There are two kinds of initiatives for unity in the Body of Christ. One is unity by human efforts and errors, and there is unity by the Spirit. Sought out, prayed through by all no matter what theological position one has. Unfortunately, it seems as just what is happening in the political world of polarisation and division is happening in the Church.

I have been alarmed by the level of sickness and death from sickness in God’s people. I wondered and have prayed about this for years and can only come to one conclusion that the power of unity of Psalm 133 is not present because we have no desire to heal old schisms. There continues to this day the proliferation of independent churches that align not to a denomination, yet there stands to be over 40 thousand of these. The tendency in disagreement is to break off.

When we come to the first disagreement in Acts 15, of the Early Church, division was avoided by the wisdom sought out to include the Gentiles as the evidence of what God was doing in them. They were able to recognise, discern and accept that God accepted them all in Christ. So recognising that they had not come into covenant with God by any other means than Grace by faith they could not bring a condition from another covenant that did not include them as those old covenants were exclusive to Israel. Division was avoided.

The “breakdown” in unity in the Body could have a consequence in the unity of our own bodies being that Paul alludes to the Church being Christ’s Body . How can organs be at war with each other? How can a body be at war with itself can be expected to heal others? When a cancer of disunity reigns within its members? Could the death of sick leaders be a sign of our disunity??? Could this be our wake-up call to repentance and seeking out our Spirit of unity?? I believe so. May we pray and seek God on this issue.