11 Aug Unity is NOT Doing Things Together
I cannot blame anyone, because I have made the same mistaken assumption many many times.
The earliest point I can clearly identify this mistaken idea was back in the late 90’s while watching the Transformations Video produced by the George Otis Jnr from the Sentinel Group. A very expensive copy can be found here. But fortunately you can watch it for free on youtube.
In that documentary, George analysed four places in the world where there had been breakthrough with the gospel and church growth. The common features of the four places were unity and prayer. Each story contained footage of churches meeting together for services, and of pastors sharing pulpits and combined activities. Later George produced a sequel which was equally inspiring.
I remember exactly what I thought when I saw that video. ‘I need to get the churches and pastors in my town together.’ I mistakenly thought that getting together and/or doing things together was unity. I thought that being together would be a key. But I was wrong.
I did however proceed to get the ministers of the local churches in Mt Morgan where I pastored, to meet together weekly for prayer, and it was in fact quite good. But we did not have the gospel breakthrough I had imagined. It wasn’t until many years later thinking it through that I understood.
What had happened, was that we had met together weekly because we valued the outcome that we thought would be produced by meeting together. We valued our own churches growing. We valued our own success, and we believed that getting together with other ministers for prayer and doing things with them, was the method to get that success.
But I recall that the twelve disciples of Jesus were together with him for three years, and fought over who was the greatest. Simply being in the same building as other Christians of different types won’t do it.
‘Love one another,’ said the Lord. ‘By this, the world will know.’
The love of God is unlike any human thing. It is unique in this world. It changes the human being completely from the inside out. And when God’s people love one another, it releases into this world a force that is unstoppable.
It isn’t when we get together that we have unity. It is when we love one another. And genuine love between churches, between pastors and between believers of all types, doesn’t require physical proximity. Although it often does.
Believers who love one another do often get together. But getting together doesn’t mean you love one another. Believers in unity often do things together, but doing things together doesn’t mean you have unity.
The Body of Christ is almost there… we are so close to huge breakthroughs. The future will be very exciting!!!
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