Word of the week: unity

Unity is a word that we're all familiar with but one that we might not have thought too much about. Unity is not agreeing with everyone, believing the same thing, or being the same. Unity is about loving each other and getting along despite our differences. Unity means oneness, not sameness. 

It's like fans of a sports team - even though they follow the same team they have different values and beliefs, wear different clothes, eat different food and listen to different music, but they all follow the same team. 

It's also like a sports team - the players are all unique and different, but they are all on the same team. They need to get along and cooperate on the court or field to win. If every player just does their own thing they won't be very successful.

As Christians we need to put aside our differences and get along so that we shine the light of Jesus in our communities.

Ephesians 4:2-3 says,
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
These verses tell us that we are united by:

• Being humble - not thinking that we are better than anyone else.
• Being gentle - we've all been on the receiving end of some cruel or harsh words, it's not pleasant. Be gentle and kind to each other.
• Being patient - we are all human and make mistakes, we cause offence and hurt people's feelings (often quite by accident). Remember that we're all a work in progress - be patient with each other.
• Bearing with one another - the Greek word for bearing means to endure, have patience with, suffer, persist. Some people are extra grace required and are difficult to get along with but Paul encourages us to bear with them.
• By loving - love is like the cake and humility, gentleness and patience are the ingredients. You can't have love without them.

The Bible compares the church to a body made up of different parts but all the same body. Even though you are all unique and different, you're all part of the same body. We should look after each other because we're all one in Christ.