We Are One

​We live in troubled times, but we are fortunate to have peace through Jesus Christ. As His followers, we are responsible for spreading news of that peace to others, in both word and deed.

How often do we show the love of Christ to those who are not like us?

The Bible shows clear distinctions between Jews, biological descendants of Abraham, and Gentiles, or non-Hebrew descendants of Abraham. Once Jesus was sent to the cross, however, those distinctions became blurred. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For [we] are all one in Christ Jesus. In fact, Christ's death on the cross meant the death of hostility among God's people. 

But the reality is that we live in a world with people who are very different. In the United States alone, we are surrounded by rich and poor, black and white, young and old, believers and atheists. So when we consider the outside world as well, how can we focus on becoming a unified body of believers?

We can start by:

1. Removing any preconceived notions of others. In God's eyes, we are all the same. Don't let others' backgrounds get in the way of establishing a genuine relationship.
2. Surrendering to God's purpose, rather than promoting our own. Begin to seek God's will every day. His plans for you involve operating within the body of Christ. Ask Him to give you the willingness and the ability to create meaningful relationships and work toward a common goal.
3. Appreciating diverse styles of life. God created all of us with different personalities, different quirks, and even different styles of worship. Don't expect everyone to behave exactly like you.

Remember, without diversity, unity is meaningless. It's easy to portray a Christ-like example of unity with those who share the same backgrounds and similar views, but we are called to establish that unity with all believers. It's time to step up, be the Church, and unite our town, our nation, and our world.