The Importance of Unity

This is a true story that was witnessed by many in the late 80's. It was during the team picture day of the New York Mets. Normally this type of day is calm, no pressure environment. The athletes would gather and are arranged so that everyone had an assigned place to take the photo that would become a keepsake for the whole group. In 1989, while the team prepared for their official spring training photo, there was an outright brawl between the two of the most popular players on the team - Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez. The New York Mets had just won the World Series two years before. When Strawberry was told he was to be seated next to Hernandez he said, "I only want to sit next to my real friends." Hearing that remark Hernandez took offense, and before long the two were in a fight until their teammates could separate them. 

Unity and harmony do not come naturally to us - even among Christians, even among the church family, even among church leaders. God doesn't promise that unity won't be hard. Apparently, it's always been hard. But that still leaves the question, "Why is unity in the church so hard?" There are, of course, an endless number of factors. Consider that at any given time a church may be under heavy spiritual assault (Ephesians 6:12) and plagued by rivalries, dissensions and divisions stirred up by Christians themselves. Too often there are occasions when we are quick to take offense and slow to forgive. There are times when we are unwilling to put in the hard work required to maintain unity, whether at home, on the job, in a committee or at church. God does not want His people to be divided by trivial and unimportant things. The time that God has given us is too valuable to waste on senseless issues. There is the need to share the precious seed of the Gospel at any time. There is the need to build up the faith of one another and to support the work of the church. Therefore, God calls us to work at getting along with each other and to show patience, grace, humility and love to those around us. We should not only "endeavor" to have unity when we are in the middle of a big project like a building program or when there is a need to prepare for a big event like a church anniversary. We are praying that we will stay united at home, at our work and at church all the time. We should not give room and any reason for the enemy, the devil to divide us. Unity does not come by accident. It only comes when we pray and when we work at it. We have a responsibility to keep unity. "Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. "(Psalm 34:14)