Psalm 133:1 is very familiar to most of us!
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
I found something very interesting in my study today! We are told that it is a very good thing for brethren, which in our case, would be born again believers, to dwell together in unity. The idea of dwelling together means that we sit down together as a unit! What is the unit that we have in common? The Body of Christ! Look at 1 Corinthians 12:12-27a:
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. ESV
Do you see that we are not SUPPOSED to be alike? The ONLY think that we MUST be the same on is our SOURCE! Look at Ephesians 4:3-7:
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. KJV
We MUST allow each other the space to look, think, speak and act differently, as long as we keep the ONE thing in common and that is the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible and the Gospel of Salvation through no other Name than the Name of Jesus (Acts 4:12)! I really like Ephesians 4:7 from the Amplified Bible:
7 Yet grace (God's unmerited favor) was given to each of us individually [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ's [rich and bounteous] gift. AMP
Individually MEANS in different ways, for we each have a different calling to get the job of the Ministry of Reconciliation accomplished in our world! The UNITY is JESUS! The GOSPEL is SIMPLE! The TIME is NOW! The LOST are WAITING! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "No Reason To Hide":
Shalom in Him!
