By Pastor Chad
Try an experiment for me. As you drive to church, work, or school, count how many churches you pass. It is probably more than you expect. It’s great to have churches present. Perhaps they all are needed to deal with the number of Christians in our area. Perhaps not. Either way, it is hard to overlook the amount of churches within a 5 mile radius from our own church. To the casual non-believing observer, the different denominations and various churches might be a bit off putting. Some non-Christians may wonder: Why can’t those Christians get along? Why are there so many churches?
In John 17:11, Jesus prays, “Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” Jesus asked that the believers be united. The basis of this unity is the unity Jesus has with the Father. Jesus’ relationship to the Father is a model of our relationship with one another. That is, the oneness of the disciples is based on the oneness of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. That doesn’t mean we will be exactly as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are. We will not be one in substance with one another. It does mean, however, that we be one in our mission, purpose, and message.
Such unity cannot come by human power. It can only come because of the strength God provides. So not only is our unity based on God’s oneness, but our unity is fueled by God’s grace.
Furthermore, our unity must be centered on Jesus Christ. We at Cedar Heights are a hodgepodge of various peoples. We all have different interests, abilities, hobbies, likes, dislikes, talents, and lives. We gather together, however, not based on some man-centered reason. We do not gather because of our nationality, race, or tongue. Our unity at Cedar Heights is grounded in Christ and His glorious work on the cross. Indeed, if a group such as we were to gather for any other reason, I’m quite sure our unity would be short-lived. You see, our unity is a means to the end, it isn’t the end. The goal of our unity is to glorify and honor God. Our love for one another is a reflection of our love for God. That means, if we truly love God, we will love one another. And if we truly want to glorify and honor God, we will work for unity.