Unity in the Church By Bruce W. Robida Revised April 28, 2012

 

One of the primary difficulties of the Church today is that it is shamefully divided.  When trying to understand the reasons why the Church is so divided, and how to overcome this black eye which the world can easily see, one only has to look into the Scriptures to find the answers. 

First, Christ wants His Church to be united, not only with Him, but also with each other. 

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:  I in them and you in me. 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. JN 17:20-23

We see two things here that on the surface seem so easy to overcome, but in reality are very difficult to achieve.  In the first place, Christ wants us to be united.  But which Christ is the Church willing to follow?  We see and hear preachers and teachers proclaiming a counterfeit gospel and a different Christ than the Gospel and Christ, which were sent to us by God.  We must be careful to discern the differences so that we do not believe the deceptions and subsequently follow a false Christ.  Therefore divisions in the Church are necessary because of these false preachers and teachers. They are not part of the true Church, and neither are their followers.  Members of the true Church must separate from them.  We must be careful not only to believe in the true messenger, but the true message as well.  It is the message of Christ and the apostles which He appointed, that we must believe (John 17:20).  We must also be united among ourselves as we follow the true Christ (Romans 15:5).  We shouldn’t quarrel among ourselves (1 Cor. 1:11-13).  We should continue to live in the true Christ, and continue to be strengthened in the faith as we are taught by preachers and teachers who use the true Gospel so that we are not deceived (Col. 2:6-8). We should be united in love so that we may have complete understanding and know the true Christ so that no one may deceive us (Col 2:2-4). Our faith must be firm (Col 2:5).

These Scriptures are all in the context of being united to the one true Christ, and each other.  The Bible has a lot to say about how unity can be sabotaged because of deception. The key to being united in the true Church is seeing the true Christ in the true Gospel, as we read and hear it.  Therefore, we must be careful to submit to a pastor who preaches and teaches the true Gospel, the true Christ, and one who does the true work of the Church (1 Cor. 16:16). This takes careful, daily reading of the Scriptures, and testing what he is saying to see if it agrees with the Bible (Acts 17:11).  If it does not, he must be corrected, and rebuked if necessary so that the errors are not learned by the members, and perpetually transmitted down through the generations as though they were doctrinally sound (2 Timothy 4:2).  If he refuses correction, he must not be allowed to continue in his position (Matthew 18:15, Titus 1:10-13).  It is a matter of maintaining the purity of the faith.

Second, it is the pastor’s responsibility to prepare us for works of service until we reach unity in the faith.

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. EPH 4:11-13

As we saw earlier, the pastor must not be preaching and teaching false doctrine.  It is up to the congregation to make sure that, that which he is trying to teach is according to sound doctrine.  It is only by being diligent in reading and studying the Bible that we can know if what he is telling us is right or not. This is the only way of becoming mature in the true faith.  Unity cannot be achieved if the pastor is not true to the One true God, and willing to prepare us for works of service.  After he has taught us the true Gospel, he must make disciples out of us.  Another name for disciple is student.  We must become his students.  Becoming a Christian is just the beginning.  We must then learn to do works of service.  This is where most of the Church falls short.  Most people don’t realize that once they are saved, there is work to do.  God has actually prepared work for each one of us who are in His Church. 

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. EPH 2:10

Third, we must all speak the same message (Romans 15:5-6).  We must agree with one another, having the same mind and thought (1 Cor. 1:10). We must be likeminded, having the same love, and being one in spirit and purpose (Philippians 2:1-2).  Our thoughts about the fundamentals of the faith should never conflict with each other.  It’s OK to speculate about those things which are unclear in the Bible, but it is never OK to argue about them because if God wants something to be known, He will reveal it in His time. He might reveal a truth to you and not someone else because that person may not be equipped to handle it.  It is not for us to argue the case for God.  It is the Holy Spirit who teaches us all things (John 14:26).  Our love must be the same.  One cannot love his own agenda, while another loves his own.  They both must be willing to love the agenda of the Church over their own.  We must be united in our purpose (Php 2:2).  Is our purpose to gain wealth or fame?  What is the purpose of the Church? We only need to look at the Scriptures again to answer that question. 

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.  Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." MT 28:16-20

This is the sole purpose of the Church.  We must be focused on that single purpose.  But some Church leaders have another purpose.  Yes, they make disciples, but not Disciples of Christ.  They make disciples of their own false teachings.  Their purpose in making disciples is not for God’s glory, but for their own selfish needs and desires.  Their purpose is to gain wealth power and influence.  This should be evident as you look at their surroundings and their messages.  This should be a red flag to anyone who sincerely seeks Christ.  We are to seek first the kingdom of God, not health, wealth and prosperity  (Matthew 6:33). Those things may or may not come, depending on God’s grace and mercy as He sees fit to give them (Romans 9:18).

Our sole purpose then is to make disciples of all nations.  These are to be Disciples of Christ, disciples of truth and righteousness.  This purpose of the Church is not for the pastor alone.  His purpose is to prepare the members in his care, for works of service as well as to make disciples.  But those disciples are to eventually mature in the faith and it is their responsibility to pass on what they know to other disciples, and to make new disciples as well.  But then there are these works of service, which the pastor has been preparing us for.  Works, which God has prepared in advance for us to, do.  We have been made a kingdom of priests (Rev. 1:6, 5:10), competent as ministers of the New Covenant  (2 Cor. 3:6).

Many people in the Church know this, but they don’t know what God has chosen for them to do.  They are waiting for Him to reveal this work which He has prepared for them.  But what they don’t know is that it is as plain as the nose on their face.  This work that God has prepared for them is right there in front of them, but they refuse to see it.

If the Church is to be united, its members must speak the same message.  The message should be the true Gospel, the true Christ, and the real work of the Church.  And then the Church must be willing to go out and do that work.  With one voice, with one mind and thought, having the same love and the same purpose, they will finally know that we belong to Christ so that they too will believe in Him. 

But it will take willingness on the part of every individual member to live a life worthy to be called a Christian (Eph. 4:1). Each of us must be humble, gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love (Eph 4:2), keeping the unity through the bond of peace (Eph 4:3). We can’t be selfish or conceited, but humble considering others before ourselves (Php 2:3). We shouldn’t just look to our own interests, but look to the interests of others as well (Php 2:4). We must have the same attitude of Christ (Php 2:5), taking on the nature of a servant (Php. 2:7). We must be humble and obedient even unto death (Php. 2:8). We must have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with each other and forgiving one another, putting on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (Col 3:12-13). We must accept one another as Christ accepts us (Ro 15:7).  These are the virtues we must possess if we are to be united, as One Church if the world is to know that Christ is who He says He is. 

Now if you have heard the true Gospel, and you have believed in the true Christ, and you have been baptized into Him, and you are born again, and you call yourself a Christian, you are His student; you are His disciple.  You must learn from Him through your pastor, and through daily reading and studying the Scriptures, the work, which God has prepared for you to do.  But after you have learned, and have been prepared, you should not keep it to yourself, but you should pass it on to others, and you should also get out and do the work which God has called you to do.  The work is simple.  There is nothing mystical about it.  It is not a difficult thing to find out.  God is revealing it even in these words that you are reading now.  Don’t wait for Him to appear to you in a vision, or suddenly give you a revelation as to what your purpose in life is.  He has already revealed it in His Word.  And here is just a small sample of the Work that God has been preparing for you to do.  Here you will find just some of the examples of the work that He expects from His disciples.  But if you want the complete list, you’ll have to read and study the Scriptures.  There you will find all of the work, which He expects, from us.  There you will find your calling.

“...Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...“MT 22:37

It requires work to love the One true God.  It requires work to read and study the Scriptures so that you will know the One true God.  It requires work to not be deceived.  It requires work to make disciples.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...” Mt. 28:19-20

“...Love your neighbor as yourself...” MT 22:39

It requires work to love your neighbors; to carry each others burdens; to look after orphans, and widows; to defend the cause of the weak; to maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

“ Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” GAL 6:2

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. PS 82:3

These are some of the works of the Church.  These are some of the things that God expects from us.  The work is right there in our own neighborhoods, in our work places, and even in our own Church.  These are the things that God has prepared in advance for us to do.  Do you desire a higher calling?  Will God trust you with a higher calling if you have not been faithful with the little that He has already given you?  Is there a widow in your neighborhood who has a leaking faucet, or weeds growing up along the side of her house?  Is there a single mother in your community who has children staying home alone while she works?  Is there a burden that needs to be carried right there in your very own Church?  As opportunities present themselves, in our everyday lives, just as the good Samaritan went out of his way, dropping his own agenda to help someone else in need (Luke 10:30-37), we are commanded to “...Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37) 

It is impossible to conclude this message without including something about our concept of giving.  I strongly believe that giving tithes is incompatible with Christian giving in the literal sense.   Instead, our giving should be according to 2 Corinthians 9:6-15.  I agree that the Church has a responsibility to support its leadership if they are truly doing the work of the Church.  But that support should be limited to what each member has decided in his heart to give, not out of compulsion, and not a specific percentage of what he earns. I realize that this is a huge departure from what the Church has traditionally done, at least in this country.  But if we really believe that God’s Word is true, and we rely on His promises, then the Church, individual members as well as, as the whole, will prosper, not only financially, but also in its membership.  I have found twenty-one promises in these Scriptures regarding the Christian concept of giving.  I firmly believe that the Church has been robbing God’s people by teaching the concept of tithing.  Yes, in faith people have prospered because of their willingness to tithe.  I don’t believe it is tithing so much as it is their love to do that which they believe God wants them to do.  Here is another thing, which not only divides the Church, but it prevents people from coming in.  See if you can find the twenty-one promises that I have found, and see if you agree that this is a far more excellent way of giving.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 2CO 9:6-9

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2CO 9:10-11

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2CO 9:12-15

Notice that our generosity to others will result in praise and thanksgiving to God.  This is just one promise. Have you ever helped someone and heard the words, “Thank God you were here.“  or something like that?  I have heard it many times myself, and from people who don’t even know that they believe in God.  He has called us to work, and He will provide all that we need to accomplish every good work, which we are willing to undertake.  We can use our time, our talents, and our resources, including money, in the service to others.  This is something we can all do on our own, outside of the church, in the world. 

To unify the Church of Christ as a whole would be a daunting task.  First every religious organization which preaches Christ as the head, must agree to preach the same message, have the same mind and thought, and have the same love and purpose.  While it is a daunting task, these things are possible and can be achieved in any one congregation which, can be a model for other Churches.  Why not let that congregation be yours?

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