IS UNITY REALLY POSSIBLE?
"Unity sounds great, but is it possible? Can it work? Has it ever worked? Does unity mean we always have to agree or be the same? Absolutely not!" wrote Dr. Joseph Aldrich.
"Unity is not unanimity. Nor is it uniformity. When we have true unity, we don't all have to be the same. Furthermore, unity is not union. God has not called us into some kind of structural or organizational union. Paul's command is that we keep (not make) the unity that we already have because of our union with Christ.
Like it or not, we're "members of one another" Furthermore, we're interdependent. We need each other. And the world needs us to be biblical in our support and concern for each other. We're to rejoice and suffer together. (See 1 Corinthians 12:25-26).
If I'm joined to Christ and you're joined to Christ, we're joined to each other. Permanently.
"UNITED WE STAND, DEVIDED WE FALL" says it all. And it's probably true.
What would it take to move God's people toward the unity for which Christ prayed in John 17? For ten years or more I've thought and prayed about what it would take to start and sustain a movement of God in a community. With an emphasis on SUSTAIN. I keep coming back to unity as the starting point.
But haven't we been there before? We have seen how evangelists have drawn leaders together in common cause for a short time. An operational unity developed that enabled a degree of cooperation in a united, city-wide thrust. We applaused it and wondered if such a cooperative mission could be sustained.
When the crusade was over, however, it seemed like the local leaders returned to their ruts. Something turned down the divine rheostat. The light dimmed to normal as the power of a united vision diminished, flickered, and died.
What's the battle plan for the Church? John 17 lays out Christ's strategy for members of His church. Unity releases power. Unity attracts the blessing of God. Unity captures the attention of an unbelieving world.
Psalm 133 reads:
"How good pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity... For there the LORD bestows [commands] His blessing" (1, 3).
Where does the Lord command His blessing? Where does He direct His enablement? In what kind of an environment does He release His power? WHERE
THERE IS UNITY ! "