ONENESS IN THE BODY

“That they may be ONE, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be ONE in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” – John 17:21

One of the distinguishing features of God’s House is UNITY or ONENESS in the CHURCH. The Lord Jesus Christ prayed to the Father, concerning His Body, the Church: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (vv.20-21). There is no doubt that the Father has heard and hearkened to the prayers of His Son to make us one in Him. However, in order for the Church to experience and evidence this unity in reality, each of us members must recognise and receive the ministry of others. This is what the entire Body of Christ is all about.

What should our relationship be like to one another in the Body of Christ if we are to minister effectively as a body?

We must recognise that we are members one of another: “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Rom.12:4-5). Ephesians 5:30 affirms that “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.”

We must be at peace with each other: “and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. BE AT PEACE among yourselves” (1The.5:13). We should be engaged in the perpetual pursuit of peace: “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another” (Rom.14:19). Paul admonished: “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph.4:1-3).

A body that is at peace:

• Does not hold grudges: “Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” (Jam.5:9).

• Does not speak evil or engage in gossip: “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law” (Jam.4:11a).

• Does not esteem one member higher than another: ^“that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another” (1Cor.12:25).

• Does not judge harshly: “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way” (Rom.14:13).

We must seek the interest of the other members of the body, and not be self-centred: “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” (Rom.12:10).We must prefer one another in honour: “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1Pet.5:5). We must not be puffed up against others: “…that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1Cor.4:6b-7).

We must always seek to strengthen other members: “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” (Eph.4:16). Beloved, how effectively are you contributing to UNITY in the CHURCH and ONENESS in the BODY?