Unity Equals Behavior

Eph 4:1-3
4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Listen to these 5 scenarios & answer these questions to discover your own level in “unity” within your local church.
1. The department you are involved in at church is going on a field trip to a state park. You’re not a nature lover; do you go with your department or stay home?
2. Your pastor is pulling on the congregation for more demonstrative worship; do you join the others in the aisle, or up front, or decide God knows the sincerity of your heart & remain worshipping at your seat?
3. You are a member of the outreach team and you’re going with them to pass out tracts in the park, do you ride with the group in the van, or take your own vehicle?
4. A leader in the pulpit has just announced something that causes a big bulk of people to show excitement by clapping, shouting, some are even standing; do you join the raucous even though you have no idea why they’re so happy, or do you sit back, staring in shock at all the crazy loons?
5. The department you are involved in at church is going on a field trip to ANOTHER state park. You’re STILL not a nature lover; do you go with your department or stay home?

If you are like me, you answered that you prefer to stay home, that God knows the sincerity of your heart, that your own vehicle is, in fact, a gift from God, and the crazy people acting all excited about, God knows what, can sure keep up the show, its entertaining! And you’re STILL allergic to nature, and the leader KNOWS you prefer AC, & tile… Come on!

I didn’t say I DID those things, I said its what I preferred. It is truly the opinion & thoughts that run through my head. As a matter of fact, the older I get the more I want my own way… But by being in a leadership position at my church I see the affect my desired behavior would have on a group, and I really feel the burn particularly when I am not the decision-maker of the group.
When Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus it was not happenstance that he used the word, “Endeavor” in connection with the word, “unity”.
Dictionary.com tells me that “Endeavor” means:
1. to exert oneself to do or effect something; make an effort; strive.
2. to attempt; try
3. a strenuous effort
When I see people cheering in a sports arena, there doesn’t seem to be any “exerting” going on, or “strenuous effort”. Team spirit seems so easy! But… Oh, yeah. I forgot that cheerleaders exist for a reason. Even game attendees need a little reminding to get their act “together”. You see, there is no “spirit of unity” until there is a BEHAVIOR of unity. You may smile with pride when someone says, “Your church has so much unity!” But if YOU, PERSONALLY have not been exhibiting a pattern of behavior consistent with unity, that compliment does not belong to you, neither can you soothe your conscience because you’re a “member” of said unified congregation.

Believe me when I say “I know the feeling…” I’d like to tell you how much I dislike riding with a group on a bus or van, but I’m not gonna take the time. I don’t even like carpooling with anyone but my family! Why? Because I feel the need to have the freedom to choose the restaurant that better suits my diet instead of some of the greasy spoons the group prefers. On & on I could go telling you my preferences that seem so out of tune with the group’s plan. But personal preference is NOT what unity built on. Unity is ALL about the opposite of “me & my needs”. The foundation of unity is described in verse 2 as being “lowly”, “meek”, and “longsuffering”. To really be “in unity” requires SERIOUS selflessness.

The real irritating part about unity for me is not being able to fully understand how it all works. Really, how can something like riding in the same vehicle be unity? Why does it matter? Why does it matter if I join in a cheer that I know nothing about? So, I’ve come to this conclusion; I can’t pinpoint exactly HOW it matters, I just know that somehow it does. And furthermore, the end result is worth the selfless acts of unifying myself. Because even though with my limited brainpower I don’t understand HOW it works, I know that the memories made on those trips when I’d preferred a different restaurant but chose to bite the bullet & ride on the bus are lifelong memories that outweigh what I was feeling at the time. Furthermore I feel a closeness & bond with those people because of the experience. I know that the times I’ve jumped up with the rest of the church clapping and howling in complete ignorance was actually fun and I found out later what I was cheering about! The end result of unity is always rewarding & even spiritually powerful!
Look at some examples in the Bible of stories showing how unity brought either rewarding or tragic results:
In Gen. 11:6, even God determined that HE HIMSELF could not stop a unified people from building a tower.
Because the 10 spies were so unified in their DOUBT God could not bring the children of Israel into their promised land, Numbers 13:32.
A jail with guards could not hold a unified Paul & Silas in Acts 16:26.
A starving Israel was saved by the unity of Jonathan & his armor bearer in 1 Sam. 14:6, 13.
Nothing of real substance can be done without unity. Your pastor needs you to unify. Your department needs you to unify. Your God needs you to unify. And don’t kid yourself, Unity equals behavior.

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