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Monday, June 29, 2015

A Call to Christian Unity

Unity is an interesting word. Webster defines it as "the state of being united or joined as a whole". In the Christian faith it means more than that... it encompasses the idea of oneness, of accepting differences and still being a single body.

The Christian church has struggled with this over the years ( a huge understatement). One only has to ride down any town street to see the different "brands" of Christianity. The last accounting of this that I read said that there are over 2000 "brands" out there in the USA and some 33,000 worldwide. (I won't use quotes around brand from here on) Each brand has its' particular differences that set it apart from the next. Some differences are minor, some are major... but what ever they are, they have caused each group to brand itself differently so as to market their particular set of beliefs.

Is this what God had in mind when He sent His Son to establish the church? Do these exist (as some argue) to meet the needs of all different types of people? Are these found in the Bible? Is that right? I believe to answer that question, one only needs to go back to the terminology found in scripture. "Church" isn't found in the scriptures, so the term "ekklesia" is what we are looking for and it is properly translated "community" or "congregation". Matthew 16:18 is the place most scholars turn to when asked for the first place "ekklesia" is used in scripture.

Christ tells Peter that it is upon the fact that He is the Christ that He will build His community, His congregation. So, first things first, it is His community! It belongs to Him! Secondly, the congregation has His "messiahship" (probably not a word) as it's foundation. Nothing else can substitute for Him as the foundation. Anything else makes that "church" an impostor. Jesus is LORD! Thirdly, the word is not plural... He came to build His ekklesia and it is one. One "church".

Secondly, the core beliefs of the congregation are to be those things that promote unity and we are blessed with the list... I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph 4:1-6)

These are not hard to understand; but some people work hard to make them hard to understand. Seven things that are to unit us all! One body, the body of Christ, the community of Christ... not 2000, one body. (1 Cor 12:27, and many other places) One Spirit, the Spirit of God that is given to every Christian at his/ her conversion (Acts 2:38ff and many other places). One hope, the hope of resurrection and eternal life with God only found in our relationship with Jesus (Romans 8:24,25 and many other places). One Lord, none other than Jesus the Christ (Acts 4:12 and many other places). One faith, that is a faith in Jesus as our Savior (Eph 2:8 and many other places). One baptism, the immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins ( Acts 2:38, Col 2:12, 1 Peter 3:21 and many other places. One God and Father, the God of the universe, the creator and sustainer of everything ( Gen 1 and following).

That seems pretty simple! Seven ones that make Christians one community. Not 2000 brands with their own names that they can market. Not 33,000 communities, one! One congregation of Gods' people that hold to these seven things and allow for individuals to have opinions on other topics. Unity is not uniformity! We don't have to believe everything the same. That would be nice, but it is unrealistic! That is why we have over 2000 denominations. It is the Burger King mentality... have it your way and if others don't want it the same, form your own group that do.

With all that this world is throwing at the Christian today, unity is needed. One voice speaking truth is needed. Our national motto is  E Pluribus Unum and means "from many, one". I believe that it is time for the "church" to claim that! Are we many, yes. Do we hold to lots of different beliefs, yes. Do we separate ourselves based on these beliefs, yes. Do we have pride in our own brands, yes. E Pluribus Unum demands that we put aside our differences and find common ground. E Pluribus Unum requires us to forget "brand" loyalty and take up loyalty to a new "brand", a brand that rests on the foundation of Jesus as Lord and Savior with the seven 'Ones" as the building blocks of unity.

Imagine what the community of believers could accomplish if we stood for one "brand", the community of Christ. Imagine the work that could be done is each "brand" wasn't competing with the others for the same market. Little ole Wilkes County has hundreds of communities that are competing with each other for the same souls. This division speaks loudly to those that we hope to reach with the gospel of Jesus, and that message isn't good!

Lastly, Jesus spent His last hour before His betrayal and crucifixion praying for our unity!  “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:20-23)

Our unity speaks to the world! When the world sees us stand together, it speaks to our oneness in Christ and the world will know that Jesus was sent and that He loves them. Our disunity tells them something too. It tells them that we can't get along. That our Bible can't be understood. That our own personal desires outweigh the greater good of the body.

May we lay down our "churches" created by humans and join the community of Christ. There was a little glimmer of this in the early 1800s. As people moved west, small towns couldn't support multiple denominations and people chose to abandon their denominational backgrounds and "melt" into the body of Christ. Let that spirit find its way back into the believers today! Baptist... nope! Methodist... nope! Presbyterian...nope! Lutheran... nope! Christian... yes!