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RTTBROS
The Work of Unity
by Dr. Paul Chappell
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-3
One of the most often mentioned characteristics of the first church in Jerusalem is that the people were in harmony and agreement. More than once we read that they were of “one accord.” They gathered together day after day, eating, fellowshiping, worshiping, and praying. And their unity prepared them to make a great impact on their city. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).
While it would be nice if unity and peace came naturally to us, both in our homes and in our churches, the reality is that it takes work. Unity is never accidental. Instead it is the byproduct of God's people joining together in the fullness of His Holy Spirit and doing the work that is necessary to keep the peace. As long as there are people involved, there will be hurt feelings, unkind words, disappointments, and divisions. But we do not have to allow these things to break our unity. Instead we can choose to work through the problems, addressing them rather than sweeping them under the rug.
Of course this is not easy. That is why Paul used the word “endeavouring”—it takes diligent, focused, intense effort. The Lord knows that such effort will be required, and through the Holy Spirit He gives us the power to put aside our focus on our own interests and consider instead the needs of others and the importance of unity. If we want to make the impact our world needs, we must be unified and working together.
Today's Growth Principle:
We will never experience the blessings of unity unless we are willing to put in the work to maintain it
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