We must be united

John 17:20-21 (MSG) "I'm praying not only for them But also for those who will believe in me Because of them and their witness about me. The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind".

There are many reasons why divisions occur in the Church. Understanding those reasons will actually make a more united church. When we don't understand 'why' a division has occurred, we are more than likely to discern inadequately.

The first kind of disunity is from God himself. When worship of any kind begins to center around self-interest, ambition, or even a proof text, God brings separation. This was the case at the tower of Babel. Paul experienced multiple separations in his journeys.

Another reason for disunity is that we don't always see the entire body or the plans of God. The idea of a body is that some will be visible, others will not. Some things will happen first, before some other things can happen. We tend to rush, wanting one aspect outside of God's timing. Division happens. This is why we must protect our local assemblies.

Unity in the church is so important that the New Testament gives more attention to it than to either heaven or hell. God deeply desires that we experience oneness and harmony with each other. That's what our opening text speaks to. Jesus sees ahead and prays to God that in the midst of all this, we must be united.

How we can do this, there are many ways, first we can focus on what we know and agree to be true. In Romans 14:1, the Bible acknowledges 'disputable matters'. An issue may be rightly divisive, for instance abortion, but there are things we already agree on, for instance we share one purpose, one Father, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one love. When dispute begins to arrive, we can circle back into things of agreement.

Then, we can separate the ideal from reality. It is only in heaven that we will have God's idea of the church practiced. In this life, we will encounter real churches with real sinners. Every sinner is looking for a Jesus to lead them out of sin. It takes a lot of work, but eventually, united Churches do happen, and they experience life together. It's worth every conflict that will need to be resolved.

#Grace

#Faith

#Love

#Gospel

#Goodworks