How to Work for Unity in Your Church
By Rick Warren
"Let us concentrate on the things which make for harmony, and on the growth of one another’s character." Romans 14:19 (PHILLIPS)
Do you want to become an agent of harmony and unity in your church? If so, the first step is this: Focus on what you have in common with other Christians, rather than your differences.
The Bible says, "Let us concentrate on the things which make for harmony, and on the growth of one another’s character" (Romans 14:19 PHILLIPS).
When you concentrate, you focus and give something your full attention. You don't casually concentrate; it's intentional. As a Christian, you can choose to concentrate on commonalities—the things that create harmony and unity in the body of Christ.
What are the commonalities that you share with your brothers and sisters in God's family? Ephesians 4:4-6 says that Christians share seven big things in common: "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (NIV).
We're one body. Jesus doesn't have multiple bodies. He just has the church!
We have one Spirit. We all have been given the same Holy Spirit at salvation.
We share one hope. We share the hope of the second coming of Jesus. He didn't stay dead. He was resurrected, went back to heaven, and promised to return.
We have one Lord. We don’t worship multiple gods.
We have one faith. Our faith is contained in one book, the Bible.
We have one baptism. We don't have to be re-baptized every time we sin.
We have one God. He knows all things, sees all things, and is with us at all times.
As members of God’s family, we also share the same salvation, the same forgiveness, the same grace, the same mercy, and the same future. These factors are far more important than your gender or race, your shape or size, your economic status, your background, your sins, or anything else.
Even while you focus on those seven big things in Ephesians, don’t forget that God didn’t just give you things in common with the other people in your church. He also made your differences.
God chose to give people different personalities and equipped each person with different gifts. You can unite around the foundation of the Gospel, while you also value and learn from all the ways God made you unique.
Don’t just get along with the people in your church. Work toward true harmony and unity as you remember the hope you share.
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