unity as one

For the body does not consist of one member but of many.

1 Corinthians 12:14

Jesus intended His church to lovingly exhibit unity in a union. Many people/parts are created by Jesus into one church/body. That principle should be celebrated in earnest EVERY time Christians gather… especially these days. We are one in faith. We are one in worship. We are one in prayer. We are one in praises. We are one in the gospel. We are one as we put ourselves under scripture’s authority in the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.

This is all true in a Sunday worship gathering. It is also to be true throughout our weeks as we gather in small groups, for fellowship and accountability, for encouragement and counsel, or for mentoring and instruction. Christians should agree around Christ, the gospel, the unity of God’s Spirit, and should enjoy the bond that ties us together: the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. This should be our daily life together.

The last decade, with the explosion of individual digital expression and content, online “communities” of every stripe, and social media, that principle of union has been challenged. In many cases, Christian unity has been shattered. It breaks my heart to see how the Church, the Body of Christ, has been broken by this, especially over the last six years with contentious politics a hallmark of our culture. Believe me, the irony of me writing about this on a blog is not lost on me. But I would say these things face to face! And besides, for the three of you who actually read this blog, I doubt you will disagree. I wish Christians would somehow literally “share the hell” out of this truth of unity so hearts would change. But honestly, sharing or liking this post won’t really get to the heart of the issue.

You see, Christians have judged each other and fractured the body of Christ over political opinions, health decisions, educational choices, and personal preferences on a wide variety of personal and societal concerns. Unfriending isn’t just digital anymore. The beauty of one body from many parts is being lost, and it is tragic.

As I see it, here is a novel solution, one I have committed to: Refuse to believe that digital and social media communications are REALLY the sum of any person! Yeah… don’t be deceived by the devil’s divisive digital strategy. It is tempting to think just because someone’s thoughts were converted to ones and zeros by a computer program, transmitted ethereally through what seems a spiritual void known as the Internet, then pushed into pixels by another program into photos or sentences on your own personal  electronic screen, that  somehow we have the true picture of who they are. We get possessive about our digital devices, as if someone intruded with a direct thought into our brains. No, they put something on the internet that you saw. You did not see them or know them completely by that experience. You see what we really have is a profound digital distance from the person, and NOT THE PERSON THEMSELF! Get that, OK? All that digital distance makes it way too easy to judge and then decide what we will think about a person. Christians, that is bad form. I dare say, it is evil and divisive. Refuse it. Just say no to your judgmental tendency and scroll down. Heed the call to pursue in-person connection instead. Refuse to do hours a day of digital diversion ABOUT people and instead commit to hours WITH people. And then you will begin to be a part of the design Jesus has for His Church.