Unified Church

Chapter 25 Unity of the Church

When we look at Christianity in today’s world what do we see? How do we describe the body of Christ? Are we all unified together in our works and deeds to be an example to all, thus glorifying Christ the Head of our church? Or do we find ourselves segregated by our doctrines, denominations, interpretations and ways of worship? The Christian religion has become a battle of worldly right and wrong. Christian denominations are recruiting worshipers using tactics more commonly associated with political campaigns. Between Christian denominations there are accusations of false prophets, prophecies, christ’s, doctrines and religions. The leaders, elders, clergy and members of these churches are participating in these prideful squabbles under the impression that they will prove themselves to be the most righteous and pious and win what appears to be a Christian franchise war. Many do this under the guise of doing the will of God by correcting others; including entire denominations, in the errors of their ways.

Do any of us feel that the previously described behaviors will bring forth unity? Is forming a new denomination or congregation the answer whenever there is a dispute of doctrine, interpretation, opinion or way of worship? It reads in 1Corinthians 3:2-11 “I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Today if we were to bring together a group of Christians, would we eventually hear “I am a Catholic,” “I am a Baptist,” I am a Jehovah Witness,” “I am a Pentecostal,” just to name a few? After reading this scripture, let’s ask ourselves this question, how many of us feel we are in a similar situation as the first century Christians? Most of us react to these questions in 1 of 2 ways; we accept the need for unity or we rationalize our current denominational choices. Many of the different denominations were created to support different teachings originated by a religious leader, for example Martin Luther, Charles Russell, Joseph Smith, the council of Nicaea etc. It is unfortunate that we no longer have the apostle Paul with us to write an epistle to modern day Christianity that reads; do not divide yourselves by saying ‘I am a Mormon,’ ‘I am a Protestant,’ or ‘I am a Methodist,’ but rather we are fellow workers whose increase comes from God, through our foundation in Christ. When asked about different denominations most of us can run off a list of differences, but how many of us can list our similarities? How many congregations that bicker with one another publicly or privately, have the same foundation in Christ?

It reads in Ephesians 2:19-22 “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” And in 2Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ’The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” In these scriptures Paul tells us as Christians the commonality we need to have is a foundation in Christ. It is not our purpose to add more requirements in order to select our brethren. We may be responsible for helping our brethren maintain their solid foundation but by no means do we create it. The Lord Jesus Christ has built an unshakeable foundation for all. Christ is able to examine our hearts to see if our faith is pure and perhaps the heart of a man is where we should start in the acceptance of our brethren.
How many of us inquire of the foundation of a fellow believer in Christ? Or do we find ourselves at times conducting a spiritual interview where our focus tends to fall on differences in doctrine, interpretation and ways of worship? It says in Hebrews 13:9 “Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.” And in Titus 3:9 “But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law for they are unprofitable and useless.” We are told in these verses that ever since the first century the members of the church have been dealing with prideful attacks of exaltation and self righteousness that threatened to divide the church then and has divided the church today. How many of us believe that Christ wanted the many denominations that make up His church? Can any of us explain and spiritually justify the existence of the many sects of Christianity? It reads in Mark 9:38-41 “Now John answered Him, saying, ‘Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon speak evil of me. For he who is not against us is on our side. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” And in Matthew 12:30 “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” In these two scriptures Jesus provides us with a powerful teaching and example. John had a momentary breakdown in his faith and felt threatened by his fellow believer. We saw how John was quick to rebuke his brethren based on his own understanding and assumed Christ was not in his brother’s heart because he was not a disciple. We also know by Christ’s response to John that all He needed to hear was that the believer in question was performing a work in His name and that was all He needed to know. We also notice that Jesus did not need a spiritual breakdown of this man’s doctrines, interpretations and ways of worship to bless his work. It reads in 1John 4:15 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” Within all of these scriptures there is a message of unity. Both Paul and Jesus are teaching their followers not to bring division into the church and our brethren can be recognized in the foundation of their faith in Christ. There is to be one church and one faith where Christ is the Head. This means we all are to be of one belief with its foundation in Christ. Many congregations are needed because of the amount of people scattered to many lands; however the core belief remains the same. How many of us are in a denomination where the beliefs are in a 100% alignment with our own beliefs? Did we find ourselves ever compromising or conforming our beliefs and interpretations to those of the denomination for complete acceptance into the congregation? Have any of us wanted to teach an interpretation or insight but was unable because it wasn’t in alignment with the teachings of our denomination?

Let us picture a church in which the foundation is Christ and everyone is free to express their opinions, insights, interpretations, gifts, differences of doctrine and ways of worship. A church where we are true individuals being a part of a fellowship. Paul describes one such church in 1Corinthians 12:5-27 “There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ and members individually.” Paul through his ministry has painted a picture of the church in which we belong. He acknowledges that all of us have something to offer the church and its members. These offerings will not always be the same because we are individuals but the gifts given to us are led by the Spirit. Notice how Paul did not say that those with like gifts need to separate themselves into separate groups in order to benefit the whole. Instead every gift is essential to the success of the church as a whole, so we must work together. He acknowledges that there will be different teachings and activities within the church and if God is the foundation, than it is God who works in us.

So why is it that we have divided ourselves based on doctrines even though our foundations are Christ? Why can’t different doctrines, interpretations and ways of worship be taught, shared, explored or believed all in one faith? Instead of open forums we find scrutiny, isolation and conformity. Paul tells that we are all part of the same body which is the body of Christ. This included Paul in chains in Rome, the members of the church in Corinth and the elders in Jerusalem. The gifts that are given to individuals are not just for their congregation, but to benefit the entire body of Christ. Therefore we should not expect that each congregation will have these gifts within it, rather the body. Now if we divide ourselves from one another under the label of a denomination and limit our gifts within it, the body of Christ suffers. Similarly if we limit our suffering and good works to our self designated faith, the body cannot share with us. Many religions encourage and often times enforce an, ‘Our way or the highway,’ mentality; which most often unintentionally exalts a denomination to claim that their biblical interpretation makes them more righteous and superior in the eyes of God. What effect does this thinking have on the body of Christ as a whole? This teaching does not include the encouragement of a godly lifestyle nor does it maintain the foundation of Christ among the members of the body, but includes the enforcement of doctrine, interpretation and ways of worship that cause a detriment to the whole. We must be careful to read scripture to find out what it means, not only what it means to us. This way we can benefit the body to avoid divisions and hypocrisy.

It says in James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” It reads in Ephesians 4:11-16 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” These verses not only stress the need for a unified church, it reminds us that we need to be mindful that Christ receives the credit for our works because by His grace our works are possible. We are all servants of Christ so in turn we are servants to His body which is all believers whose foundation is Christ and all those in the body are our brethren. Therefore we are all called to serve our brethren and this means the body not just the parish we attend or all those who have committed themselves to the same worldly religious label as ourselves. We are instructed not to be distracted by doctrine or by those that encourage division to gather to themselves those who share in their doctrinal beliefs. We are not to seek out recognition, exaltation and the praise of men because the Lord knows all that we do and that is the only recognition we need. We are called together to be one body in Christ, one heart and one faith so that we do not lack in this world or next. Therefore we must realize we are all connected and are interdependent on one another even though to some it may not appear that way.

It reads in Matthew 20:25-28 “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” And in 1John 4:1-3 “Beloved do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world.” In these two scriptures we are given 2 lessons and 2 assurances. As individuals and as members of the body we must be aware of our susceptibility to both intentional and incidental exaltation of self and our congregations as a whole. It is noble, encouraged, admired and Christ-like to serve God and our brethren both as individuals and churches to the best of our abilities. Where humility must be maintained is in our declarations to God and fellow believers with a foundation in Christ. We must refrain from inferring that any one individual or congregation serves God in a superior manner than another individual or congregation of Christ. The quality of our service is not for us to decide for ourselves but this judgment lies with the Lord. Subsequently we are not to boast in our service to God, adherence to doctrine and interpretation, but humbly fulfill our purposes in God’s will knowing that He sees all things and rewards accordingly. We are assured in that whoever passes judgments on service and boasts of service will not be exalted in the eyes of God as they are in man’s; rather they will be slaves to the humble.

In our second lesson it is spelled out for us how we spot an individual or congregation that is not of God and does not have a foundation in Christ. It is our responsibility to test the spirit of an individual or church to determine if they possess a foundation in Christ. Once this has been established a believer is not required to carry on suspicion and scrutiny, including an in depth questionnaire on doctrine, interpretation and ways of worship. We are free to have our own opinions, interpretations of scripture and a fellowship free of scrutiny, as long as we maintain our foundation in Christ. We should not strive to be conformers but to practice tolerance of varying doctrines, interpretations and opinions so we can tear down these denominational walls that are contrary to what was intended to have one body in Christ. Let us not fear these steps toward unity for God has assured us in many scriptures we will recognize those whose foundation is not in Christ. It reads in 1John 2:29 “If you know that He is righteous, You know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.” And in Ephesians 1:22-23 “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

So now we have heard the call for a unified church that is the body of Christ; a congregation whose individuals’ foundation of faith is of Christ; where every member’s gifts are used in the service of God without boasting; a fellowship of brethren that does not expect conformity but recognizes that there will be differences in opinions, interpretations and ways of worship from member to member. The elders humbly maintain the foundation of Christ and lovingly encourage a Christ-like lifestyle for the members of the church. Let us ask ourselves, how do we go about addressing the now monumental task of breaking down denominational walls to have one body with Christ as the Head? First we recognize those whose foundation is in Christ. Second we practice the much needed patience and tolerance for the varying doctrines, interpretations and ways of worship of the members of the body. Then with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we will all come to realize the interdependency members of the body have on one another and celebrate our common bond. It reads in 1Corinthians 10:16-17 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.” And in Acts 2:39 “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are a far off, as many as the lord our God will call.”

When the first century church started out there were new congregations springing up in many places far distances from one another. The main congregation was in Jerusalem where the elders of the church resided as well. All the teachers and ministers went through great lengths to establish the same foundation in Christ in each new church and maintain it. The communication in those days was by letter and travel was done by foot, boat or by riding animals. To maintain the foundation in Christ took so much more time than it would today. Even back in those days no one congregation did everything the same when it came to doctrine, interpretation and ways of worship; however they all knew that they had a solid foundation in Christ and were all part of the same body. As we learned in the previous scriptures the promise of our God goes out to all willing to make their spiritual foundation in Christ. Once the promise is accepted we become a member of the body of Christ and share a common bond with brethren around the world. So let us ask ourselves, are we willing to serve our Lord by working to abolish divisions in the body of Christ? To take down the walls of denomination and to restore the body to its previous glory as described in scripture. It reads in Acts 4:32 “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.”

In a text I was reading I stumbled upon a letter to Diognetus from an anonymous author that dated from the second century and was written by an outside observer summarizing the Christian faith. “For Christians are not differentiated from other people by country, language or customs; you see, they do not live in cities of their own, or speak some strange dialect, or have some peculiar lifestyle. This teaching of theirs has not been contrived by the invention and speculation of inquisitive men; nor are they propagating mere human teaching as some people do. They live in both Greek and foreign cities, wherever chance has put them. They follow local customs in clothing, food and the other aspects of life. But at the same time, they demonstrate to us the wonderful certainly unusual form of their own citizenship. They live in their own native lands, but as aliens; as citizens, they share all things with others; but like aliens, suffer all things. Every foreign country is to them as their native country, and every native land as a foreign country. They marry and have children just like everyone else; but they do not kill unwanted babies. They offer a shared table, but not a shared bed. They are at present ‘in the flesh’ but they do not live ‘according to the flesh’. They are passing their days on earth, but are citizens of heaven. They obey the appointed laws, and go beyond the laws in their own lives. They love every one, but are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and gain life. They are poor and yet make many rich. They are short of everything and yet have plenty of all things. They are dishonoured and yet gain glory through dishonour. Their names are blackened and yet they are cleared. They are mocked and bless in return. They are treated outrageously and behave respectfully to others. When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; when punished, they rejoice as if being given new life. They are attacked by Jews as aliens, and are persecuted by Greeks; yet those who hate them cannot give any reason for their hostility. To put it simply—the soul is to the body as Christians are to the world. The soul is spread through all parts of the body and Christians through all cities of the world. The soul is in the body but is not of the body; Christians are in the world but not of the world.” Wow!!! What surprised me most was that this was written by an outsider of the faith in the second century! Describing the lives of Christians before any of them had the written word available to them in their homes. How many of us think that an outsider of the faith could write this exact letter today after observing our congregations? Now how far do we feel Christianity has come since its beginnings? Have we become better at making the invisible kingdom, visible?

In conclusion we must continue to serve God and our brethren who are the body of Christ. We must look for opportunities to tear down denominational walls and join together all whose foundation in faith is Christ. We need to make God’s invisible kingdom, visible to those who do not know Christ through our examples both inside the church and in the world.

Let us pray with a reading form Hebrews 13:3 and Colossians 3:15 “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.” “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” We pray this in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.