The High Priority of Church Unity
by Ken Idleman
The Book of Acts provides us with the profile of the very first Christian church. No thinking person would deny that the Jerusalem church, which had its genesis on the Day of Pentecost, launched an historic movement that has literally changed the world from the first century all the way forward into our twenty-first century. And today, in 2021, Christ-followers number 2.4 billion people worldwide, making the Christian faith, by far, the largest religious population.
Size was not a limiting factor for the church in the early chapters of Acts. Jesus may have started with only 12 in the Gospels, but his disciples in Acts chapter one numbered 120. Then, the first time the Gospel was preached and the church was born, 3,000 believed, repented and were immersed. And, in the end, it will be ‘a great multitude that no one can count, from every nation, tribe, people and language (Rev. 7:9).
Through the centuries, the leadership of this global movement has passed from Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, to the apostles and their co-workers, who facilitated a church planting enterprise that has flourished for over 20 centuries, to a plurality of elders of these local churches in every generation from Pentecost to the present.
So, here is our question today: what was the dynamic that propelled this movement forward? What was it about the church in Jerusalem that fueled its momentum producing such health and growth? I think the answer is in the first nine words of Acts 4:32: “All the believers were ONE in heart and mind.” That’s it! They were one! They were united! The rest of the text details the practical evidence of this supernatural, God-honoring unity.
There was unprecedented social, economic and religious oneness. Now, considering the large number in the Jerusalem church, and the variety of racial and political backgrounds from which they had suddenly been drawn together, this is truly remarkable! The unity for which Jesus passionately prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He died, prayers offered on His face through blood, sweat and tears, was now enjoyed in the Church and witnessed by the world!
A few years back I remember reading the results of a study of 400 congregations. The researchers were trying to determine what were the most divisive issues at that time. The number one most volatile issue at that time was music in worship. It still likely ranks high. Number two was the senior pastor’s leadership style and/or personality. The third most divisive issue was the church’s use of finances. On the list were also things like the furnishing of the church facilities and appropriate worship attire. Need it be said? None of these issues rises to the level of truth - they are all matters of opinion! The same can be said of whether or when to assemble for gathered, embodied worship during a pandemic, whether or not to socially distance, whether or not to wear a protective mask or whether or not to be vaccinated. These are non-essentials/opinions! And “in matters of faith, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things, love.”
I love the fact that our church is not part of a denomination. We do not want to be denominated - divided - from others who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. We are part of a movement called the ‘Restoration Movement.’ We want to restore a united church, an inclusive church with a big canopy. We want to be a church where our people are “Christians only, but not the only Christians,” where there is unity in the midst of diversity, where people celebrate their oneness in Christ, not a church in which we have to agree on every matter of opinion or every miniscule, fine point of doctrine.
As long as we agree on the Lordship of Christ, the authority of the Bible, the unity of believers and the evangelization of the world, we can have different opinions about the exact moment of salvation [normative at baptism/immersion, but what if there has been no repentance?], the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, women’s roles in the church and eschatology [end time events]. If we want to be a high impact church in the community, we must elevate the value of unity. And the primary watchdogs of local church unity are the elders whom we choose and to whom we joyfully submit (Hebrews 13:17). Unity is something for which we all bear responsibility. Each of us makes a contribution to or a subtraction from the spirit of unity in our church by our attitudes, our words – written and whispered – and our conduct.
