The Bond of Peace

". . . endeavoring to keep the unity

of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Ephesians 4:3

A church split over where they would construct their new building. One group in the controversy withdrew to form a new congregation. They called themselves Unity Church. They may have been guilty of false advertising. Years later, both churches had few members. They needed to combine to survive, but instead, they renewed their argument. This time it was over which building to vacate. The end result was both churches closed. It wasn't really about having enough members to pay the bills, rather, it was about "endeavoring to keep the unity."

The apostle Paul encouraged Christians "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." He wrote at a time when Jews and Gentiles were deeply divided in the culture. Yet, in Christ there should always be a unity in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who reveals Christ to us through the Holy Scripture is the same Holy Spirit who always leads us to endeavor to keep unity in the bond of peace among the people of God. To cause division among believers in Christ is to grieve and sin against God's Spirit.

Two church members had a bitter disagreement. They were both respected by many people in the church. Members chose sides either for one or the other. Their disagreement spread to division in the congregation. For years the bitter division hindered the atmosphere and ministry of the church.

One of the men became deathly ill. He sought to reconcile with the other man. They put their differences behind them. The church experienced a renewal in the Spirit of God's love. The man who was so ill recovered. Most of all, the church became an effective witness in the community, through the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Father, may the bond of peace give Your people unity in Christ.