Soul Care - Unity
by Mary Elsbury
When I was in college, I took a class in design. I was fascinated by the way random colors, materials, and ideas would come together and form a cohesive piece of art. A designer must assess all the elements within the design to better understand their relationships and how they interact with one another.
Unity is the principle of design that allows each individual element to coexist with one another to form an aesthetically pleasing design. Ultimately, unity is what gives a design the appearance of cohesiveness despite its internal components differing in scale, contrast, or style. In short, unity is an agreement between parts that make up the whole.
When I look around today, I see so many different cultures, nationalities, personalities, experiences, and ethnicities. Each group is crying out to be heard and to set themselves apart with their own political, social, and environmental agendas. As believers in Christ, we have been called to be unified in faith.
Our unity with each other comes from the fact that we all have the same relationship to God. Every other Christian is our brother or sister in Christ, chosen and adopted by Him into His family. God’s love for us not only reveals how we should love, but it also compels us to love. Just as God is outgoing in His love, we should be too! We are deeply involved with Him and with His kids.
The picture Scripture paints is one where Christ-followers of various tribal, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds come together with Christ as their focus. Among Jesus’ disciples, He had the wealthy tax collectors and the poor laborer; He had those who worked for Rome and those who wanted to overthrow Rome; He welcomed those who were considered filthy and godless - pagans, prostitutes, and lepers.
Christ modeled for us a beautiful demonstration not only of His love and unity, but of His diversity! Not only did Jesus live in this way, but His followers did too. The early church, which was made up primarily of circumcised Jews, began to see an influx of Gentile followers after the coming of the Holy Spirit, but they didn’t demand circumcision of them (Acts 15:1-21). Their primary concern was that their shared belief in Jesus is not disrupted by division. This wasn’t a seamless process.
Change can be difficult for any of us, especially where religious beliefs are concerned, and it often results in conflict as people adjust. That’s what happened with the early church. They had to get through some rough times so that the Good News could spread. Scripture shows us countless examples of how early church leaders struggled. In fact, Paul had to confront Peter when he caved to peer pressure and disregarded Gentile believers, choosing to eat only with Jewish believers.
While we continue to deal with the hurt, bitterness, and jealousy found in life today, we should focus on restoring unity to the Body of Christ. Despite past differences, everyone has a part to play in promoting, protecting, and restoring the unity of the Body. The Master Designer, Jesus, established the principle of design that allows each individual to coexist with one another to form an aesthetically pleasing design – a welcoming church.
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
Psalm 133:1
