For Sunday July 31, 2022:
THE ONENESS FACTOR
1 Corinthians 12:13 (NKJV)
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks,
whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
Not everyone has the privilege of attending a large family reunion. Many families are widely dispersed and have lost touch with one another. But when large families get together and meet distant cousins, they have no trouble bonding. Why? Because they share a common heritage.
Strangers in the body of Christ should be that way—distant spiritual cousins who bond immediately. After all, we have “one body and one Spirit … one hope … one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:4–6). Unfortunately, Christians too often stick to their own “families”—Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and so on. The world looks at the body of Christ and wonders why we can’t seem to get along better than we do. The early church, in its pre-denominational days, was known for its oneness and unity. They are characteristics every Christian should work hard to restore to Christ’s body.
When you meet Christians who are strangers, give them the right hand of fellowship. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a taste of eternal unity right here on earth.
Unity is the essence of the body of Christ.
R. B. KUIPER
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 