With doctor’s orders to lie face down staring at the floor for up to two weeks following emergency surgery on a detached retina, I have become thankful to the Great Physician for not only allowing me to keep a proper posture in praying for each of you but also for all your prayers for me! I’ve also had some thoughts to share. Having faced 22 deaths in only 6 weeks (two to COVID), I’ve been asking again about each of our tasks before our time. What came to mind for myself and each of us as members of the Body of Christ and FPCBR is the difference between unity and uniformity in a culture that may have confused the two.

 

True unity doesn’t require uniformity in meeting a common goal. God’s goals may be mysterious when it comes to understanding his purpose for our particular paths in life. Yet, his goal is clear when it comes to determining his purpose for the church: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . .” (Matthew 28: 19-20). We can only fulfill this great commission by being empowered by the Holy Spirit individually in order to serve as God’s witnesses collectively, as Christ Jesus said “. . . you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1: 8). Then we can go deeper in Christ and further into the world effectively.

      

Much of the power of the Holy Spirit comes in the form of the gifts from the Holy Spirit. Yet, in our use of these gifts, the saying that “united we stand, divided we fall” holds true for the church perhaps even more so than for other organizations. Why? Because Jesus himself said that non-believers will know that we belong to him not by our gifts but by our fruit (Matthew 7: 20), the fruit of love leading to unity being the greatest of them all (1 Corinthians 13: 13, Galatians 5: 22-23). This makes us true witnesses of Christ.

      

This great witness of Christ in us and through us as a body of believers can only take place when we have unity in the midst of diversity. Unlike uniformity, unity doesn’t require that we all look, act and think the same way, nor does having one voice require that we all sound the same. Rather, unity requires that diversity doesn’t become a threat but a treat. It requires that we learn to appreciate one another’s differences rather than be threatened or annoyed by them. It also requires that we accept the gifts God has given us, not wishing that we had someone else’s gifts, nor thinking that we can choose our gifts, but realizing that the Gift-Giver saw fit to give us just what we have in order to fulfill the purpose he has.

      

You are needed by the church in order for the church to fulfill its purpose, and yet, you need the church in order to fulfill yours. The church is not complete without you, and you are not complete without the church. Yet, God is sovereign in determining your role in the grand scheme of things. And although we may not understand how God picks and chooses who does what in the body of believers, we can have unity in fulfilling our purpose when we’re more concerned about the “common good” (1 Corinthians 12: 7) than our own. Let’s do so! And again, thank you for praying for me as I pray for y’all!