STRIVING FOR UNITY
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. Unity among Christians is often commanded and encouraged
throughout the holy Scriptures.
B. Contrariwise, division is often strongly rebuked and condemned.
C. When we are united, we please the Lord.
1. When united, we are working together to achieve common
goals, e.g., converting people to Christ, functioning as a
local congregation, and the saving of our own souls.
D. In this lesson, let's consider the divine instructions
regarding unity and division.
I. FIRST, LET'S CONSIDER THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITY.
A. Our Lord prayed for the unity of all believers. John 17:20-21
1. Unity among believers promotes faith in outsiders. Division
among believers promotes disbelief in outsiders.
B. Others will know we are the Lord's disciples if we love one
another. John 13:34-35
1. People will know we are the true disciples when we have
love; they will also know that we are not the Lord's
disciples when we don't have love.
2. They can see love among us when there is love, and they can
also see the lack of love when there is no love.
C. We are given a solemn charge in the name of Christ to be
united. 1 Cor. 1:10
1. The only way we can all speak the same things is to speak as
the oracles of God. 1 Pet. 4:11
D. All of us are to strive for unity. Eph. 4:1-3
1. It is a wonderful thing when brethren are united. Psalm
133:1
2. When we are united, we are spiritually mature and pleasing
to God.
II. LET'S CONSIDER THE EVILS OF DIVISION.
A. Paul showed that the divisions at Corinth revealed their
carnality.
1 Cor. 3:1-3
1. James showed that the spirit of division is earthly,
sensual, and devilish. James 3:14-18
B. If we bite and devour one another, we will be consumed one of
another. Gal. 5:15
1. Well trained bird dogs are a marvelous sight to behold as
they work the brushy fields. They work hard at sniffing out
the game birds. They are trained so that when they
eventually find the birds, they will freeze in a pointing
stance. I have seen those well-trained dogs shake and
tremble as they are in their frozen position. It is against
their nature to sit and do nothing. When they see the birds,
their nature is to pounce on them. When the hunter gets into
position, where the dogs and the birds are, he gives the
command and then the dogs flush out the birds. The hunter
shoots the birds as they fly off, and the dogs find the dead
birds and bring them to the hunter. The bird dogs all work
together in their job of hunting birds. However, when the
dogs are back in their pens, they are often found barking
and growling at one another. When they have no birds to
hunt, they often bite and snap at one another.
2. Please apply this to us as a congregation. We need to be
united and busy in our common goal of converting people to
Christ. If we are not busy in our God-given work, there is a
tendency to waste valuable time picking and biting at one
another. Strife and discord saps our time and energy. Let us
not use our time and energy in the wrong endeavor. Let us
be about our Father's business.
C. If we lack unity, it is because of human weakness.
1. The Catholics make the argument that the Bible can't be the
sole authority in religion because there are many divisions
among the people who claim to follow the Bible.
a. There are many divisions, but the fault is not with the
Bible, but man.
2. Likewise, if we are not united in the Lord's church, it is
due to our own weakness. James 4:1-3
D. Unity, like all holiness, is a goal that we all should strive
diligently to obtain. Rom. 14:19; Heb. 12:14-15; Matt. 5:9
III. THIRDLY, LET'S CONSIDER SOME PRACTICAL THINGS REGARDING UNITY.
A. All of us must do the will of Christ; otherwise, we could never
be united.
1. We must give up our own wills and submit to the will of
Christ. John 15:14; 1 Cor. 14:37
2. We are commanded in the law of Christ to be subject to one
another. 1 Pet. 5:5; Eph. 5:21; 1 Tim. 2:12-13; 1 Cor. 11:3;
14:34-35; Eph. 5:22-24; 1 Pet. 3:5-6
a. Thus, those sisters who are married have double duty.
Not only are they to be subject to men in general, but
they are also to submit to their own husbands.
B. We all recognize that unity among those who claim to be
followers of Christ is often very difficult.
1. Things will usually go well in any congregation until a
problem arises.
2. One such "problem" area, of course, is the ministering of
church discipline.
C. Whether or not discipline should be practiced is a matter of
doctrine. The church is commanded to do it. 1 Cor. 5:3-4; Rev.
2:14-16; Matt. 18:15-17
1. Whether or not a certain individual should be disciplined is
a matter of judgment 1 Cor. 5:3; 12-13
D. When a church has elders, the elders are to handle the
discipline problems. They are to rule and the members are to
submit to them. Heb. 13:17
1. When a church does not have elders, the solution is not for
all members to leave and go where there are elders.
a. The holy Scriptures, rather, teach us to strive to have
elders. Titus 1:5; Acts 14:23
(1) More often than not, it takes years of prayer,
patience, and encouragement for this to occur.
E. When a church does not have elders, the Business Meeting
situation is a temporary arrangement that is used to carry out
the decisions of the church.
1. This situation will work if, and when, the members want it
to work. If the members don't want it to work, it won't
work.
F. Bear in mind, the church will never be perfectly united on all
matters of judgment.
1. If Paul said, 'This punishment which was inflicted by the
majority,' (which he did in 2 Cor. 2:6), that's good enough
for me.
a. In other words, even though the church was
commanded to do it (1 Cor. 5:4-5), Paul said it was the
majority who carried it through.
2. In Business Meetings, there are usually about as many
"suggestions" as there are men.
3. "Suggestions" and "final decisions" are altogether
different.
G. There are times when one must relinquish his own personal
judgment for the sake of peace.
1. In other words, one might strongly believe that something
should (or should not) be done, but sees that he is in the
minority, and, thus, after stating his own convictions, must
surrender to the others.
2. Remember Abraham's surrender and his reason for doing so.
Gen. 13:7-9
3. If it were necessary and/or possible for brethren to always
be in perfect agreement, there would be no need for
submission.
H. Once a final decision has been reached, that should end the
matter once and for all. It is the duty of all to submit. Eph.
5:21; 1 Pet. 5:5
1. Remember, a wife who has a husband has double duty. She
should not only submit to the men in general, but also to
her own husband who has part in making decisions in the
Business Meetings.
I. It is not right for anyone to raise complaints and objections
AFTER the final decision has been made.
Concl.
A. Let us strive to be united even as God commands us.
B. We can be united if we want to be. Likewise, we can follow the
devil and destroy ourselves if we want.
1. Once the devil gets his foot inside the door, he will do
much damage.
C. Let us resist the devil and endeavor with all diligence to be
united. Eph. 4:3; 2 Cor. 13:11