
The Power of Unity
By Don Vess
Today is Pentecost Sunday, the day when the Church received the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 24:49 — Jesus told His disciples:
“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with
Acts 2:1–4 (NKJV)
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty
3 Then there appeared to them divided
4 And they were
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Powerful things happen when the Church comes together in one accord—in
Even ungodly people can accomplish great things when they unite:
Genesis 11:6 (NASB)
And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do; now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.”
The people of Babylon had lofty ideas. They purposed to build a great city and a tower to prevent being scattered across the face of the earth. But God thwarted their plans—because He never intended for mankind to stay huddled in one place. He had told Noah and his descendants to “go and populate the earth.” So He confused their language and scattered them.
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How does the devil scatter God’s people?
The same way—through miscommunication that causes misunderstanding, leading to
In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy demands that Linus change the TV channel, threatening him with her fist if he doesn’t.
“What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus.
“These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually, they’re nothing—but when I curl them together into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.”
“Which channel do you want?” asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?”
Paul says pretty much the same thing when he defines the body of Christ:
1 Corinthians 12:12
The body is a
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I’m not talking about just getting a bunch of people together. That’s not unity.
Unity is when we align together in thought and purpose. That is a beautiful thing.
There can be union without unity—tie two cats together by their tails and throw them over a clothesline. 😬
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Nothing is more
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are perfect examples of perfect unity. They are three distinct persons, yet they are one.
We can also be distinct in how God made us, with different gifts and talents, but when we align our purposes with God’s, we become one.
Jesus prayed for His disciples in John 17. He didn’t pray that they become powerful together, or more knowledgeable, or wiser. Instead, He prayed:
John 17:21
“…that they may all be one; even 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 sent Me.”
Paul wrote to the church in Corinth:
1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)
I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in
Paul was helping this young church get their act together and work toward one united goal—the purpose of Christ.
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I took the same passage in 1 Corinthians and “exegeted” it—broke it down with the original Greek meanings:
I appeal to you (parakaleo: to ask, beg, urge, plead), brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another (lego: to say, tell, ask, answer. And autos: he, she, it, the same one), that there be no division (schisma: tear, split, division) among you, and that you be perfectly united (katartizo: to restore, put in order, mend; to make complete, train, prepare, ordain)… WOW!
In mind (nous: thinking, understanding, insight) and thought (gnome: purpose, resolve, judgment, consent).
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I am thankful that God has given us a body of believers who have stayed in unity on this journey.
So many people have asked, “How did you do what you’ve done with so few people?”
It’s simple—UNITY!
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We must not only strive to achieve unity, but also strive to keep it.
Paul writes:
Ephesians 4:1–6 (NIV)
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Then he tells them how to do it:
1. Be completely
2. Be
3. Be
4. Be
Romans 12:3 (NLT)
Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
Galatians 6:2–3 (NLT)
Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself.
You are not that important.
Sometimes we must reach deep into the bowels of grace and just “put up with” people in our lives.
Some have described abrasive people as “spiritual sandpaper”—sent to knock the rough edges off of us. That could be true!
Paul says, “Bear with them in love.” Only love gives us that ability!
Colossians 3:12–15 (NKJV)
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
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Paul continues:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
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There’s so much we can do together that we could never do alone. We’ve already tasted that!
We must protect unity!
Strive for it!
Pray for it!
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A mouse was hitching a ride on the back of a huge African elephant. When they came to a swinging bridge over a deep chasm, the elephant carefully crossed with the mouse holding on for dear life. When they reached the other side, the mouse ran up to the elephant’s ear and said:
“Boy, we sure shook that thing, didn’t we?!”
That’s unity. It doesn’t matter who gets the credit—as long as we fulfill our destiny together.
We are steadily shaking things up!
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I want to encourage you: FIGHT for unity! STRIVE for it! ENDEAVOR to keep it!
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Closing: Prayer for Healing of Broken Relationships and Unity in Families, the Church, etc.
(Also, have prayer for the sick.)