Much Needed Unity by Rocky Fleming

Much Needed Unity

by

Rocky Fleming

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.” Psalms 133 (ESV)

May I expand this passage to include brothers and sisters of our faith in Jesus Christ being united? I believe it is the heart of God that His family, no matter our gender, our ethnic heritage, our culture, our skin tones or our nationality, to dwell in unity with one another.  If any Christian does not believe this to be true, I will say quite frankly that they do not know the heart of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the reconciler of broken relationships in His Church.  He brings us together, if we allow Him to do so.  We are adopted by God into His family, and as any good father does for his earthly family, our Father in Heaven wants unity in His family.  The question is do we want, FOR HIM , this unity, or do we hold on to a schism, or any form of division because we feel that “they” are wrong, and “we” are right?  Let me say this in no uncertain terms.  If we have this attitude, even if our theology and insight and reasoning might be right on, we are wrong to allow a division because of this difference, and it breaks the heart of our Savior if we maintain this division.

I speak of Jesus having emotions.  He did have them while He was in this world and living beside mankind.  If you doubt this, please read about them yourself in scripture.  You will find that He had joy, exhaustion, anger, disgust, sorrow, compassion, frustration, agony, empathy, and forgiveness as examples.  We read about His tears in Luke 19:41 when He wept over Jerusalem.  In John 11:33 we read that He is deeply troubled and deeply moved.  This requires emotions.  I also speak of Holy Spirit having emotions.  How else can He be described as grieving in Ephesians 4:30, unless He has emotions?  The point is I believe there is nothing that continues to break God’s heart more than when His family is divided.

Now you’re asking, “So you are now saying God has emotions too?”  No, I’m not saying it.  God’s written word, the Holy Scriptures say it.  In Hebrews 1:3 we read:

 “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Jesus is the “exact representation” of God.  What we see in Jesus we see in the Father, Son and Spirit.  Therefore, if I’m trying to make a case that God has emotions from scripture, I think I’ve done it.  But the main reason I connect our relationships in the Body of Christ with God’s emotions is to make a case that God is being grieved right now because there are so many divisions that exist in His family.  It is time that we consider Him and His pain over our differences.

Many times, I’ve said, and will continue to say, that we cannot resolve our differences with just trying to work it out among ourselves.  If anything, this way breeds more contempt and greater divisions.  It is the playground of Satan, and we cannot beat him at his own game in his own backyard.  There is only one way to mend rifts, to build bridges, to overcome hurts, to forgive and forget, to take ownership and reform our thinking about other people. There is only one way for the Body of Christ to be the Church and to act as the Church should to a world that is desperate and looking for something better.  We must, together, orient our eyes and hearts toward Jesus.  All true Christians have Him in common and it is this commonly held point of view that will draw us back together if we will allow Him to lead us.  We must go vertical with our efforts instead of trying to resolve our differences horizontally.  The latter has not worked has it?

I will make another statement that does not mince words.  I will say this clearly.  If there is any Christian movement or pastor or denomination or any social reform leader under the guise of “leadership” who tells anyone in God’s family that a division needs to be maintained for any reason, this person is speaking words that come from Satan himself.  His or her words are inspired to create and maintain divisions, for the one who is behind these divisions knows it creates pain to our Savior.  It is time that we no longer join the slander and disunity that the enemy of our soul promotes.  It is time to shut those voices off.  It is time that we stand up and against this powerful enemy by standing together as God’s family.  It requires unity in the Spirit so that His Spirit can lead us.  It is time.

The Church that Jesus established is being asked to make a difference in this troubled world.  Never has the time been righter and more needed than now.  Let’s each of us do our part with becoming His Church united together.  Let’s now bring Him joy.  It’s time that we do so.  Please join me in praying for this unity.  It has been heavy on my heart for a long while now.  Let’s get this started and keep it going.  It is something that I’m positive that God wants for us.