Unity – My comments on a post from the Unity413 blog

This started out as a comment on another blog – but got long and I decided to post it here; along with a link to the original post. Please read that one as well: http://unity413.blogspot.com/2006/07/unity-among-churches-that-certainly.html

"The whole measure of Christ." Such a thing to aspire for ... what kind of price to pay? I often wonder what would happen if we got various congregations together for a service to celebrate His Lordship. Bring a Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, AME-Zion, Episcopalian, a “contemporary” Churchgoer, Catholic – whatever.

Bring them together under the aegis of celebrating Jesus and His work of salvation. Put the leaders of each Body in a room together and have them decide how to best do the service. Could such a thing even be accomplished? Even for something as simple as a celebration service? Could these disparate Shepherds come to an agreement? Would anyone even come? Whatever your answer might be, mine is only if Holy Spirit directs it that way.

The price of Unity is high. It will require the sacrifice of doctrine, tradition, and comfort. All for what? Is the “fullness of Christ” (that we don’t know) worth the part-measure of Christ that we all know and are comfortable with now? I don’t think that Christians like to think like this. I think that they’d rather keep God in the box they have for Him. It’s easier to know that God’s doing our thing here; and He’s doing their thing there. Why mix when everyone is so very happy? Is God doing God’s thing anywhere?

In my church this would mean: “sacrificing” speaking in tongues; the doctrine that everyone filled with Holy Spirit speaks in tongues; it would also mean (probably) changing the way we worship with music. And – that’s just the things that spring immediately to mind.

I admit: I don’t really want to give up the way I like to “do church”. I also admit to being curious as to what (exactly) “whole measure of the fullness of Christ” would look like. But, as Full Measure said, no one here is advocating the dissolution of the local Body. Only the ability to bring the Bodies together at times, to know and love each other, to respect and care for each other.

In John 13:34, Jesus gave us a new commandment: to love one another. He goes on to say that “all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” I draw from this that we can’t love the lost until we love each other. Does this mean that I have to love the people who run and go to Bob Jones University? Or even Fred Phelps? As distasteful as I find that premise, I am certain that I have to love them. They call Jesus, Lord; they are part of His body. I don’t have to agree with them on everything (or even much of anything), but I do have to love them and with all my heart.

I guess what I’m advocating here is that – if you are a preacher, begin to ask God how He wants to use your and your Body to bring unity in your area. Then, begin to speak with other pastors about doing the same thing for their Body. At your next pastors’ meeting, figure out why you don’t have more “flavors” of Bodies represented. Were they invited and didn’t come? Were they not invited? Why not? Being to ask the other pastors questions about how they think God wants to use them to unify the Body.

If the Shepherds can’t figure out how to be unified – what chance to the sheep have?

What would happen if they (the Shepherds) got together and decided to stress and preach on Unity for a month – then hold the above mentioned celebration service? I have been to a lot of church services in my life and I have heard almost as many messages. I can’t think of the last time I heard one preached on Unity – especially between different flavor’s of Christians.

Jesus was asked “what is the greatest commandment”. And – in typical Christ-like fashion, He didn’t feel limited to the entrapping question when He gave his answer. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and might.” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If the first can be summed up in a word – that word would be Holiness. The second, would be Unity. When we are one, we are constantly serving and constantly loving ourselves. Constantly in that Psalm 133 place of “commanded blessing”.

Imagine what would happen if we took Unity as seriously as we took Holiness?

Thanks for your time - Andy