groups do you see yourself belonging to? What would it look like to see your primary identity and commitment to the body of Christ?
Write down the name of one person who is difficult to love. What could God teach you if you decided to love this person?
Given your role in the church, how can you help your community be spiritually healthy?
Identify someone whose contributions go unnoticed. Write them a thank-you note, or find another way to honor them.
Identify someone who belongs to a different culture, political party, or socioeconomic background. Invite them to dinner.
How does your Life Plan point you towards building unity with other Christians?
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