DEVOTION – DAY 226

1 Corinthians 1:10 “Appeal For Unity”

 

1 Cor. 1:10 “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

 

At the time when Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, the church was divided over its leaders. There were disagreements amongst the church members and thus, Paul wrote to appeal to them to remain united. Unity was important for every church. The Church was the body of believers in Christ. There is unity in the Trinity. Jesus is in unison with God, the Father and with the Holy Spirit. In fact, just before Jesus was arrested, He prayed for all believers in John 17:22-23 “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity.” This was part of Jesus’ prayer for His Church.  

 

So, when there is disunity in church, it brings dishonor to the Lord. It disrupts the growth of the church because members can no longer work with each other. Non- believers looking at the disunity will think the church is no different from the rest of the world. There will be no desire to join the church. Disunity amongst church members is against God’s Will. Sadly, the problem in the Corinthian church can be seen in some churches today.

 

Some churches split because there are disagreements over the use of church funds. Some churches split when certain Pastors leave their churches. Some churches have disagreements over the style of worship, over their building programs, and so on. When disagreements happen, it is a bad witness to the Lord. In order to overcome this, Paul urges us to be united in the name of the Lord – that means to focus on what we do have in common. We share the same Bible, the same instructions from God that would help us resolve differences in a Godly manner. We share the same Lord, the same faith, the same hope in Christ. We have a lot more in common with believers than we have differences with each other.

 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding us of your command to us to remain united. Please help us to focus on what bind us together and never allow minor differences to disrupt the unity of your Church. We humbly pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. What are some areas that churches sometimes face disunity over?
  2. How have such disagreements affected their unity? How was it resolved? What impact did it have on outsiders looking in?
  3. How should disagreements within the church be resolved? Discuss.
  4. How do you safeguard your church from getting caught up in disagreements? Discuss.