Build church unity on the basis of love.
This one, like several of the others, is so obvious that we often think we are doing it even though we are miles away in actual practice. We tend to build unity on the basic of many things that aren't necessarily "love" at all.
At the top of that list would be unity that is project based. We are unified because we are trying to build something or do something. These things may be eminently worthwhile. Maybe we want to build a great church, or we want to help the poor. Both of these are great things but neither is a very good basis for unity. Olive oil is a great product. It tastes great and is good for you, but it makes crummy mortar to hold bricks together. If we are together because we want to build a great church what happens after we get far enough along to discover that your idea of a great church is not exactly the same as mine? Our basic for unity is gone. If we are together to help the poor what happens when one of us thinks we need to give everything toward the poor while the other thinks we need to invest in the church in order to have a bigger base from which to give to the poor? Our basis for unity is gone.
Another big item often used as the basis for unity is doctrine. "You speak in tongues?" "Hey! I speak in tongues, too!" "You are Pre-Trib Rapture?" "Great! I'm Pre-Trib Rapture." "You tithe?" "I tithe, too!" Of course you can see where this is going. Not only does it build middle walls in the kingdom but ultimately it can't last. "You allow women to speak in church?" "Boy, are you messed up." Our basis for unity is gone.
There is even the flimsy but often used basis of style and method. We sing hymns. We only use the King James Bible. (It says in the front that it is authorized.) We have pews. Of course the flip side of this is: We do contemporary worship. Who is King James and why did he write a Bible? We sit on folding chairs (if we sit). None of this is the basis of Christian unity.
In doctrine we are unified around the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are joined by the fact that we have put our faith in Jesus' atoning blood. While this joins us in a mystical and powerful invisible bond it really isn't what holds together a local fellowship of believers. I share this with my brother in India whom I've never met. I share this with my brother down the street whose church I'll start attending if I get ticked off with you.
The only thing that can legitimately bind us together so that we walk in relationship with each other is love. Jesus gave us a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you. Love doesn't mean that we feel gushy touchy feely about each other all the time. Love means that when we disagree we will work it our instead of leaving. Love means that even when I am ticked off at you I've still got your back. Love means that when I feel like giving up on you, I won't. And when you feel like giving up on me, you won't.
This is the basis for our unity. It isn't easy to arrive there. It's like marriage. It is hard work, but it is so worth it. God has ordained two institutions: Marriage and the Church. Both are hard work. Both are of great value. Both require a unity based on love.
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