40-Day Devotion, Day 26

PREPARATION: READ TITUS 3:9-15

Maintain Harmony In The Church

A three-year-old girl was listening intently to the children’s sermon one Sunday morning at her Church. The minister explained that God wants everyone to get along and love each other. “God wants us all to be one,” he said. The little girl pondered that for a moment, then replied, “But I don’t want to be one. I want to be four!”

That story is obviously silly, but it opens the door for me to speak a sad but profound truth: some Christians don’t want to be “one” either. Instead of working together as one for the glory of God, they almost are determined to pull in a different direction from others. They meet together with others who are Christians on Sunday mornings, which means they have union, but they have no unity. Those two words mean very different things, by the way.

If you tie the tails of a dog and cat together, you create a union, but you sure won’t have unity! Unfortunately, that is the case in many Churches, too. They meet together, but unity eludes them.

Unity means oneness, and oneness it is the key to true strength in the body of Christ. That’s why Paul used his last lines in one of his last letters, Titus, to remind us of the strength we have when we work together and the strength we forfeit when we do not. Let’s take a moment and think about the emphasis that God places on a unified Church.

On the very night that He was crucified, just hours before the events which led up to the cross, Jesus prayed: “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me,” (John 17:23). Jesus used His last dedicated prayer time to pray for unity within the Church. Why? I think it is because when the Church family is united and living in harmony, it is an open display to the whole world that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and we are loved by God. After all, on that same night, Jesus told His Disciples that they would be known by their “love for one another.”

For me, the bottom line is this: when something is important to Jesus, it needs to be important to us. I once heard a preacher say, “If you love the things God loves, then you learn to hate the things God hates.” Jesus makes it clear that God loves unity inside of His body and that He hates things that disrupt it.

So how is unity observable? It starts with being in harmony about our beliefs, our mission and how those things manifest themselves in daily life. Two days ago, we read Paul’s instructions for things that needed be taught to various groups in the Church: the older men, older women, younger women, younger men. There is something there for all of us.
Go back and skim those subjects again. Paul wanted us to learn about purity of sound teaching in God’s Word, self-control, soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, self-control, love, purity, self-control, being a good example, and did I mention self-control? A Church body that humbles itself and lives out these virtues is one that accomplishes eternally important things while waiting for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Think of the powerful testimony of God’s redemptive power that exists in that congregation! No one who sees them could deny God is at work!

Notice, however, that the opposite is true, too. In Titus 3:9, Paul cautions us to avoid foolish controversies, arguments and quarrels about the Law, because these are unprofitable and useless. They add nothing to our testimony to the world. On the contrary, they harm it! That’s why Paul gives such a stern warning about people who are divisive in the Church. Look at verses 10 and 11: “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”

Do you see how seriously God takes this? It is easy to see how important this topic is to God, because He includes instructions throughout the Bible. Read the passages below, then ask God to help contribute to the unity of our Church.

“How good and pleasant it is when Brothers live together in unity! / It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. / It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psalm 133)

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6)

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3) (To continue reading, go to my comment below.)