God's Word For Today: Working Together in Unity

‘Each of you is a part of it.’

1 Corinthians 12:27

None of us can do individually, what all of us can do collectively. 

Paul writes, ‘All of you together are Christ’s body [the church], and each of you is a part of it.’ But His body has been known to misbehave. The brain discounts the heart. (Academics discount worshippers.) The hands criticise the knees. (People of action criticise people of prayer.) The eyes refuse to partner with the feet. (Visionary thinkers won’t work with steady labourers.) 

So Paul writes, ‘The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you”’ (v. 21 NLT). 

The mega-church needs the smaller church. The liberal needs the conservative. The pastor needs the missionary. Cooperation is more than a good idea; it’s a scriptural command. ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace’ (Ephesians 4:3 NIV 2011 Edition). 

When we work together in unity, the Bible says God ‘commands His blessing’ to be upon us (see Psalm 133:1-3). We haven’t been called to compare, to compete, to complain, or to criticise one another. No, we’ve been called to complement one another! Jesus said: ‘When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there’ (Matthew 18:19-20 MSG). 

What an astounding promise. When we come into agreement, Jesus notices. He shows up, and He hears and answers our prayers.

2 Sam 3-5, John 17