UNITY (Ps.133:1-3)
Unity is a rare but vitally important quality in the Church, one that is necessary if we want to experience God's blessing. Unity is not something we can manufacture by human effort but something that descends from Heaven by the agency of the Holy Spirit when we yield ourselves to Christ's discipline.
The Apostle Paul, in his Epistles, exhorts the believers to be of one mind; something that shows
that this problem existed then and is still endemic in the Church of today. No wonder that most of those ancient churches fell apart and disappeared. Not only Paul but also the Psalmist in the Psalm above calls for Unity among believers. This does not mean we cannot have differences of opinion or views among us. The Church is not a robotic organization, devoid of individuality and thought.
The Psalmist sees Unity as something very precious, saying that it is GOOD and PLEASANT.
Disunity brings a bitter taste in the Church and people, especially unbelievers, are not slow to recognize this. The example the Psalmist gives of Unity is like the Anointing Oil upon Aaron's head that ran down.... How did the Psalmist know this a long time after the event? Verbal Tradition.
The Anointing Oil was very costly to prepare (Ex,30:34-38). It must have had a beautiful fragrance because of the ingredients used. So is Unity in the Church. It is a beautiful , pleasant quality. Not only pleasant but also costly to achieve. To have Unity we need to lay down our own wills with
their self important ideas, their likes and preferences.
Jesus said, 'Whoever wants to be chief among you let him be servant of all'. A voluntary act. We need to say, 'Not my will but yours be done'. Self wants to have his own way. Self always demands.
We need to crucify self: a costly, painful act.
The Anointing Oil was applied from the top, not from the bottom. Unity comes the same way when we allow the Holy Spirit to have His way in the Church, first with the Leadership and then with the members. The Oil ran down to the hem of the garment where the bells and pomegranates were. If we have unity people will hear of it and they will know that we do. Unity goes together with love,
something people desperately need.
The Psalmist not only likens Unity to the Anointing Oil but also to the Dew of Hermon that descended upon the parched places of Jerusalem, to refresh and moisten the dry ground. Unity
refreshes and moistens the Church. It moistens the parched ground of discord and bitterness. It
sustains the life of the Church. A disunited House of God is like dry bones: having an appearance of life but actually an air of death.
What are the main reasons for Disunity in the Church?
The Apostle Paul in 1 Cor.1:10-11, speaks about the problem in that church, a bed of Disunity and
problems that never ended. Even after Apostolic times the Bishop of Rome wrote to the church
to admonish them and counsel them.
Self was prevalent in that church, people laying emphasis on their own opinions of what the various preachers said but not eliciting the preacher's thoughts. It all pointed to one thing: Carnal Minds.
Paul wrote three Epistles (two survive) to correct them. The church finally disappeared from the face of the earth and only in recent times another church has grown there. Where disunity prevails
spirituality also fails.
Christ warned the Ephesian church that if they did not repent from their error He would remove
their Lampstand from their midst, the source of Light in the Church-Rev.2:5. The church of Ephesus also disappeared from the face of the earth. When the Lampstand goes out of the Church,
there is no more Light from the Word. Our own light with its faults and errors will prevail. Disunity
will eventually prevail.
Unity is a rare but vitally important quality in the Church, one that is necessary if we want to experience God's blessing. Unity is not something we can manufacture by human effort but something that descends from Heaven by the agency of the Holy Spirit when we yield ourselves to Christ's discipline.
The Apostle Paul, in his Epistles, exhorts the believers to be of one mind; something that shows
that this problem existed then and is still endemic in the Church of today. No wonder that most of those ancient churches fell apart and disappeared. Not only Paul but also the Psalmist in the Psalm above calls for Unity among believers. This does not mean we cannot have differences of opinion or views among us. The Church is not a robotic organization, devoid of individuality and thought.
The Psalmist sees Unity as something very precious, saying that it is GOOD and PLEASANT.
Disunity brings a bitter taste in the Church and people, especially unbelievers, are not slow to recognize this. The example the Psalmist gives of Unity is like the Anointing Oil upon Aaron's head that ran down.... How did the Psalmist know this a long time after the event? Verbal Tradition.
The Anointing Oil was very costly to prepare (Ex,30:34-38). It must have had a beautiful fragrance because of the ingredients used. So is Unity in the Church. It is a beautiful , pleasant quality. Not only pleasant but also costly to achieve. To have Unity we need to lay down our own wills with
their self important ideas, their likes and preferences.
Jesus said, 'Whoever wants to be chief among you let him be servant of all'. A voluntary act. We need to say, 'Not my will but yours be done'. Self wants to have his own way. Self always demands.
We need to crucify self: a costly, painful act.
The Anointing Oil was applied from the top, not from the bottom. Unity comes the same way when we allow the Holy Spirit to have His way in the Church, first with the Leadership and then with the members. The Oil ran down to the hem of the garment where the bells and pomegranates were. If we have unity people will hear of it and they will know that we do. Unity goes together with love,
something people desperately need.
The Psalmist not only likens Unity to the Anointing Oil but also to the Dew of Hermon that descended upon the parched places of Jerusalem, to refresh and moisten the dry ground. Unity
refreshes and moistens the Church. It moistens the parched ground of discord and bitterness. It
sustains the life of the Church. A disunited House of God is like dry bones: having an appearance of life but actually an air of death.
What are the main reasons for Disunity in the Church?
The Apostle Paul in 1 Cor.1:10-11, speaks about the problem in that church, a bed of Disunity and
problems that never ended. Even after Apostolic times the Bishop of Rome wrote to the church
to admonish them and counsel them.
Self was prevalent in that church, people laying emphasis on their own opinions of what the various preachers said but not eliciting the preacher's thoughts. It all pointed to one thing: Carnal Minds.
Paul wrote three Epistles (two survive) to correct them. The church finally disappeared from the face of the earth and only in recent times another church has grown there. Where disunity prevails
spirituality also fails.
Christ warned the Ephesian church that if they did not repent from their error He would remove
their Lampstand from their midst, the source of Light in the Church-Rev.2:5. The church of Ephesus also disappeared from the face of the earth. When the Lampstand goes out of the Church,
there is no more Light from the Word. Our own light with its faults and errors will prevail. Disunity
will eventually prevail.
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