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Unity! It is the work of the Holy Spirit of God.
In Ephesians 4:3, the apostle Paul writes; “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” God’s Spirit brings about the unity of believers. Those believers are commanded to keep the unity that God provides.
We are part of a Restoration heritage that is built on the idea of the unity of all believers. But what are we really doing to keep the unity? If you have ever attended a Restoration Forum, you discover that very few people are involved. People often say they believe in unity, but it doesn’t take long to discover that they are not personally involved in many unity efforts.
Can we put Nike’s slogan to work and “just do it”? Make an effort to come into relationship with someone of a different church. Make an effort to take part in one of the many unity efforts taking place in 2006. The Abilene Christian University Lectureship and the Tulsa International Soul Winning Workshop have included Independent Christian Church speakers and participants. The North American Christian Convention in June is using Church of Christ speakers.
It is time to build bridges between Churches of Christ and Christian Churches in our local communities. We have members who are going back and forth between the two. Can we not come along side these brothers in Christ and make an effort to keep the unity that God’s Spirit is already doing?
I spent eighteen years in a small rural congregation. The Independent Christian Church four miles away hired a young man as their minister. His first week in town involved a difficult funeral. I visited with him and we prayed together. After that, we spent time together pretty much weekly. We would read books together, pray together, attend each other’s preacher meetings together, go on retreats together, attend Promise Keeper Conferences together, etc.
During my brother’s fifth year of ministry the church fired him. He started attending where I preached. After a year with us, we hired him to work as an associate part time. He spent 8 years with us. It was a blessing from God for all of us.
Today this brother is preaching full time for his home congregation in Kansas, Illinois. This would not have happen if we had not been working for a plurality of one in Christ. Every one of us has someone that we could be spending time with. Who are you in relationship with? Are you willing to “just do it”?
Richard Miller serves as the Evangelist at the Philo Road Church of Christ in Urbana, Illinois. They are striving to grow in grace, gratitude and generosity!
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