Unity, An Outcome In Christ

BY ELDER TAY TIONG CHOON

How often we hear this: “for the sake of unity, let us …………”

Having unity is not about agreeing to disagree, whenever one agrees with everyone, they ultimately agree with no one. Having unity is not about avoiding conflicts.

Sprucing up unity, we organise joint ministries, wear the same dark coat with the same colour tie, leaders sing in unison for major celebrations, having pre-crafted answers for leaders in response to issues for the congregation, so as to show that we are in sync, we simply are building a facade of an outward united front. Not that all these things are bad, but they are not the prelude for unity.

A.W. Tozer says, “One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organisation do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team.”

True unity comes from within, Paul tells us that a life of unity is how we walk worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:10 “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 Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”

The ideal God sets before us is that we should worship as near to perfectly as we can, and that if there are areas in our being that are not harmonious, our worship would not be worship. When all creatures are attuned in worship, then we have this symphony of creation. For where there is not worship there is discord from the broken strings.

Think of an orchestra or a choir, with different make-ups of people, different instruments, singing and playing different parts to one common outcome, a perfect harmony. Unity is the perfect harmony, it is the outcome, of us all, being in Christ, being renewed, a new creature.

May the Lord help us to be a shining light for what it means to be one body in Christ, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, one body and one spirit, and may we celebrate and enjoy the richness of that unity.