Week 4 – Putting the U in unity

There was this game we used to play in school called Red Rover. The basic idea was that everyone would stand in a line and hold hands (Aws…so sweet, right?) –  Yeah, not so much, because then, one person (let’s call him Robert) would  stand back on the other side of the field/gym, in order to get a running start. The kids holding hands in the line would call out “red rover red rover send Robert right over!” At which point, Robert would come charging at the line like a snorting bull. The idea was to identify the weakest link in the chain, then attempt to barrel through those two clasping hands, nearly breaking their knuckles or amputating their hands. To this day, I’m not really sure why the powers that be thought this was a good idea because there were always injuries. But hey, it was the era of drinking tap water from the hose and biking without helmets. We lived on the edge.

The lesson here is worth a thousand cliches… you’re only as strong as your weakest link.. United we stand, divided we fall…there’s strength in numbers. Cliches are sometime just so darn true.

We talked in week one about how the enemy finds no greater pleasure than in attacking the bride of Christ, that is, his body – the church.  He loves creating dissension and misdirecting our focus so that we forget that the church is about worshiping the one true God, not bickering about whether coffee should be allowed in the sanctuary. 

But, people. Am I right?  People have always been the problem. Even the most sanctified among us still live in this broken world, contributing members to all this brokenness. 

But here’s the great news. When one person loses their cool, the body of Christ has your bad. When one person’s sanctification slips, that’s when a brother or sister steps in with a generous helping of grace, some loving redirection and maybe even a church-sanctioned side hug. The church will never be perfect until the Lord’s return, but as long as we remember that we can stand when another member of the body falters, we are doing our job. 

Ephesians 4:15-16
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

But how, exactly, do we do this? This is where it gets personal. Like all good things, we like to talk, think and pontificate, but more often than not, kinda forget that actual doing part of it. Likewise we talk about unity, but then forget that unity starts with U. Sorry, that was bad. But it’s true. The truth is, you are a vital part of unity of the body. If everyone doesn’t feel a personal responsibility to step up and step in whenever there is a need, then instead of fortifying and being part of a strong body of believers, you unfortunately, will become the weak link. 

I don’t think anyone wants to be the weak link, but sometimes we convince ourselves that we are swallowed up, invisible within the bulk of the whole. Maybe you attend a mega church and can’t really see how you are all that important. Maybe you feel like the church is doing just fine and you don’t want to push yourself on anyone. The answer to those concerns is: Nope. Fact is, you are invaluable. As long as you have breath, you have purpose. You were given specific gifts and abilities and the church needs you. Other people need you. You are imperative to building this amazing, super resilient body of believers. 

Paul had a lot to say about unity in the body of Christ – that’s how vital he knew it was in standing against the wily schemes of the devil. As you go through this week, ponder where you can plug in. Pray for God to lead you in a place of service, support or encouragement for a brother or sister who needs you. And then watch. A prayer uttered in earnestness, meant for God’s kingdom, never goes unheard. 

Then, make a plan, allowing God to guide you. If it’s scary to assert yourself or plunge into the waters of doing, start small. But work your way up and trust that God will lead you and enable you to do the part he has planned for you.