Unity in the Body
Anchor Scripture for October 10
2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. - Ephesians 4:2-3 NLT
Scriptures
Acts 15
Ephesians 4
Amos 3:3
Unity in the Body
One of the enemy’s favorite snares for believers and non-believers to fall into is not just offense, but the harboring of offense. The Bible says offense is inevitable, but Jesus offered us a solution to address it…forgiveness. This is of course easier said than done, but we always have a choice on how we choose to respond to being offended. We will always have our reasons and justifications, but as Christians, we have the responsibility to choose peace and unity above all else. This does not mean ignoring our feelings and emotions or not setting boundaries, but rather seeking to live peaceably, forgiving, and swiftly addressing conflict that arises from offense with wisdom. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:1-6 ERV
“So, as a prisoner for the Lord, I beg you to live the way God’s people should live, because he chose you to be his. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient and accept each other with love. 3 You are joined together with peace through the Spirit. Do all you can to continue as you are, letting peace hold you together. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, and God chose you to have one hope. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. 6 There is one God and Father of us all, who rules over everyone. He works through all of us and in all of us.”
Warning of Offense
“So you must stop telling lies. “You must always speak the truth to each other,” because we all belong to each other in the same body. 26 “When you are angry, don’t let that anger make you sin,” and don’t stay angry all day. 27 Don’t give the devil a way to defeat you”. - Ephesians 4:25-27
Recently, it’s apparent that the enemy has been looking for ways to sow seeds of offense, division, and bitterness not just in the world, but especially in the body of Christ. Luke 17:1 CSB says:
“He said to his disciples, “Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one through whom they come!”
It was even significant enough to highlight in The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:13-14 CSB which is our key blueprint for prayer:
13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.
Every single one of us has been offended (and we have offended others). As a result, if we don’t properly deal with those emotions that come with an offense, it can lead to living in offense, unforgiveness, and bitterness that not only can lead to spiritual consequences such as the stunting of your spiritual growth (hearing from God, prayer, and worship), but sickness in the body.
Acts 15
Acts 15 stood out to me this month as it paralleled in some ways what we are seeing today with disunity in the body of Christ. There truly is nothing new under the sun, but the chapter does a great job of showing how to handle disagreements and conflict.
In Acts 15, during the early stages of the church and the spreading of the gospel, we see where religion, culture, tradition, belief, and personal experiences clash. We saw disagreements between Jews and Gentile (Non-Jewish believers), Pharisees and the apostles, and even the apostles amongst themselves. While conflict and disagreements are not a new concept, there is something to be said about the way they dealt with things in wisdom as it was clear that unity in the body of Christ was at the forefront.
When the Pharisees demanded more pre-requisites for non-jewish believers to receive salvation (Acts 15:5 ERV “The non-Jewish believers must be circumcised. We must tell them to obey the Law of Moses!”), the Bible says that the apostles and elders gathered to study the problem and debated. They later came to an agreement where James (half-brother of Jesus) stated in wisdom:
“So I think we should not make things hard for those who have turned to God from among the non-Jewish people. Instead, we should send a letter telling them only the things they should not do…” - Acts 15:19-20 ERV
This disagreement at that time did not breed offense or disrespect of the involved parties, but the Bible states that after Paul, Barnabas, James and the council came to an agreement and sent a letter out to the non-jewish believers that were being affected, the fruit of that was joy and encouragement.
“The messengers went at once to Antioch, where they called a general meeting of the believers and delivered the letter. And there was great joy throughout the church that day as they read this encouraging message. Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith.” - Acts 15:30-32 NLT
Paul and Barnabas
Even as apostles, after all of the teaching, preaching, and miracles that the Lord did through Paul and Barnabas, they were not exempt from disagreements even in ministry, which led to them separating as partners. However, they did stay faithful to their assignment of going into the world and preaching the gospel, making disciples of Jesus Christ, and edifying the church.
“37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia,strengthening the churches.” - Acts 15:37-41
The mission has not changed:
18 “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
Prayer Points
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where you are holding offenses and unforgiveness in your heart and forgive them by faith. The more detailed you are, the better.
Pray against disunity, division, offense, and pride in the body of Christ, friendships, relationships, and family.
Pray that the Lord helps you to forgive quicker.