UNITY – Ephesians 4-6
Unity in the Spirit is an inward attitude towards life and the purposes of Christ in our heart. God exists in unity. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, while each holding a specific office, move in perfect union. God beckons the earthly pilgrim to join that perfect union through Christ. Paul, as a royal courtier of sorts, teaches us how to approach the Trinity. In the Ephesians passage, he tells us how we must act and how we must live to come into unity with the Spirit of God. We are admonished to lay aside the shroud of darkness in which we once dwelled and take up the garments offered to us by our Lord which were created in righteousness and truth. It is only through this familiarity that we can experience the fullness of the God-head.
Later in this passage Paul again brings us to a purposeful unity in the home. He has shown us the benefits and purpose of unity with God, but now he indicates that unity must also dwell in the home. Husbands must love their wives, wives must respect their husbands. Paul shares the deepest personal needs of husbands and wives. The husband must know and feel his wife’s respect. He must be aware that she trusts him as the spiritual priest of the home. The wife must recognize that the husband loves her above all others. He must offer her the true love of his heart. The Apostle then speaks to parents. Parents must not provoke their children, but love them through godly discipline. Rules without relationship will lead to rebellion but righteousness can save a child. We are encouraged by Paul to build relationships with our children through the guidance of godly discipline which will show them how much we love them.
Paul has shared with us the purpose of unity in the Spirit and unity in the home, but he also speaks to unity in the church. In the Ephesians passage Paul gives us an understanding of what it truly means to have unity in the church. He admonishes the church to be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). It is here that we see unity is not a super spiritual phenomenon bestowed by an act of divine grace, but it is a purpose and a work of the church. While the Spirit certainly interacts and directs the affairs of the body of Christ, Paul admonishes the church that one of its purposes is to peacefully preserve unity. Without unity the church degenerates into a mere social club, but with unity the power of the gospel comes alive through the people of God and speaks to the hearts of men.
The Ephesians passage speaks to us about the biblical understanding of leadership. It is borne out of Christ’s statement in Matthew 22 where He says that we are to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves. First we must have a right relationship with God. Christ must be at the center of who we are and our purposes in life. Second our significant others, or “near ones” are to be objects of our affections as well. Loving God, loving self and loving others, or in other words unity in the Spirit, unity in the home and unity in the church, initiates godly leadership.
In the Old Testament the Psalmist David points us to a similar understanding in Psalm 15. This passage is particularly noteworthy to those who would strive for Christian leadership. The Psalmist asks who may abide in the tent of the Lord. The first question we may ask is about the tent of the Lord itself. It is here that the figurative comes into play. The tent of the Lord does not describe a limited fabric structure, but metaphorically points us to those who are under the sovereign care of the Almighty. David tells us that those who dwell in the tent of the Lord are those who act with integrity and put others needs above their own. Like the Ephesians and Matthew passages, the Psalter here points us to unity with the Lord and with others.
Practically, these passages paint with broad strokes. They give us godly principles to live by. They are milestones which lead us on a focused pilgrimage with the Lord. First, there is the understanding that my life with God affects all that I am. Second, my life with my family affects all that I want to be. Thirdly, my life in the church affects all that I want to do. Integrity of heart must be maintained in all three areas to create a harmony of purpose in Christ. Recently, a dear brother from Sierra Leone contacted me to share of a need. It was of a personal nature for his two young children. If I would have only helped by giving some money and leaving it at that, the integrity of my relationship with him and with the Lord would have suffered. It was necessary that I continue to share in his need and continue to build him up in the faith. Had I left him with only money, he may have discerned that I was wealthy, but did not really care. However, by sharing in his need, and letting him know by consistent dialogue that I truly cared- I was able to build unity with God, unity with someone significant in my own life as well as unity in the church.
Leadership is so much more that high position, vision casting or administrating programs. It is building meaningful lasting relationships that impact the kingdom and bring others into the tent of the Lord. By tenaciously pursuing unity in the Spirit, in the home, and in the church we are able to minister broadly, yet particularly to those who are in desperate need of a deep relationship with God. Jesus, David and Paul all call us to build our integrity in ministry through unity in Christ.