by Brinson Barker
Does unity matter? Does it matter in your marriage, family, relationships, business, ministry, and community?
Most every Christian will say, of course, it does. However, what matters the most to me will be seen through my actions. We can say something matters, but it doesn't matter enough to us if we don't do something about it. I believe as Christian leaders, we must not only ask what matters to us but what matters to God. That should matter to us regardless of our area of leadership. However, we need to see the reward of unity before we will pay the price for it. Otherwise, we will not think that unity is worth it. The scriptures reveal that oneness matters to Jesus, and because of that, it should matter deeply to us.
Jesus spoke about unity in John 17:23, "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."
We can see the Father's heart for unity in this passage. The reward is clear in this scripture that people around us will know Jesus when our hearts are unified. The reward of this type of unity is something worth paying the price for. We also see another reward as Psalm 133 speaks of unity and concludes with this passage; "It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore." Psalms 133:3 NKJV
The reward for unity is having God's commanded blessing! Wow, God desires for us to live in harmony with each other because He wants us to experience His commanded blessing. I recently was in the remote area of Bukowo, Uganda, for a Pastors and Leaders Conference conducted through our relational partner in the region. We saw unprecedented unity among churches as 146 churches came together out of 152 in this mountainous region. These pastors and leaders in this region have been trying to unify churches for years. However, as a result of their efforts and God's plan, we could experience the commanded blessing of the Lord together. The conference brought healing and transformation among churches and leaders. Some pastors have said they have never seen this level of unity and involvement among churches in their lifetime! We have also witnessed a shadow of this in our CLMN gatherings in our community, though we have a long way to go. Harmony through Jesus honors our Father and blesses our community! We encourage you to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace in our marriages, families, relationships, businesses, ministries, and communities! It will be worth it!
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:3 NIV Image 1
