Unity Of The Spirit

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-6...'Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord
implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you
have been called with all humility and gentleness, and patience showing
tolerance for one another in 'love', being diligent to preserve the Unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one Body and one Spirit, just
as also you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one Faith,
one Baptism, one God and Father of all and through all and in all.'
The Lord's children seem to have continued conflicts because of their
differences of opinions. They make an active choice to confront each
other and point out these differences. The result is one or both get
upset and their feelings hurt. However, they still have one truth in
common, and that is they are unified as brothers and sisters in the
family of God.
There are times as Christians that we may differ on minor
disagreements of doctrine, but the most important thing is our 'unity' in
the simple faith that we are saved through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
In Ephesians 4:l-6, Paul built up the previous three chapters to explain
the free gift and grace of God. He lays down the foundation for
Ephesians with riches in Christ and the true doctrine we are to follow.
Then, with that foundation, Paul earnestly and persistently tries to
persuade us to 'walk'. Now that we have the tools in our kit, we can
walk. Walking requires
'a choice'. For our feet to move, it requires an impulse in our brain to
make them go. Our feet require voluntary muscle movements to make
them go. This isn't an automatic response. We can choose to stand
still or remain stagnant in our relationship with God. The choice is up to
us.
But, we are called to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. How are
we to act in a way that is worthy of our calling? We are to walk humbly
and put ourselves below others. We are also called to be meek and
submissive. We are to be patient and kind, persevere in order to have
the endurance to fulfill our calling.
Lastly, we are to bear one another in love. We need to be tolerant,
quick to hear and slow to speak. We need to pour out our love toward
others and not expect anything in return. We are to do this because,
we, as the Body of Christ need to maintain unity. Again, this comes
down to 'choice'.

Are we choosing to be humble, patient, gentle, and tolerant of others
in order to preserve the Unity of the Body of Christ in and through the
Holy Spirit that dwells within us? What ties it all together is 'peace'
through the Holy Spirit working in our lives when we submit our hearts
totally to Him.
What is 'unity'? It is One Body in Jesus Christ. We are all Christians
and we may have differences of opinions and interpretation of minor
aspects of Christ but we are still one body because of our faith in Jesus
Christ. This is the Body of Christ. We all have access to one Holy
Spirit, one Lord. It is only one true faith in Jesus, one baptism for both
Jews and Gentiles, and finally , one God the Father who reigns above
and over all things, the God who works through us according to His will
and good pleasure. We are His vessels. God the Father who lives 'in
us' and who dwells in our hearts as we yield to Him and His ways.
I encourage you to be submissive and humble ourselves and then we
need to take that step forward and 'actively' walk with Him. As we
walk with God, we are to have a strong desire to preserve the unity
within the body. We all have differences, but let the main truth be the
focus...that we are saved by grace and justified by faith. The only thing
that matters is salvation through faith in Jesus. So, be patient with
others and be humble despite our differences. We all come from
different backgrounds and churches, but the only thing that matters is
salvation through Christ, our Lord.
Love One Another and encourage others to pursue our Lord and
Savior in a real and personal and intimate relationship with Him.