The Church is to be unified and function as one body. Unfortunately, it seems so often today that is not always the case. The Church is made of numerous denominations and various independent local churches. And with these numerous groups come contrasting opinions, beliefs, and practices. This can lead to discontentment and fighting about interpretations of various Scriptures and how the church operates and how Christians are to live their lives. Even amongst individual Christians within the same church, this fighting can occur. But this is not how the Church should function! We are to be unified, for we are all part of one body—the body of Christ. “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV). The body of Christ is made up of humans, which means that brings with it sin, pride, anger, gossip, and haughty viewpoints. However, we do not have to let those negative traits define how we interact with each other. Ephesians 4:16 (NIV) says, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” While various denominations or even people within the same church might disagree about things, we should not let that divide us and cause us to lash out at each other. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV): “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” We are all part of one body. Instead of tearing each other down with our words, let us build each other up and work together to further the kingdom of God. Let us commit to speaking words of truth and love to each other, supporting each other’s ministries, and praying for each other. When this occurs, then the Church can function as a healthy, well-equipped, unified body of Christ. Think about how much more can be accomplished for the kingdom of God if we would all work together to share Jesus’ love with our community and with the world!

Are you helping the Church by supporting fellow believers? Or are you hindering it by your words, attitude, or actions? If the latter, what can you do today to promote unity? Pick one person, group of people, or church in your community and spend time praying for them this week. Look for ways to encourage them and show them love.