No Cracks in Unity

Colossians 2:I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. ² I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. ³ In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. ⁵ For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.

The most unifying part of our faith walk should be our relationship with Jesus, and the strong bond from the heart that holds us together, whether we totally agree with each other or not. The letter written by Paul to the church at Colossae is peppered with his advice to be wholeheartedly knit together in service to Jesus. Paul wrote the following to the church in Philippi in Philippians 2:1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?² Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. ³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Certain things need to happen to protect this unity that is given to us through the Holy Spirit, and they are listed in the above verses. They are 1. encouragement-Paul had Barnabas as his encourager, but they still had a "parting of the ways" over ministry direction. The relationships we have with others on this faith walk need to be treated with care and protected with much prayer and communication. 2. Comfort from His Love - God's love flowing through us initiates unity at the core level. We experience God's love, and it flows through us as well, which gives us great comfort and leads us to consider others with the proper attitude. 3. The fellowship we have as believers is different than any other fellowship, because it is Holy Spirit-induced and enabled. No excuses for divisions in any of the Lord's church. 4. Tender hearts are compassionate hearts, and they are moved by the thought of connecting with others in their faith walk, and God uses those relationships to grow us in our faith. This is a major linchpin in holding the church unity together. Our life is not only about us individually, but us collectively. 5. Wholehearted unity - Our hearts are important when spreading unity, which is why we are led to protect our hearts so we don't get polluted or jaded toward others. 6. One mind and one purpose set into motion that which Paul relied on, and it is moving forward "together." 7. Selfishness cannot be a part of any fellowship or relationship because it leads to getting only a one-dimensional life, and that actually weakens our faith walk. God wants His children to walk together as He told the Prophet Amos in Amos 3:³ Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?

The point that we are to be walking forward together is a great stimulus for moving forward in our faith walk, led by the Word of God. Jesus is the ultimate denominator and our lives, as different as we think, are bound together with His love and direction, and that is the kind of unity without any cracks.

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David Warren