Unity In Christ
BRD REFLECTIONS
Ephesians 4:1-16 and Psalm 100 (NIV)
(Tony Yeo, Steward, LCEC)
READ:
Ephesians 4:1-16 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
Ephesians 4 is Paul’s reminder to the Ephesian church and to us that as the chosen followers of Jesus Christ, we are His representatives on earth and that we are to stay united as one body in Christ, as there is “one body and one Spirit”. We are to make “every effort to keep the unity”.
People watch us as followers of Christ and see what we do or do not do. We are called to “live a life worthy of the calling”. When we encounter faults of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to apply three character traits of the fruit of the spirit, namely be “completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”. Most importantly, we are to live our lives with “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father”. As one church and as one body in Christ, we have to live as one family of followers and be united in love for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ and not be divided by our differences. Paul emphasised that Christ has given gifts to each one of us to help us to attain the maturity to build up His church. It is important for us to know what these gifts are and to use these gifts well, so that we are not “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming”. We are to use these gifts to know where we should serve His church, strengthen ourselves, build up our foundations and stay rooted in our faith. Each one of us is but a small part of the body of Christ with Him as the head and held together by our love in Christ.
APPLY:
How often have we encountered situations when we are upset with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? People in the same church upset us. People serving in the same ministry upset us. People in our small groups upset us. Such friction causes tension between us and the result is disunity in the church of Christ. This is what Paul is addressing and reminding us in Ephesians 4. When such disunity builds up, the foundation of the church is affected. If we are to reflect Christ in our lives, how would pre-believers view us if there is such disunity? It is of course, not easy. Some brothers and sisters in Christ have very different views on things that matter a lot to us. Others work very closely with us in the same ministry but handle things in ways which may frustrate us. In short, life is messy, relationships are messy. Satan uses this messiness to divide and destroy the unity in Christ’s church. The solution in dealing with such situations and maintaining the unity in the church is to deal with each situation with humility, gentleness and patience. We are one body in Christ and one family and must live as one. Use the gifts that Christ has given to us to be more mature in our walk with Him and to build up the foundations of His church on earth. Put aside our differences and understand that we are all parts of one body. If we are one body, we have to work in tandem and when one part stumbles, the other parts help out, encourage each other and do not condemn and do not judge.
DO:
I have been guilty of such frustration and unhappiness with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. But each time I feel these feelings, I remind myself that God loved me, a sinner first. “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” (1 John 4:19-21). This is God’s command. I obey out of love and not of fear. It is this love that keeps the unity in Christ’s church. I am weak but God is my strength. As a small part of God’s body, I draw on the strength of the body to be more mature and for God to guide me in my journey to be a small part of the foundation of His church. Christ’s united church.
PRAY:
God, we need you. Help us to set aside our differences and look to a greater cause, the cause of Christ and His church. We pray for unity in Christ’s church and unity in Christ. We pray that you will cover us with your mighty hand, so that we will truly live a life of love and obey your command. Amen.
