In BSF lately, there have been lectures and discussion on the subject of unity, and I have been learning more and more that unity is very closely interrelated with choices. Unity does not just “happen”. I have also learned that you can promote unity as much as you want, but both sides have to agree on the concept of remaining unified in difficult, awkward and reconcilatory situations. There is no point in me wracking my senses to try to get people on the same page when the people I talk with don’t read the textbook.
After many frustrating years of trying to promote unity in many different shapes and forms, with individuals and groups, I realize now that perhaps we don’t understand the importance of unity, or it hasn’t sunk in when we hear it at the pulpit. The veneer of selfishness pervades our being…we don’t want to “cause trouble”, or deal with certain nuances of fellowship which potentially divide, like gossip, slander, bitterness, etc., because we’re “happy the way things are”.
Friends, church is not primarily about self-satisfaction…it’s about being united as one in Christ and working together to evangelize, minister, and disciple. And sometimes we have to give and sacrifice our own misguided comfort for the good of everyone. If the body is cut and the wound is not treated, you risk infection. And when the infection is not treated, things get much worse.