Christ Died for our Unity

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What a powerful thought! Christ died for us to be united as one regardless of differences, coming together as one for the purposes of empowerment in the Kingdom of God.

When we choose to allow division and strife to remain in our hearts and in our actions and aggression toward one another we are minimizing the works of the cross and all Jesus endured for both our freedom and our unity.

I've been meditating on the book of Ephesians and it is all about Unity. Being one with Christ, being one with one another, being one in marriage, being one in prayer and all to overcome the wiles of the devil and birth forth God's purposes in the earth.

Few pointers from Ephesians but I encourage you to read the whole book, it's not too long only six chapters.
  1. Jews and Gentiles were separate and saw each other separately and very much different from one another.
  2. There was a dividing wall of hostility between the two, between the circumcised and uncircumcised.
  3. God brought unity to all people through His son, Jesus Christ.
  4. If we are in Jesus Christ as true believers we are all of the same circumcised heart and true unified brothers and sisters IN Christ.
  5. Eph. 2:15 tells us Jesus desired to make one new man in place of two, bringing peace and reconciliation to both God and with one another to those nearby and those far off, in other words peace and reconciliation with ALL.
  6. Eph 2:19 tells us we are no longer strangers and aliens to one another but fellow citizens and members all of one household, the House of God!
  7. Talking about us as one body Eph. 2:22 tells us we are being built TOGETHER into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
  8. A great revelation to the Jews was that the Gentiles were seen equal in the eyes of God. Eph. 3:5-6 tells us that the Holy Spirit revealed to the Jews that the Gentiles were fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the same promises in Christ Jesus.
  9. Unity in the body of Christ is vital, all differences MUST be set aside, we are all equal through Jesus Christ, members of the same body and partakers of the same promises.
  10. Eph. 4 urges us to walk worthy of the calling, to have humility and gentleness, patience and bearing up one another in love (looking beyond). Paul URGES us to maintain the unity of the Spirit remembering there is ONE body, ONE Spirit, ONE hope, ONE faith, ONE baptism and most certainly ONE God.
We must attain and maintain UNITY through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit understanding we don't have to agree on all issues but walk in a unity of love that says regardless of our differences we stepped into ONENESS when we stepped into Spirit of Truth through Christ Jesus.

We must attain and maintain a unity of love and purpose through revelation and truth by the Holy Spirit and obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who guides into all truth.

If we find ourselves divided by anyone who is in Christ Jesus we must ask the Holy Spirit to show us the place of division in our own hearts and allow Him to bring healing and mending so we can remain in unity in our faith and maturity in Christ Jesus. Let's no longer being tossed all around by our disagreements and differences of opinion but have a maturity that says "I will not be distracted by the minor things and lose my vision of the major things God has for me and the body as a whole in this season, I will not be the one to cause disunity, discord and therefore displacement of the purpose to which I and those around me are called to."

When we refuse to set aside differences and simply see each other as co-heirs like the Jews and the Gentiles that became one through the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ, then we are not walking in the full redemptive power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

If you are in disunity (holding a grudge, unforgiving, shut-off ) especially with those you are called to walk in purpose with, I challenge you to read the book of Ephesians and ask God for revelation of your heart and your portion in the place of division that stands.

The Jews and Gentiles were raised up culturally opposite and in the flesh saw no equality but God stepped in and presented His son Jesus Christ and brought unity, caused fellowship and birthed one purpose to both Jew and Gentile. If that work of UNITY in the Spirit was done then, then He can certainly bring unity, cause fellowship and birth one purpose in us today!

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