The Power of Unity

Most of us have heard the phrase, “Where there is unity, there is strength.” The same is true in the Kingdom of God. The Scriptures tell us that as believers, we are called into one body—the Body of Christ Jesus. We are to strive for unity among ourselves in all things. Unity is “the state of being one or single-minded.” It is a whole that is a combination of parts. We are to be like-minded with Christ and renew our minds to the endurance and encouragement that the Word of God offers us. This produces power! (Romans 15:5-7 KJV, paraphrase mine)

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The Holy Trinity is the unity of RELATIONSHIPS, love, and cooperation. Our churches should not be immersed in their own activities, ignoring those outside our walls. We need to learn how to enjoy one another and benefit from the different gifts and contributions each can make within the Body. Hebrews 10:25 KJV tells us that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Assembling is not the same as gathering.  Gathering is the bringing or calling together into a group or whole. Assembling requires the correct parts put together to obtain a common goal. “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; But woe to him that is alone when he falleth; and has not another to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 KJV)

Unity is strength. Unity means oneness or togetherness. It is a “singleness or constancy of purpose or action.”  When there is oneness, there is likely to be more strength in opinion, more strength in action, and more strength in character. A simple and obvious fact is that if one person tries his hand at a job, he will accomplish much less than what a group effort will achieve. Unity is absolutely essential because the church is the “Body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27 KJV), and a body cannot be in disunity or disharmony with itself. If disunity occurs, it ceases to be a body and becomes a disjointed group of individuals. Jesus’ plan for His church is for the people to be unified in faith. Christ prayed for this unity in John 17, and His prayer was answered when the Spirit was given and a new house was built—a temple of the Spirit. We don’t have to strive for it; it is something given to us all by God’s grace. The Holy Spirit makes this unity with those who are truly born of the Spirit. In Ephesians 4:22-24, Jesus prays that “those who believe in Him would be one, even as He and the Father are one.” (paraphrase mine) Jesus also prayed that we be “perfected in unity,” which implies there is a process of growth.

Unity is a spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Jesus, stating that humanity is inseparable from the Spirit of God within and that through prayer and faith, one may obtain healing in mind, body, and affairs. Unity has been described as “practical Christianity.” Its emphasis is on spirituality. The unity of believers is a testimony to the deity of Jesus…which means, of course, that the opposite tends to be true as well. When the world sees disunity, they are less likely to “believe.” Think about that for a second. When believers cannot get along with one another, it prevents the world from believing in Christ. We, as God’s people, should show a steadfast faith, striving to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  As Paul states in Philippians 1:27 KJV, “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ; that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith the gospel;”  Think of unity as the power of a well-oiled, serviced machine that produces an abundance of whatever it sets out to create or accomplish.

How can the church come into unity? The church at Philippi was threatened with the danger of disunity. Paul called for the church to be unified in his letter to the Philippians.

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:1-5 (KJV)  

It is when people are really in earnest…when their beliefs really matter to them…that they are apt to get up against each other. The greater their enthusiasm, the greater the danger that they may collide. It is against that danger that Paul wished to safeguard his friends. He called for this church to “make his joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and in purpose.” Essentially, he called them to be unified…to be one.

My prayer for unity is that we may stand together as believers in Christ, and pray for God to heal our hearts, families, churches, and nation. I ask that He strengthen us all and give us fresh glimpses of His miraculous intervention; seeing blind eyes opened and many drawn to Him, and experiencing the goodness of our Lord as never before.  Amen. 

Lord, make us one!

In His Service,
Darlene E. Richard
Evangelist and Kingdom Teacher

 

Darlene Richard has been a minister since 1996. She has taught Bible study for over twenty-seven years and has been active in the Church since the age of six. Darlene has an inept ability given to her by God to teach the gospel, and she is gifted with a voice to sing His praises. She believes that the Scriptures are not just information or stories given for the purposes of just storytelling, but that they are a source of life to those that receive them as such.

 

DARLENE RICHARD

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