“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” – 1 Corinthians 1:10
Jesus and the Apostles are emphatically clear that the unity of the local church is EXTREMELY important! It’s not kind of important, sort of important, or moderately important. It’s vitally important! They frequently command unity often, explain why unity is important, and pray for unity. If it matters for them, it needs to matter to us! So, is the unity of your local church as important to you as it is to Jesus and Paul?
Christians today would probably rate unity of their church as a good thing so long as everyone agrees with them on every point. But if there’s disagreement, we tend to prioritize winning the argument over battling for unity. That’s wrong! The church is His bride and He wants His bride beautiful and unified, not torn apart. He absolutely wants unity about the key doctrinal truths regarding God, Himself, the Holy Spirit, and salvation. There’s no question about that. However, He wants disagreements about minor things over which good Christians can reach different conclusions to be set aside for the sake of unity.
Jesus is the head of the church. He established it and purchased it with His own blood. He gets to specify how the church should be and His demand is for unity. So, when you find yourself in a disagreement with your brother or sister in Christ and that isn’t about the nature of God or salvation by grace, fight to stay unified in love and care for one another even if you continue to disagree. Pray for, speak for, work for, and struggle for unity in your local church. Always. Where you see division, be part of healing that divide rather than choosing sides. Confront those who cause division within your church rather than cheering them on. Bring healing to the body of Christ and be blessed by Him. #FollowJesus