UNITY

It was a beautiful morn and he was enjoying the quiet soft mist that rose from the river...and then he saw a man poised and ready to leap into the river below.


"Stop," he cried out as he raced toward what he hoped would be rescue.


"Why are you trying to kill yourself," he asked as breathless made sure not to go to near the possible suicide.


"I can see no reason for living."


"Do you believe in God?"


"I do."


"What a coincidence - so do I! Are you a Jew or a Christian?"


"A Christian"


"What a coincidence - so am I! Protestant or Catholic?"


"Protestant"


"What a coincidence - so am I! Baptist or Charismatic?"


"Baptist"


"What a coincidence - so am I! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?"


"Southern Baptist"


"What a coincidence - so am I! Premillenial or Amillenial?"


"Premillenial"


"What a coincidence - so am I! Pre-Tribulation or Mid-Tribulation?"


"Mid-Tribulation"


At this the first man pushed the suicidal man into the river shouting "Die heretic, DIE!"


And thein lies a common problem within Christ church.  Honest differences that end up being argued across a crowded aisle, overt pride muting any opportunity to listen with patience even if agreement will never come to pass.


"We know that "every city or house divided against itself shall not stand" (Mat 12:25).

Calvin realized that the Devil's chief means of sowing disunity and division wrote the following, "


 "Among Christians there ought to be so great a dislike of schism, as that they may always avoid it so fast as lies in their power.


That there ought to prevail among them such a reverence for the ministry of the word and the sacraments that wherever they perceive these things to be, there they must consider the church to exist...nor need it be of any hindrance that some points of doctrine are not quite so pure, seeing that there is scarcely any church which has not retained some remnants of former ignorance."


To remain divided is sinful! Did not our Lord pray, that they may be one, even as we are one"? (John 17:22).
During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them.


Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused.


Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not, faced harsh persecution.


In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp.


When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the groups and there was much tension.


Finally they decided that the situation had to be healed.


Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ's commands.


Then they came together.  Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, "What did you do then?"


"We were just one," he replied.


As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.


Romans 12:9-18 “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

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