Perfect Unity

As the days on earth for Jesus draw near, he prays for his disciples. “I am no longer in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one” (John 17:11).

Recently, I began a friendly conversation with a gal while shopping. She asked for my opinion about a bench she was considering buying. One line of discussion led to another. Soon we were sitting on the bench, sharing our lives on a more personal level. Then, as we were about to go our separate ways, she mentioned a website for me to check out. A Jehovah Witness website. That led to another twenty minutes of respectful conversation. I’d love to write that when we parted, we were in perfect unity. We were not. We did agree the bench was too hard!

Her flawed thinking, stemming from flawed teaching, distorted the truths of the Bible. We can also misuse the Bible, creating a lack of unity. God’s Word asks more of us. “Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Our foundation of truth is the Word of God. Perfect unity must first, and always, ground itself in truth. Though spiritual truth is foremost, we’re also called to champion truth wherever we find it.

In John 17:21-23, Jesus then prays for believers everywhere. Again, asking the father to make us one, just like he and the father are one. We observe how perfect unity with the Father through Christ provides evidence to others of the truth of Christ. In addition, the residency of Christ in us completes our unity with one another. And shows others that God loves us in the same way that he loved his son.

Today, I find myself troubled over a new and increasing divide among believers. Unlike at any time in the past, we face a growing political division between believers. In addition, to non-believers who oppose our political views.

Pew Research provides concerning statistics of our growing hostility within the two-party system. And the concerning and increasing political violence taking place not just in America but all over the world.

For believers, I am convinced, our political divide is thinning our compassion for others and hindering our Christian witness.

In some ways I find our discord surprising, since Jesus and the early church were not political. Not siding with the political Jews or Roman rulers kept them focused on what mattered. Our non-political Jesuscentered on truth, love, and compassion. We find these three things on both sides of the aisle, along with their opposites. Every time I write, post something on social media, or speak, I attempt to lean into what Jesus favors. I realize I’m not always successful in that effort.

Clearly, the political chasm is not going away. You will probably continue to believe certain things, and so will I. But not letting politics destroy our unity and our Christian witness is huge in the eyes of God. How can we slow this ever-increasing divide between brothers and sisters and others we disagree with?

Currently, we see powerful support for making every attempt to legislate Christian values and morality. In response, those that oppose our religious values only dig in deeper to fight back.

How about instead of joining the fight, we choose the way of Jesus? I suggest we turn our attention to what we can learn from the early church.

Jesus and the early church influenced and shaped both the left and the right. As believers, he calls us to do likewise.

As our political parties become more and more polarized, Jesus asks us to live effective lives that will influence and change the hearts of men and women. Let’s take a brief flyover of how the early church united and changed their world, resulting in the rapid growth of Christianity.

The Marks of the Early Church

• The early church practiced equality. “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:27-28).

• They cultivated love for one another. “Now on the topic of brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. And indeed you are practicing it toward all the brothers and sisters in all of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10). Paul reminded believers and warned them against not loving one another. “For the law can be summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:14-15).

• They cared for the poor and needy. Acts 2:44-47 tells us believers sold their property and possessions, giving the proceeds to those in need. They gave out of joy, humility and with praise to God. Their acts gained them goodwill or favor with all the people. Therefore, through their loving acts, many became believers.

• They valued life and stood against infanticide. A common occurrence at that time was leaving unwanted or unhealthy children exposed to the elements. Eventually, the child would die of exposure or an attack from an animal. Christians would retrieve these children before that occurred and provide for them. Voting prolife only tells others where you stand on life beginning with conception. Saving a life from abortion means you give and help support a woman in financial need who elects to keep her baby. It may even mean adopting an unwanted child. Voting is easy; saving a life requires much more of us.

• They endeavored to live and lead quiet lives, to stay in their own lane, to gain the respect of others. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12. A quiet life means taking a calm approach to your work, versus frantic running around that does you no good and may hinder the lives and work of others.

• They were non-retaliatory. They did not seek revenge. No chariot road rage. “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (1 Thessalonians 5:15). When Jesus said, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44), that’s what they did. Their language did not embrace hating their opponents. They followed the instruction, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9).

The early church achieved all these things through unity with one another and unity through Christ.

At age twelve, Robert Louis Stevenson was looking out into the dark from his upstairs window, watching a man light the streetlamps. Stevenson’s governess came into the room and asked what he was doing. He replied, “I am watching a man cut holes in the darkness.” This is a marvelous picture of what our task requires as sharers of God’s light—people who are busy cutting holes in the spiritual darkness of our world. Not cutting holes into one another.

The church can either become a united force cutting holes in the darkness or we can live divided, focused on lesser things. Which will you choose today?