Why Unity is Critical to Service by Alan Boone

Ephesians 4:13 contains a beautiful word picture of unity in the body of Christ. It says, “Until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.” (The Message)

Can Christ’s body at Big Valley Grace be rhythmic? Can it be efficient and graceful? Can we grow to mature adulthood? Not without unity. A disunified body will produce out of rhythm, inefficient, ungraceful service. This is not the picture Christ wants the world to see of His Spirit-indwelled body here on earth.

Unity is important to the body of Christ:
• Jesus prayed to the Father for unity! (John17:23)
• He commanded it! (Ephesians 4:3)
• He wants us to attain unity completely! (Ephesians 4:13)
• He provides His love as the perfect bond! (Colossians 3:14)
• He keeps us in His name to unify us! (John 17:11)
• He gives us His glory to demonstrate it! (John 17:22)

To unify the members of Christ’s body to function as one really pleases Him! Further, God desires to produce a unified service from His body.

How is this possible from such a diverse group? The answer is found in Philippians 2:2-8:

Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Let’s humble ourselves, follow Christ’s example, unite and allow God to paint His beautiful picture with our service here at Big Valley Grace!

Blessings!