I wanted to read this book as I sense the topic of REAL unity is so relevant for the church at large. We can’t have “unity” on faulty foundations.
I’m thankful Chan concurs. Below are excerpts from his new book “Until Unity”
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
~Ephesians 4:11-16
Jesus was tortured on the cross to appease the wrath of God. Does that truth still move you?
The ones who escape the wrath of God are the ones who “sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” The seal was reserved for those whose hearts matched God’s in sighing and groaning over sins surrounding them.
A God who slips into a person without causing any noticeable effect does not sound like a God worth worshipping.
Paul tells the Corinthian church that division in their case was inevitable because some of them were fake. The genuine believers were bound to stand out. 1 Cor 11: 18-19
They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 1 John 2:19
The Fellowship of the Lukewarm.
As long as we believe there is such a thing as lukewarm believers, we will never have unity. I’ll say it again: Lukewarm people are not Christian!
The unsurrendered will always be at odds with the Christ followers, lobbying for their sins to be overlooked and fighting for their own desires in ungodly ways.
Lukewarm people can fellowship just fine with other lukewarm people. They can sit around comforting each other about their sins. They find common ground in judging the radicals who dare think that Christ calls everyone to deny themselves and take up their crosses. They can even rally together against those who still believe that the commands of Scripture are still valid today.
True believers can have unity and the lukewarm people who insist on calling themselves Christian can have unity. The problem is when they try to crossbreed. Those who have been persecuted will have an impossible time trying to fellowship with those who believe the gospel should always bring prosperity. Those who love purity can never have peace with those who are constantly saying things like “I’m sure God doesn’t mind if….” Those who put themselves at risk for the gospel will never understand the people who beg them not to.
When Zacchaeus tries to interject, sharing some of experience and why he believes Jesus is worth everything, he is labeled a radical and maybe even considered self-righteous.
If they are not following the same Lord, they cannot walk together.
Jesus did not give any room for a Christian who accepts Him as Savior but is still deciding whether or not He can be Lord. We’ve created a category of “Christians” that doesn’t exist. The true believer must acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
However, I do believe there are many people in churches who do not truly follow Jesus and with them there can be no unity. It’s our job to lovingly confront them and call them higher. But if they remain unchanged, it is never our responsibility to lower the bar in the name of unity.
People began questioning whether God’s wrath could coexist with His grace and love. This departure from an orthodox view of Hell comforted many Christians because it was more congruent with their lifestyles. So rather than adjusting our lives, we adjust our theology.
Despite the Enemy’s best attempts, there is still a decent sized remnant of those who, as Paul puts it, know the “fear of the Lord” and “persuade others.”
Unity is a byproduct of mission. (I love thinking of this is in the context of marriage. Of course, you need to marry a believer but not just that…..they have to be equally yoked. Same mission.)
Something is horrible wrong when we grieve more deeply over people rejecting us than those who reject their Messiah.
…it is never appropriate to modify God’s commands in light of human reasoning.
He has not asked us to strategize, He has asked us to obey.
Choosing God’s method will not grant you a big following-in fact, it will probably cause people to leave. But I don’t want you to make the mistake that Saul did and under pressure began to panic and switch to another method. If Saul had waited a few more hours, he might have lost a few followers but he could have kept the favor of the Lord.
Look for someone’s life whose way of life is worthy of imitation, and follow that person as he or she follows Christ.
Christ made right decisions based on right priorities and it resulted in fewer followers.
Our highest goal can’t be keeping people around. We can’t compromise on discipleship.
Because love rejoices with the truth (1 Cor 13:6) mature love will include zeal for doctrinal truth.
Is it possible to value theology, hate sin and fight for unity? The people who want unity often have a “can’t we all just get along?” attitude that downplays the seriousness of good theology and a holy lifestyle.
Doctrinal precision on primary issues is vital. Paul said that anyone preaching a different gospel should be cursed. (Gal 1:8)
We are talking about key gospel truths here, more in line with Paul’s “know(ing) nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” than with beliefs about end times or the correct usage of spiritual gifts or social reform or the mode of baptism or the precise nature of the Lord’s supper.”
We can’t be soft on truth.
….our goal is to walk as Jesus walked. This means there is a time to speak boldly. When God’s people are mistreated or God’s house is being denigrated, staying silent becomes sinful.
We will never have the unity that God wants of His Bride if we allow certain people to remain in our circle. Far being from a loveless act, the church’s love is dependent on its ability to challenge errant theology, confront unrepentant sin and remove those who cause unnecessary divisions.
Paul clearly commands us to judge people who calls themselves “brother.”
I would just encourage you to consider the possibility that though your position is currently most popular, it might not be most biblical. A general practice in my life is that whenever my methodology differs from that of Christ, I assume His method is better.
If you dare stand up for someone being bullied, you run the risk of being the next target.
But then comes the knockout punch: the people who were supposed to be in their corner take a swing.
….we need people in the Body with the courage to fight for truth, even though we will all make mistakes doing so. Thank God for people who still care about absolute truth in an age where anything goes.
We are commanded to “bless those who curse you.” (Luke 6:28)
Don’t stop preaching and don’t become soft in your preaching.
It will be worth it one day.
“Some of you are preaching for the absence of criticism rather than the presence of the Holy Spirit.”
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
I don’t want to quench anyone’s passion. People do this to me, and it is annoying. You step out in faith only to be met with Christians who try to calm you down rather than help.
“Move with the movers”
As God blesses the faith of a few, others will join.
He showed me how the prophets didn’t have lofty goals like “I’m gonna lead the masses” but strove only to be faithful to whatever God called them to. Think of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and others: their ambition was to follow directions.
It’s rare to meet people who have the ambition to be hated and mistreated like Christ and the prophets. It’s rare to find someone whose ambition is to suffer and die like the apostles.
It’s usually the people who aren’t thinking about the masses who actually reach the masses.
The older I get, the less I think about what others have said about me and the more I think about what Jesus will say to me. Take some time to consider what will matter to you on that Final Day. This is what motivates me to makes some of the hardest decisions of my life.
Spirit filled people have a “reverence for Christ.”
