Standing Together in Unity

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  -Ephesians 4:2, 3

Some years ago when I was a student in Louisville, Kentucky there was a water main break not far from the seminary.  For a day or two we had no running water at the school, but we got by with bottled water that was distributed to the students.  Later I remember hearing that somehow a link between two main pipes had weakened and the pressure had caused it to break.  The pressure on the link between the pipes was compromised, and the link broke.  When the link was compromised by pressure, the result was a break.  How applicable that is to the human experience.  Anytime we are compromised we are prone to break.  That is why we are called to stay faithful, stay in the Word, pray without ceasing, and walk humbly before God, as the Scripture teaches.

We are called by Christ to take on an attitude of lowliness and meekness.  Recall what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount about meekness: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).  Meekness should not be confused with weakness.  Meekness refers to a strength that is always under the control of the Holy Spirit.  Meekness is always seeking to put the needs of others before our own.  We seek not to be first, but rather to put Christ first in our lives.  What that means is that we love and support one another even in those times when we are spiritually weak.  When a brother or sister in Christ has a problem or even stumbles, we don’t kick them, but rather we seek to gently restore them.  Who among us has not made some mistakes or had some failings in our lives?  We have all done that haven’t we?  We have all said and done things in a moment of weakness that we wish we had never said or done.  It’s then that we confess to God, sometimes to each other, and we claim God’s forgiveness.

Understand also that taking on such an attitude requires tremendous energy, faith, and patience.  Listening, helping, and being supportive of others when they are going through some difficulty can be spiritually and mentally draining.  But remember: there may be a time when it’s us who are in need of a helping hand or a listening ear.

The continuing challenge of the church will always be the ongoing effort to keep and maintain the unity of the Spirit within the Body of Christ.  We are all different persons with differing perspectives and outlooks, but what binds us together is our shared faith in the Lord Jesus.  He is the one who we look to for unity, never ourselves.  As we trust Him and serve Him, He will bind us together with those strong cords of faith that cannot be broken.  Believe me when I say that the devil will try to break that bond we share in Christ, but we must stand together and not let that happen.  We know that God is more powerful that evil and He will empower us to stand firm against anything that might break us apart.   

We will then serve the Lord, going the distance, and serving Christ for life.