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Building up the Unity of the Church

Our preparation for the return of Christ, whether the time is near or distant, lies in many areas. Luke 21 reminds us that we need to be watchful and ready. Matthew 25 tells us that our preparedness is connected with our attitudes and actions to the disadvantaged. Part of our preparation is to do with our relationships and unity within the church. A brief look at the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians will help us understand some of the dynamics of unity: where its call comes from, and how it works.

1 The Father Eternally Chose us for Unity

In Ephesians 4: 1-6 we are exhorted to live in unity. "I… the prisoner of the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all."(NRSV)

This passage, as do some others in Ephesians, makes much use of the words "all" and "one". God is concerned for unity, and his interest in unity concerns the cosmos. Paul's letter to the Ephesians speaks again and again of God's plan, God's fulness, and the words "all" and "one" are often used.

When we are strongly encouraged to make speed to maintain the unity in the bond of peace, it helps us if we understand the basis for this unity call. It arises out of the very nature of God. It is a product of his loving fatherhood. From eternity he has seen all things, and he has planned that we should be holy and blameless before him. He knew that we would sin. In advance he planned the way out through the death of Jesus on the Cross.

The more we understand the heart of God towards us, the more we shall want to follow his encouragement to maintain the unity of the Spirit.

We read in Ephesians 1: 3-6, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us as his children, through Jesus Christ… In him we have redemption through his blood."(NRSV) One of the most beautiful and affirming revelations to us in the Scriptures is that we were all chosen to share the same blessing of love, cleansing, forgiveness, and the lifting of shame and blame. It is so moving for us to realise that this was the eternal intention of God with regard to every one of us. This is part of his divine plan.

2 His Plan is fulfilled by the Son through the Church

The longest sentence in the Greek New Testament is found in Ephesians 1: 15-23, and ends with an ineffable climax, a climax beyond the capacity of words, but which expresses the ultimate cosmic triumph of God's uniting activity which is centred in Christ, focussed through the church, and which culminates in the rebuilding of fulfilment of the created potential of all things with in the whole creation. It is about transcendent unity. It is about the victory of unity, and it is unity that shines with the golden fire of the very power and love of God.

3 Grace is the paramount dynamic

The fulfilment of the plan arising out of the heart of God is characterized by unmerited mercy. Ephesians 2: 8-10 reads, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God- not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

We have already been given a credible place within the working of this plan. Every day that we walk with the Lord, either by ourselves, or in the company of other believers, is a day walked on the tight rope of the mercy of God. We were saved by grace and not by works. We received that grace e by faith, and not by good deeds. Having received that gift by faith, we are in a process of being transformed by God into a pattern of activity where the works have been planned by him and not by us. It is indeed a tight rope, for we could topple off into pride, self-effort and self-congratulations. As Joshua (Josh 1: 7) was told by the Lord, we are not to swerve to the right hand or to the left, but keep our eyes fixed on the Lord and his word.

4 Christ has pulled down the Wall at the Cross

Ephesians 2: 13-18 reads, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us…"

An understanding of the path that God has laid out for us is further explained when in the second half of Ephesians 2 we are told that God has pulled down a wall, a dividing wall. We are told that the wall was between God and us. In Christ, through his death on the cross, God has pulled down the wall of enmity

It logically and necessarily follows that if God has no wall between himself and a whole host of people, that there can be no enduring barrier between those people and each other. The greatest barrier that God has pulled down between people is between Jews and Gentiles. There are many other ethnic, cultural and class barriers that God has pulled down. Yet often there is a self-protective device among God's people, which strives to restore the barriers, or even to build new walls. The fulness of God involves the demolition of the Berlin Wall of the human heart.

5 Christ has made One New Humanity

In pulling down that wall, God has erected a new humanity: one new person. Because we have sinful natures, we need the ministry of the Word of God to bring those walls down. Because the evil one attacks the people of God, we need the ministry of the Scriptures to bring those walls down. Because we all carry hurts from past things, we all need the ministry of the Spirit of God and the Word of God to demolish those dividing walls.

Churches as such need the ministry of Word and Spirit to bring down those walls The Corinthian church was beset by walls of immorality, heresy, and polarisation on spiritual gifts. The walls had to come down. The Colossian church was beset by walls built by false teaching. The walls had to come down. The church at Galatia was damaged by ethnic/ cultural division and by heresy. The Lord wants to continue to break down dividing walls, but how is this to be done? How is it administered?

6 He has given Ministries to Equip the Whole Church

Ephesians 4: 11-16 reads, "He [Christ] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers; for the equipment of the saints: for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; that we should be no longer children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by the craftiness of people in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body is joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, and promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love."

When Christ ascended to heaven he poured out donations on the new church hen established. Those donations continue until now. I use the word "donations" to distinguish it from "gifts", as the Greek word used is different to that normally used in the New Testament for "spiritual gifts". These donations are people God has organised to mobilise the people of God. Some of them are apostles. Some of them are prophets. Some are evangelists. Some are pastor-teachers.

The purpose of these people is to equip the churches, so that they well be well-oiled, properly functioning organisms. This involves equipping the members of the church to serve God and to serve one another. When this happens, the church grows together in unity towards the destiny to which God is leading us.

7 The nexus of Truth and Love is essential to Unity

"Speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in every way into the Head, into Christ, from which the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love." (Eph 4; 15-16)

Most of Ephesians 4 and 5 deals with behaviour, speech and inner attitudes that will promote love and unity. Without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit we will not persevere. We need continually to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

"O God, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee, Mercifully grant, that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." (The Book of Common Prayer (BCP, 1662, Cambridge University Press, Collect for the 19th Sunday after Trinity)

8 The Unity operates through qualities of the Spirit that build relationship

Ephesians 5: 18-21 says, "Repeat and continue the process of being filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times concerning everything; submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. " (JHLJ paraphrase) The Holy Spirit fills to fulfil the relationships that have protocols: Marriage, Parenthood, Employment, Church.

This infilling sometimes manifests in the outpouring of supernatural gifts. This is not, however, what he always does. Our greatest prayer in praying for infilling is that we should become more like Christ. Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 13 that gifts of prophecy, miraculous speech and miracles were worthless if there is no love. The fruit is always more important than the gifts. In Ephesians 5, when Paul exhorts us to keep being filled with the Spirit, he is doing the same thin g as when in Colossians 3: 16 he exhorts us to be filled with the Word of Christ. He wants to see the fruit of praise and thankfulness. He wants to see the fruit of mutual submissiveness to one another. He wants to see us honour the protocols that make for a society of stable marriages, stable families and stable employment. God has no interest in revolution or in the detabilising of society. God is not a deconstructionist.

Above all he wants unity. This will be achieved when those with structural or psychological power in any situation will covenant to use their power to serve others and not to serve themselves.

Leadership in the church should always be humble/ servant leadership. Both Peter and Paul were lovingly challenged on at least one occasion each by apostolic colleagues, because they appeared to be undercaring of vulnerable people. We all stand under the correction of the Word of God.

9 There is a warfare to be fought against unseen spiritual forces that try to plunder the people of God

In Ephesians 3: 9-10 we read of "The plan of… God, who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places." (NRSV)

Ephesians 6: 10-18 reads "Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, o that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." (NRSV)

We have to deal with problems from two sources: the sinful nature, and the realm of Satan and evil spirits that attack and assault the church. Ephesians 4: 14 reminds us of the cunning and deceit of "men", and Ephesians 6 reminds us that we are fighting against an enemy, which is not flesh and blood. In addressing disunity we need to attend to the deceit which lies in our own hearts (not in the hearts of other people). We need also to attend to the attacks from the evil one.

Lindsay Johnstone

Copyright J. H. L. Johnstone April 2001. All rights reserved.

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