In order to understand unity, it may be helpful to begin by recalling one of the most quoted passages of the Scriptures—Acts chapter 2. In this passage of Scripture, the author wrote in verse 1: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” This is among the best pictures of unity found within the Bible—the birthplace of the church of the Living God. But to understand unity and how it is achieved, it is important to understand how these people who gathered together on the day of Pentecost came to a place of one accord to begin with. In Acts chapter 1 verses 13 and 14 the Bible says this:
13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, [emphasis added] with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
It seems apparent from the Scriptures that, concerning the church, prayer is at the forefront of true unity. And just as prayer and supplication were essential to the unity of the church on the day of Pentecost, they are essential aspects of unity for the 21st century church as well. Striving for the common goal of seeing our entire mission-fields harvested for the glory of God, we must continue steadfastly, not only in the Apostle’s doctrine, but in prayer (Acts 2:42).
In addition to prayer and supplication, I believe there is another key component to true unity. Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 12:12-31 about the church being “the body of Christ.” The Scripture that stands out most to me is verse 14, which says this: “For the body is not one member, but many.” This phrase seems to reveal the importance of individuality for the furtherment of a common goal as well, while still expressing the cruciality of the body remaining one. Unity is defined as the state of being united or joined as a whole, not mere homogeny. God has called each and every one of us out for a specific purpose that only we can accomplish. In fulfilling the individual work that He has called us to, we contribute to the working of the body as a whole as well. Like prayer and supplication, answering the call of God on our lives advances unity in the body of Christ.
In John 17:20-26 Jesus is praying for the unity of believers everywhere. He begins by petitioning in prayer on behalf of the unity of others, but He closes His prayer with a statement that I would like to end with as well. In verse 21 Jesus says, “and that the world may know that thou hast sent me.” In other words, Jesus is saying, “Father, I pray all of these things in order that my witness might grow in the earth.” I don’t believe it is a coincidence that Christ closed a prayer for unity with a desire for spiritual influence in the world. Unity multiplies the effectiveness of our witness. A divided church loses its persuasive force. Paramount to the desire to be effective ought to be the desire to be unified with our brothers and sisters in Christ. “God, I ask for unity in the body, in order that I might further your kingdom and not my own.”
“Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.” (1 Peter 3:8). We must be in one mind, having compassion and love as brethren for one another. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalms 133:1). In order to grow in unity, we would do well to understand that, while each of our ministries may be different, it that doesn’t mean that our goals are different. We are one in Christ.