A strong church is defined as the unification of all members of the body having opportunity to develop their individual spiritual gift(s). As a member of the body of Christ (church), to qualify for a glorious service or render any service to God requires unity with other members. Unity therefore becomes an essential factor for Christian service. Because there's only one recognized body (the universal church) and one head, Jesus. And really there is an inheritance for the saints in the light (Colossians 1:12). However, the only condition for this inheritance to be obtained is when the saints are in the light and not in darkness. Disunity is an epitome of darkness! Satan has launched an attack against the church and has successfully caused division in the body of Christ. The enemy has perfected his evil work disuniting us. Demons are jealous of God's heritage in Christian's life. So, they oppose the church and anything of God. If God will open our eyes to see how much these demons hate us, we will not allow disunity among us.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who supposedly ought to be custodian of law but rather they were found breaking the law and living in hypocrisy. Instead of repenting of their sins and changing their evil ways, the Pharisees were seriously after Jesus seeking how they will trap him through his words. They claimed to be spiritual leaders and rulers of the people of God, yet, they detested Jesus who was approved and sent by God. Despite undeniable evidences that Jesus was truly from God, they hated him with passion (Luke 11:53-54). In the same manner, there are ministers of the gospel who cannot see eye to eye with one another. It grow so worse that they dare not sit beside each other. Unfortunately, we dwell so much on our differences that we often forget that we are members of one body going to the same heaven. And if here on earth we can't live together what will happen when we eventually get to heaven. Sadly, if we continue this way, we wouldn't be able to defeat our common enemy who has perpetrated and he's still perpetrating evil in our midst. Several satanic yokes persists because of the putting forth of the finger (Isaiah 58:9). And why don't we stop allowing Satan and his host to take advantage of our willful disobedience to the commandment of God in Ephesians 4:1-6. It's obvious that humility, love, and submission are wanting and pride has played a great role in dividing us.
The church that supposed to be a body has been fragmented and consequently cannot stand as a whole. Hatred, suspicion, bitterness, resentment, malice, envy, jealousy, secret fear, insecurity, animosity, backbiting, gossip, holier than thou attitude, inferiority and superiority complex (pride) and so on has shattered us. I wonder why the church is so disjointed and disunited! Jesus the head of the church stands aloof watching because of the disjointedness of His body. He is not a monster so He cannot be head over many bodies. He is supposed to be the head over a single body. And that's why Jesus responded the Pharisees who believed that He was casting out demons by Beelzebub that "A kingdom that is divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand" (Matthew 12:25). It's a spiritual principle that Jesus made them to realize because if diseases and infirmities are believed to be caused by demons, casting out demons by the powers that caused it will be working or fighting against oneself. We are members of one body, but at the back we speak evil against one another, stab each other at the back (backbiting). And this empowers the enemy to gain access to do more harm in our midst. We hardly pray and intercede for one another but busy ourselves with the ministry of criticism and fault finding. We are quick at judging other ministries and churches. No true love, care, concern and consideration for one another. Everyone is self-centered and self-conceited. However, God is not going to change His mind regarding the church in this generation and Jesus will not be the head over a segregated, fragmented, disjointed and disunited body. He is coming for a glorious church without spot and wrinkle. And we can play our part in securing that glorious church now! Because there's only one heaven with no denominational tag. It's interdenominational, and it is the church of the called out, redeemed and blood washed.
Though we cannot deny the fact that there are wolves among the sheep. Agents of darkness who have transformed themselves into the ministers of the gospel even with big and large congregation. Instead of complaining and talking endlessly about them, we need to pray for them. We are to intercede particularly because of the sincerely ignorant souls they are leading to hell fire. There's a lot of evil going on in our world and it is more terrible when its happening in the church. But the bible has this record in the book of Daniel when God revealed to Daniel the situation at the end of the world. In Daniel 12:10, "Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand." It was predicted and we are in that season right now. As we have the wicked doing wickedly, God says there are many that will be purified, made white, and refined. This is not an overstatement, this is the bible and what will happen if and when we bring down the hand of God on behalf of the church.
There is only one place where God commands blessing, it is in the place of unity. According to Psalm 133, though a popular and commonly referenced chapter of the bible on unity, it is loaded and it contains the healing pills for the body of Christ. Real spiritual blessing abounds where there is unity. Individuals and churches may increase in material and financial blessings, notwithstanding, the richness of blessing that God wants to give abounds where unity is found. God dwells where there is love and unity. So, it implies that there will be no real blessing or life where there's disunity though there may be superficial ones. The bible says, "For there the Lord commanded blessings and life forevermore. Real blessings descend, then life follows! It is heaven's blessing. It is like the dew of Hermon descending upon the mountain of Zion; that means it comes directly from above, it's from God, not man made and it flows down from the pulpit to the pew, leadership to the follower-ship, everyone partakes of it. It is as the oil that runs down from the edge of Aron's garment, it has to flow down to the people. Life forever abounds, no death wherever God's blessing is but unity is a precursor of this blessing. It therefore infers that where there is unity, there is life both physical and spiritual.
Deborah sang and made beautiful remarks about the contributions of men and women who conquered the Midianites. In Judges 5:15, 18 and 24-27, she narrated in detail the involvement and the role played by the tribes of Israel. In Judges 5:2 &9 she noted that the people willingly offered themselves. Barak went, Deborah followed, and the sons of Naphtali and Zebulum were the valiant men who fought the battle of the Lord with Barak (Judges 4:6). The significant role of Jael Heber's wife was remarkable. Despite the fact that Sisera had 900 chariots of iron and the Midianites had continuously suppressed, oppressed and tormented the Israelites for 20 years, yet, God wrought great deliverance for them from their captivity though they had no single chariot of iron. In Judges 4:23-24, the bible says, "So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan." There is strength in unity! It was not ordinarily by their power that they subdued their enemy and his kingdom that was impossible for them to conquer, but it was because God was involved in their battle. God ordered it, they obeyed, acted promptly and were united. So, they discomfited and defeated their enemy. God came down and helped them subdued Jabin (the dominant factor) all because of their unity.
To defeat our enemy (Satan) and halt all the activities of his agents deployed against the church, unity is an essential factor. To rebel against evil and demand for justice, there's need for unity. There are hesitant powers who have vowed not to go just like the Canaanites who determined to dwell in the land with the children of Israel (Judges 1:27) but it will take unified effort to route them. Unity is really a major necessity to bring down the hand of God to fight for the church and invade the host of darkness (spiritual Midianites) who spoil and destroy us. It will also be needed to deal with the evil powers that have been doing what they please against the church, they saw the broken edge and they came because we are not truly united as a body. More importantly, unity is highly recommended for congregational repentance. Before Achan was singled out when he committed sin in taking the accursed things, God addressed the entire nation as a sinner (Joshua 7:11&13). God told Joshua "There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before the enemy until you take away the accursed thing from among you." Indeed the whole nation was affected by the sin of Achan. Sin is a plague that has capacity to destroy wherever it is found, its size or magnitude notwithstanding. Sin offers pleasure that does not last to Achan but later brought judgment on a whole nation. So, in unity we'll repent of the sins of the church, the sins of bitterness, envy, resentment, silent rivalry, jealousy, competition which are evil and have defiled us (Hebrews 12:15).
