I've been reading Eric's blog, and everytime I hear about these accounts of bigotry and hypocrisy within the church, it scares me because it could just as well be happening to me.

I often wonder what the reaction would be if issues of homosexuality were brought up in the church. Where would the divide be? It'd be interesting and frightening at the same time to see which side people would gravitate towards.

I'm still struggling with the question of where I stand in this homosexuality-and-the-church gap. But regardless of what I am or where I stand, it shouldn't matter, just as long as we're all connected through Christ. If I am struggling with the issue of being gay, why should it make me different from someone else struggling with an ostensibly "lesser" problem?

Anyway, back to Eric's blog. Two posts in particular (this one and this one) reminded me of a sermon on unity that I heard on Sunday. It was called "UNITY starts with U N I". In the sermon, the pastor said that the issue of disunity in the church had nothing to do with differences per se; it was all about indifference, i.e. simply not caring.

A Christian doctor was quoted as saying,

"Disunity is like cancer. It occurs when normal, healthy body cells turn into rogue cells, that no longer function in their called capacity. They become so fiercely independent that they become parasitic. It is the body consuming itself, a sort of cannibalism."

In order to be united, we need to be committed to one another in love and on the basis of personal relationships. In community, we learn to say WE instead of I, and OUR instead of mine (Romans 14:19). In commitment, there must be:

1. EFFORT. Ephesians 4:3 (CEV) - "Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace."
2. ACCEPTANCE. Romans 15:7 (GNB) - "Accept one another, then, for the glory of God, as Christ has accepted you."
3. TOLERANCE. Ephesians 4:2 (NIV) - "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
4. SELFLESSNESS. Philippians 2:3&4 (GNB) - "Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves. And look out for one another's interests, not just for your own."
   

Only God can create real fellowship between believers. He cultivates it with the choices and commitments we make. But we must also do our part-- We must guard our unity (Romans 12:10&11). All of us have to play our part.

Unity does not mean doing the same things, getting everyone involved in the same projects or ministries. Here's the clincher-- It's about loving and trusting enough to accept, affirm and bless one another in pursuing the full range of callings God lays on the hearts of His people. It is essentially a ONENESS in Spirit!