Ephesians 4:1-6 (NIV): As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 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. There is one body and one Spirit– just as you were called to one hope when you were called–one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
God’s people are called to live in unity, wherever they have come from, wherever they live, whoever they are. They are to be one with each other. But this unity is not mere ecumenism, a oneness that is achieved by merely trying to ignore or see past differences. The unity that God intends for His people, the unity that Jesus Himself prayed for (John 17:20-23) goes much deeper than that.
The unity that God designed for His people springs from who He is. Just as He is one within Himself, though He is three, so God’s people, though they come from every tribe, and nation, and language, and people, are to be one holy nation, made one not by striving or by programs, but by their love for Him that issues forth as love for each other.
If all of God’s people are focused on God, worshiping and serving Him as He truly is, in spirit and in truth, then we can all worship together as one, and worship styles and “preferences” will fade away, and there will be a unity of focus Who we are worshiping.
If all God’s people are aware of the fact that we are all saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus, then all of us have come from the same place, by the same road, and there is a unity of soul.
If all of God’s people have been filled with His Holy Spirit, so that the same purity, power, and inner motive force moves us, then we will all be oriented to the same point, empowered and motivated by the same being, and there is a unity of heart.
If all of God’s people are obedient to all of His commands, committed to the same moral code as He has laid it out, then our lives will all powerfully reflect who God is, and there is a unity of lifestyle.
If all of God’s people have signed on to the same Great Commission, to go and make disciples of all nations, and if that is our constant focus, no matter who we are and no matter where we are, then our mission will all be the same, and there is a power unity of purpose.
This kind of unity, if it exists in all of these areas, will quickly cut through differences of language, nationality, background, or economic status, and will make God’s people truly one – one chosen people, one royal priesthood, one holy nation, one people who are truly God’s in every dimension, and who He can use as a mighty force to change the world.
Father, forgive us for allowing so many things to divide us. Lord, make us truly one in You. Just as You, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one together, make us one in You, so that Your name is glorified, and so that we can accomplish the work of Your people together. Amen.