Unity in the Church

In the light of our current common situation of isolation and lock down due to the Corona virus, I feel compelled to share with you the lesson that the Holy Spirit put forth for me to learn this morning. The purpose is to give an increase in faith to those who read it. Not only their own faith but also the faith in the church.

In order to be concise, I will bring in several verses to assist me in making my point clear.

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a] says:

“When he ascended on high,
    he took many captives
    and gave gifts to his people.”[b]

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

This unity begins with just two or three. There is a power in unity. We see this throughout the scriptures. The examples here are “one Lord, one faith, one baptism”. Others include, but are not limited to, “faith, hope, and charity”, “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost”, “past, present, future”, etc.

The second purpose in sharing with you is an increase “in the knowledge of the Son of God”, and thirdly to help you to “attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

As some of you already know, the gifts of the Spirit are given. It is not we ourselves but Christ in us the hope of glory. Therefore, in order that we might share with one another during these times, we must endeavor to do our part. Just as the exercise of spiritual gifts is part God and part us, this “unity” is a unifying of activity between the members of the church. We are called throughout scripture to be “joined together”, “forsake not the assembling of yourselves as the manner of some is”, “growing and building itself up in love, as each part does its work.” “We are the body of Christ and members in particular.”

The unity of the church is something we must strive for “at all times”, even now during this pandemic.

We have in our time been given certain devices, apps, and methods of communication that can make it possible to communicate without the bounds of space or time such as: Marco Polo, Face Time, Facebook, Twitter, etc. There are also conference calls, video chats, etc. You all probably know them better than I.

I would however exhort you to be cautious to do it in love, gentleness, and kindness toward one another. These spiritual fruits may be difficult to express in non-face-to-face communication mediums. For the unity of the church is dependent upon our continued diligence.

And now, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all this day in all you do.