PHILIPPIANS 2:1-11

Guideposts magazine once carried the story of a woman called "Bubba" by her grandchildren. "Bubba" is Yiddish for Grandmother. Bubba disliked her daughter-in-law, Mollie, and took every opportunity to point out that she was not good enough for her son, Ike. Her disdain put a strain on the relationship between Ike and Mollie because she thought he ought to speak up in her defense and he thought she ought to just put up with it. He was torn between the two women he loved most. Caught in the middle was five year old Bert, Ike and Mollie's only son. There was a definite lack of unity in that family. Jesus desires, designs, and demands unity in the family of God. Jesus prayed for the unity of his disciples. He said, concerning his immediate disciples, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." JOHN 17:20-23. His prayer runs counter to the individualistic mind-set of our present world: "Everyone for himself!" "Look out for number one!" "If I am not for me, who will be?" So, let's consider what it is Jesus prayed for:

1. UNITY: WHAT IT IS:
1. Unity does not mean uniformity, all being jammed into the same mold, forfeiting individuality like so many red M&M's; We don't have to dress alike, talk alike, walk alike, wear our hair the same.  We don't have to all be Dallas Cowboy fans or like jalapeno peppers.  Unity does not mean uniformity.  Further, unity does not mean union: a mechanical forging of bonds or a legal agreement that goes no deeper than the paper it is written upon. Union may be achieved by tying two cats tail to tail and tossing them over a clothes line.
2. Unity, Biblically speaking is same-mindedness, agreement in faith and purpose, functioning in accord together with those who are not just like us, it is harmony. 
3. Let me illustrate this: Unity is 
1. Three strands interwoven into one braid.
2. Two oxen yoked together to pull the same plow in the same direction at the same time.
3. A genuine blending of heart and soul in marriage.
4. The various components of a high speed computer, each doing its individual task to bring about the work desired.
5. An orchestra, each member playing its own part of the whole.
6. A well coached team, no one worried about being the star or getting the credit, each playing hard for the win.
7. An army moving under one command, pressing against a common enemy.
4. If unity were defined on the basis of your co-operation, your contribution to the body, what would that definition be?

2. UNITY: WHY IT IS NECESSARY:
1. A good enough reason is that Jesus wants it. He essentially commanded it when He told His disciples to love one another. The Psalmist points out, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!" PSALMS 133:1.
2. There are some good reasons for unity among Christians and Robert Moeller points out that there are 4 major problems with disunity:
1. We lose our impact on the world and become ineffective. Why is that so?
1. First, nonbelievers can accuse the church of fragmentation and use it as an excuse for unbelief. Jesus prayed for unity that the world might believe.
2. Then, our energies are utilized inwardly, and destructively, not outwardly and constructively. It is like driving a car with the emergency brake on; the brake works against the engine and makes it less effective.
2. We grieve the heart of the Father.
1. We fathers know how it breaks our heart when there is tension or disagreement between our children. God knows it, too.
2. EPHESIANS 4:30-32 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
3. We make it nearly impossible for our children to love the local church or God.
1. If what we do contributes to negativity, a critical spirit, disunity and division, why would our children grow up to value the church or God?
2. Moeller says, "Should we make it that difficult for our children to come to faith in Christ and bond with a body of believers? Most parents would never consciously put roadblocks to faith in their children's way. Yet every time adults roast the pastor, youth pastor, or church member over Sunday dinner, indulge in mean-spirited criticism or hearsay, or give aid or sympathy to divisive people in the church, they are putting large, concrete barricades in front of their children's spiritual journey." (Pp. 50, 51).
4. We give a portion of our lives over to the influence of evil.
1. Who has the major stake in the demise of the church? Satan, primarily.
2. When we allow lingering resentments, personal pride, and a self-serving agenda to get in the way of unity, we help the enemy's cause.
3. So, why unity? So we can be the one Body of Christ, healthy, effective, functional, winsome, and opposed as a unit to the evil one.
4. If the entire body of Christ depended upon you for its cohesion, its oneness, how fragmented would it be?

3. UNITY: HOW TO CULTIVATE IT:
1. The what is being one in mind, love, purpose and faith. The why is so we will be the body Christ intended, doing what He created us to do. The how is the final issue.
2. I want to share some clues for creating and maintaining unity:
1. Focus on what is good for others, not just for you.
2. Major in majors, not minors. Don't make mountains out of molehills. One church a few years ago split over the issue of whipped cream or CoolWhip on salads.
3. Refuse to listen to, or repeat, the criticism, gossip or rumor you hear. Some people, "well intentioned dragons" have to bolster themselves by passing along every tantalizing tid-bit, true or not.
4. Focus on the positive, not the negative. Emphasize your leaders' strengths, not their weaknesses. There are plenty of them I readily admit. When you find a weakness, in me or in any leader, pray for us about it in love.
5. Speak the truth in love. Some speak the truth, bluntly and harshly and without love.
6. Forget personal grievances and forgive others whether or not they ask or deserve it. Don't store up grievances for future reference or use.
7. Apologize to others even if you are convinced they are equally to blame. Apology is your part, let God deal with them for their part.
8. Don't make your own personal scruples, desires, and convictions equal to a "thus says the Lord" Biblical statement or norm. That is, speak where the Scriptures speak and be silent where they are silent and practice the motto: "In essentials unity; in opinions liberty; and in all things love." Can we hold firm convictions and opinions? Certainly! But when you disagree with someone, go to the Throne, not for the throat!
9. Assume the best, not the worst, of others. If they do stupid things, maybe they are just ignorant and weak; they are not necessarily evil.
10. Remember who the real enemy is -- and recognize immediately that it isn't one another!
3. There is a factory where the letters "IADOM" are posted prominently and frequently. Those letters remind every worker that success in that plant is the personal responsibility of every employee. The letters IADOM stand for "It All Depends On Me!" For unity in the body, let's keep a big IADOM in mind. "It All Depends On Me!"
4. So, if what you do would constitute how unity should be attained, what would be the result? War and strife or harmony and joy?

I am indebted to Robert Moeller who wrote "Love In Action," Multnomah Books, from which I gained many of these insights. I highly recommend his fine book. Bubba from Bert Clompus in Guideposts, Best Loved Stories, Volume I.

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