Doves On Distant Oaks

One of the most destructive forces in the church today is conflict. Disunity makes the church look weak. Paul compares us to a body with each of us performing a specific function and none able to function without the other. That's a good analogy, but I also like to think about the church as a chain. Since a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, it's every member's responsibility to build up each link, so that none break and destroy the chain. That's what disunity does ... it weakens links.

Be careful, though, because a misunderstood desire for unity had led to the world ecumenical movement—a one-world church. It’s true that Jesus said, "... that they may all be one." (John 17:21), but He was talking about Spirit-led unity, not man-made union. There is a difference.

The difference between union and unity is where desire for like-mindedness arises. Imposing control or direction is top-down and therefore man-made union. A grassroots desire springing from each individual's heart as led by the Spirit is bottom-up unity. Man tries to create union, but we don't create unity.

When we are called, unity is placed within us. The Spirit simply maintains it because it’s part of the Spirit. There are no articles of theologic agreement, no creeds, no checklists, no debate over them. The desire for unity is created in us the moment we accept Christ. It’s fundamental to our mindset and underlies and underpins everything else.

That's not to say there are no differences among us. Friction exists and has always existed—from the time when Jew was pitted against Gentile right up to our modern age and its profusion of denominations. Even Paul had to step in and write a letter to the Corinthians when followers of two different teachers, Euodia and Syntyche, began taking sides. No, the wonder of the church is not that everyone is the same. The wonder is that such a diverse group—perhaps more diverse than any other group—is still able to display unity.

I was the younger brother in my family, a fact my older brother lorded over me. He loved to boss me around and point out all my flaws. One day, my brother and I were playing with a friend of mine. As usual, my brother and I got into an argument. My friend began to side with my brother, which irritated me to no end and I began to upbraid him for it. All of a sudden, my brother jumped on him too and just like that my brother and I formed a united front. My friend had forgotten one very crucial thing, that being we had a fundamental unity of brotherhood that superseded everything else.

In the same way, church unity must be at a fundamental level. Jesus said that our love and unity would be a witness to the world (John 17:21). In the early days of the church, people turned to Christianity because they wanted what that early church had, all based on what they witnessed.

The modern church is very good about telling others why they need salvation. Too often, though, all the outside world sees is division and disunity instead of real fellowship. What happened to bearing one another's burdens?

What the church needs today is more "One Another" ministries: those that recognize relationships are more important than issues and understand that unity of Spirit leaps human boundaries such as geographic, economic, political, and religious. If the church did so, there would be nothing we could do to keep people away. If not, there is nothing we could say to make them pay attention.




Keywords: Church, Conflict, Unity, Union, Fellowship


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