UNITY

by Philip Davidson

This past Wednesday evening at our mid-week Bible study service, Brother Mitchell Parham taught from Psalm 133. Something said this night caused your editor to consider the magnitude of the sentiment taught in this Psalm.

Psalm 133, thought to be authored by David, is in deed a message of unity. I want us to concentrate on this one verse; not to make minimal the other two verses, but to place the emphasis of this verse in our lives.

In verse one we read, "Behold, how good and how pleasant It is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

Good and Pleasant

How many things do we consider to be "good" and "pleasant." There's a lot in the world today that is neither good nor pleasant. Television and movies, radio, immodest apparel, dance/night clubs, behavior, parenting, etc. These are all things I think we can agree that are not good or have fallen in their pleasantness. We can no longer trust what we see on TV or hear on our radios to be clean and decent. We cannot walk down the street or the halls of our schools without seeing someone dressed immodestly. You can see where I am going; Burger King (no jokes please). In 1974, Burger King made famous the slogan, "Have It Your Way." In 2004 it was revived. It worked with older and newer generations. They're right. Thirty-five years has not changed much. The idea that "I am going to do what feels good to me, and I am going to say and do what pleases me or makes me look good to you" still abounds and is ubiquitous.

Even in the Church of our Lord, there is WAY too much infighting and division as a result of pride and personal gain. We want what we want, how and when we want it. This is not Good…definitely isn’t pleasant.

Dwelling Together in Unity

Infighting and division because of pride and personal gain is not good and pleasant because it does not edify the Lord's Church. It's unproductive. It's unbecoming. It’s sad. It’s hurtful. IT’S A SIN.

It is why Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 1:10 that there is not to be any divisions or schisms in the Church.

"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

Four points that Brother Parham brought out that I want to expound upon.

1.) Unity of speech. The apostle Paul said that "ye all speak the same thing". In the Church, if we are all saying the same thing, we are unified. There is no hearsay. There is no "riding the fence." There is no way to catch us in a moral trap.

2.) Unity of organization. Paul said that "there be no divisions among you". If we are ONE congregation, speaking ONE thing and all the other congregations are doing the same, we are unified. We are organized. In the local congregation, if we divide on issues, we are unorganized and have split the local body of Christ.

3.) Unity of heart. Next Paul said to "be perfectly joined together in the same mind". If we are ONE, we think the same things. When one hurts, we all hurt. When one rejoices, we all rejoice. Close earthly brothers and sisters can sometimes read each other's thoughts or finish each other's sentences; they have a close enough relationship. If our relationship is like it should be with our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord, we will know how our brothers or sisters will answer or react in certain situations. We know because we think alike.

4.) Unity of judgment. Finally Paul says to be "in the same judgment". If we are ONE, we put on the same, unified front. We righteously judge one another. We have the same, steadfast convictions. We strive to serve God. This pours out into our daily lives and the world around us sees this. There is no exception. Not one person deviates.

In conclusion, if we are unified, life is indeed good and life is pleasant. There is no constriction. There is no resistance. There is no walking on eggshells. There is no strife. We are confident. We live our lives with purpose. We are steadfast. We are zealous to good works. We build up and edify. We agree. We LOVE! We ARE brother and sister! We live to serve God.