Unity is the Important Thing

Hi and welcome back to afaithtalk.com. I’m so happy that you have come to spend some time with me. Today we’re going to look again at two verses from Ephesians 4 that we studied a couple Tuesdays ago and focusing on something different within them.

Some of the things happening in the United Methodist Church lately have really upset me and sent my thinking to the Scriptures. I’m glad you’re here to walk through this with me as I try to understand and explain how I feel about this.

This is one time I’m not sharing my prayer because it’s way too raw of a prayer to share here. My mind is just in pain over this issue.

So let’s read these two verses and see what Jesus will help us figure out.

Ephesians 4:11-12
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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.

Christ Jesus Himself gave
apostles – we have their writings
Prophets – those from the past and those in the present who are much less visible than those in the past
Evangelists (Gospel writers, a preacher (ordained or layman) at a special service, an enthusiastic advocate) – we have the Gospels, we have had and still have many preachers, both those who have had the schooling to be ordained and those who have the faith to share, it’s them, I think, that are the most enthusiastic advocates for Scripture and Jesus. 
Pastors – ’tis true, not all preachers are pastors. But we have lots of pastors too.
Teachers – oh yes, do we ever have a lot of those. Lots of them are available online and in books.
Why?
To equip His people for works of service – the kind that grows the kingdom, those kinds of works

So that?
The body of Christ may be built up 

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. 

Unity in the faith.
Unity in our knowledge of the Son of God

For a few years now, one of the main focus words of all the Scripture I’ve read is Unity. When Jesus says “be one” it’s also unity.

Unity:
the quality or state of not being multiple : ONENESS
the quality or state of being made one : UNIFICATION
a condition of harmony : ACCORD
continuity without deviation or change (as in purpose or action)

John 17:20-23 Part of Jesus’ prayer…
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

That’s why this hurts so much.
Where is the unity? Where is the faith? Where is the knowledge of the Son of God? Nothing means more than your relationship with Jesus. Your faith. 

2 Peter 1:3-8
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Maybe that’s why Covid-19 has kept us all from gathering to split. Given us time to pray. Given our minds time to change how we think. Given our hearts time to realize how wrong this all is. I think Unity is more important than any Discipline or Doctrinal differences we might have. Nothing is too hard to get through with Jesus. And if He’s not in it it will be destroyed in the end, think chaff or dross, and fire. Please, please, pray. Please, pray for the oneness He so clearly wants for us. For the faith and the knowledge and all the other qualities Peter tells us to add to faith. I fully believe Jesus will tell us the way forward if we but ask and listen. Pray, ask, listen.