Christian Unity
Whenever I start to feel like I’m just plodding through the life God has called me to, Ephesians 4:1-3 never fails to motivate me.
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
There it is, plain and simple: I am to walk worthy of God’s calling. And how am I to do it? Again, plain and simple, though not necessarily easy: with lowliness and meekness, longsuffering, forbearance and forgiveness, doing what I can to keep in unity with the Holy Spirit’s leading of me and other believers.
But that’s not where this passage ends. We are given a glimpse of the truest unity, that of our Triune God:
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (vv.4-6)
This unity of believers stems first of all from the unity of God the Father with God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. (Three yet one… hard for us to fathom as beings with just one part or person.) This perfect unity is both our example and our command. Christians are to stay in unity with one another as we are in unity with the Holy Spirit.
What does unity have to do with gifts and grace? The next verse gives us a clear connection:
“But to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” (v. 7)
If you read the rest of the chapter, you will see that this verse connects the concept of unity as believers with the mention of God’s unique giftings for each believer. We often call these “spiritual gifts.” But I want to focus more on this promise of grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Unity within the body of Christ comes when each individual recognizes the Holy Spirit’s leading and obeys it. That means each individual will be using his or her spiritual gifts in obedience to the Holy Spirit and in dependence on the grace of God.
Disunity comes when we compare our gifts with someone else’s, either in envy or derision. That is pride, plain and simple, and is actually an indication that we ourselves are not right with God. The local church is not a place for exhibition, but for service. If we look at those doing the “up front” ministries and wish we could be up there doing that, we are focusing on the wrong thing. God honors the heart that is humble and willing, obedient and yielding to the will of God.
As someone with a few “up-front” types of ministry responsibilities, I can tell you that most often, those who have the most visible ministries are taken through seasons of humbling to keep their hearts from becoming prideful.
But what if you feel called to a more up-front ministry than you are given? Consider Moses, exiled in the desert for forty years, or Paul, who spent time in the wilderness with the Lord before jumping into his very visible ministry. Often, God leads us through seasons of obscurity or lengthy waiting for that which He plans for us to do, in order to focus our hearts on Him.
Dear Reader, do you sow disunity by comparing yourself with other believers? Set your focus on God Himself, not on other believers, and remember that each believer is gifted uniquely to fulfill God’s unique plan.
Perhaps there is an aspect of God’s unique gifting that you feel He is not allowing you to fulfill yet? Draw close to the Lord and yield to His leading in this season, trusting Him for grace, not only for the “big” things, but also for the seasons of quiet waiting.
And always remember, as God gifts you, He also gives you grace to match, so that you are sufficiently supplied at every step of the way!
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work”2 Corinthians 9:8