Pray for unity

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. –John 13:34-35 (NLT)

Imagine the early church – Greeks, Romans, Jews, Africans; rich and poor; slave and free; young and old; male and female; peasants and aristocrats; a myriad of religious and non-religious traditions. A more diverse crowd would be hard to find. Do you think they all saw eye to eye on politics? Public policy? Culture? Economics? Human rights? Aid to the poor? Health care? Hygiene? Anything at all? I’m thinking highly unlikely. What kept them together? What did they have in common?

It started among the twelve. Can you imagine Simon the Zealot breaking bread with Levi the tax collector and not wanting to rip his throat out? You reckon Jesus did that on purpose? Yeah, me too. What was it that compelled these people with virtually nothing in common to not only meet together, but prefer one another, love one another, defend one another? It was belief in Jesus Christ and a commitment to His gospel. That one concern made all other differences fade into insignificance.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…. –Timothy 1:15 (NIV)

The Scriptures do not talk about which nation or political system is best, only about advancing an Eternal Kingdom. The Scriptures do not talk about the relative merit of capitalism versus collectivism, but they do address having compassion for the needy. The Scriptures don’t say anything about what style of music God likes, but they do discuss setting our minds and hearts on things above.

We can have strong opinions, firm convictions, and even lively debates about any number of topics. But nowhere in Scripture are we given authority to break fellowship over politics, policies, or any man-made system. If you claim Jesus Christ as Lord and believe the Bible to be the word of God, then we are family. As family, we do not have to agree on everything, but we will love one another and do our best to treat each other with dignity. How do we do that? The same way the early church did – we have to make the main thing the main thing.

It sounds simplistic, doesn’t it? Every kindergartner who ever sat in a Sunday school class knows the answer – JESUS! Though it’s rarely easy, it really is that simple. The last two years have provided ample opportunity to withdraw from fellowship and retreat into our own thoughts and theories. Searching the internet or perusing social media, we have subjected ourselves to algorithms designed to feed us a steady stream of input to reinforce our darkest suspicions about one another. Let’s break free. Let’s rally around the One who overcomes our differences and brings us together in the presence of the Father. Let’s pray for unity within the body of Christ. Then let’s try and practice it!

…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. –John 17:21-23 (NIV)