What is Unity?

“When the people in a church dwell together in the unity of the gospel and together pursue the building up of one another in love, they are providing fertile soil for the roots of deep joy.” –Matt Chandler, To Love Is Christ, To Die Is Gain

I love the picture that Matt Chandler paints as he describes what it would look like for those in the Church who are pursuing the unity of the gospel as they dwell together, “providing fertile soil for the roots of deep joy.” Reconciliation is a hot topic today in many cultures globally, whether we are talking about reconciliation between races, between family members, between friends or between us and God. What is needed to find reconciliation with God? The message of the gospel is the message of reconciliation. It is the message of God, who loved the world so much that he sent his son, Jesus, into this world to live, die and be buried for our sins against the very God who now wants to save us. However, Jesus didn’t stay buried but rose from the dead on the third day and lives today in the hearts of those who have placed their faith in Jesus. It is through the blood that Jesus shed on the cross that we find the covering for our sins as a sacrifice to God. Jesus became this sacrifice for us so that those who put their faith in him might know him and find eternity with God forever (John 3:16-17). Have you made that profession of faith in Jesus (Rom. 10:9)? If you were to die tonight, do you know if you would be with Jesus in heaven for eternity? When we are reconciled to God by grace through faith in Jesus, we become a new creation. We have a new life, a new hope and a new heart (Ezek. 36:26). Do you know this to be true about your heart today? “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” –2 COR. 5:17-19 I gave my heart to Jesus many years ago and today have a peace in my heart that I have been forgiven not only of my past sins but also for the sins of today and tomorrow. It has not always been easy, but I know more about God’s love and mercy today than I knew yesterday. He has been faithful even when I have not, he has been kind when I haven’t listened, and he has given me hope when I was hopeless and lost. Today, as I worship him, I find it is creating a strong bond of unity and relationship with Jesus. We have the wonderful privilege every day of bringing hope in Jesus to women around the world and across generations. I pray you know this hope for yourself, too.