Unity is a City

             Unity.  A fundamental idea in Christianity.  Easy enough to understand I think, and yet, not so easy to implement.  But this concept is worth every effort to pursue and perfect.  Unity is one of the most important tools to witness to a lost world.

            “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”  (John 17:20-21)

            Our oneness with Christ and one another is used to show the world that the Father sent Jesus.  Our unity is used to show that Jesus is God.  Our unity and love are a light in a dark place.  A training ground for loving a lost world.

            “You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)

            The church is a city on a hill.  A city is not made for one man.  A city cannot be built by one man.  We are only workers for the Grand Architect.  And our life’s mission is to build a city according to His design.

            The book of Nehemiah gives an autobiographical account of Nehemiah and his effort to rebuild the wall of the city of Jerusalem.  Chapter three is simple.  Its only aim is to list the names of those who repaired the wall and which section they repaired.  The reparation was not completed by one man.  A large group of people contributed to the completion.  Each built a different part.  But their goal was the same.  They were all there to build the wall.  They had unity.

            In chapter four they are faced with the threat of battle.  Nehemiah sets up protective measures.  He arms some of the workers and sets them on watch duty.  He prepares for battle.  And here’s where it gets interesting.  Nehemiah says, “The Lord will fight for us.”

            Nehemiah had faith that God was on their side and would fight for them.  And yet he still equipped his men with weaponry and prepared for battle.  Trust in God does not mean an idle sitting on of one’s hands while we wait for God to go to work.  There is a preparing of oneself and a readiness for upcoming battles even as we trust in God to be with us and to fight for us.

            What a strange and wonderful mystery that God doesn’t need us and yet wants to use us to build His kingdom.  This is a beautiful thing, but also a responsibility we cannot take lightly.  Unity takes work.  A lot of work.

I will say it again, one man cannot build a city.  But we get distracted far too easily and begin building our own kingdoms.  Often, we try to “serve” God while pushing our own agenda.

            “Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

            We need to make sure the kingdom we are trying to build is not of our making.  We need to make sure the blueprint we are following is the Grand Architect’s.  And then we need to be prepared to battle and build.  And build.  And build.

Unity is a city.  A city on a hill.  Designed by God and built through us.

          Let’s get to work.