Reflections: Finding unity around a shared goal

Earlier in May, the Evangelical Press Association held their annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The EPA is a professional organization of Christian publications, print and digital, plus freelance writers, designers and other creatives. While attending the conference, alongside publications staff and freelancers from across the U.S. as well as some from other countries, I thought a lot about a topic that has been around since the earliest days of the Church: Christian unity. 

Conference attendees represented different genres, formats and platforms, with various denominational backgrounds, but all with the same goal: building the Kingdom of God through published communication. Chatting with other attendees during meals and in breakout sessions, it was easy to find common ground and mutual encouragement, even if our backgrounds and creative talents differed widely, because of our shared faith. 

The Bible vividly illustrates the same principle. In four different Gospels, four different writers were inspired by God to tell the story of Jesus’ time on earth. Scholars have done more study than can be shared here, but briefly, Matthew appeals to Jewish-background believers; Mark focuses on Jesus’ compassionate actions; Luke, a physician, often gives more detail; and John takes a different approach to the historical events to show Jesus’ deity as the “Living Word.” Yet, the goal is the same, to lead readers to relationship with Him. 

The New Testament churches were obviously different, too. Some needed clarification as to which Old Testament laws still applied. Some had cultural struggles due to pagan backgrounds, or experienced more severe persecution. Jesus knew those differences would exist, yet his prayer before his Crucifixion was, “That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21, ESV). To help that happen, the Holy Spirit was given to all, regardless of background. 

The Apostle Paul encourages unity in his letters to the early Church. Colossians 3 urges virtuous living, listing love as the highest virtue because it “holds unity together” (NIV). Galatians 3:28 emphasizes that in Christ, barriers of race, social status and between male/female fall away. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “. . . Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (2:2, NIV); and reminded the Ephesians to “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other . . .. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace” (4:2-3, NIV). 

Peter also wrote to early Christians—and to us—to combine “unity of mind” with “brotherly love” (1 Peter 3, ESV). The concept did not originate with the New Testament, though, as Psalm 133 states, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” And the list could go on. 

Today, perhaps more than ever, our divided world, nation, communities and even families, desperately need the example of Christian unity. Just a quick glance at social media or daily news shows angry people, hurting people, arrogant people, all seeking to elevate their opinion above anyone else’s. We as Christians have the answer: Jesus. But do we always remember to show Him, through our unity, to others? I’ve included a lot of scripture references, and I encourage you to take some time to read them, thinking about the different contexts. 

Yes, we will differ in our favorite styles of worship music, preference for print or digital media, and more, but in the basics of faith, let’s make Jesus’ prayer a reality as we show Him to a hurting world.