Ephesians 4:2-6

Do we truly love one another?

DEAR KY FAMILY,
As we begin this year, I am deeply convicted that we need to work towards greater UNITY.
Apostle Paul tells the church in Ephesus,

2Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. (Eph 4:2-4, NLT)

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. (Eph 4:5-6)

Last week, I shared about how we are exhorted by God to “make every effort” to keep in unity through the bond of peace. This is not about always agreeing with everything and everyone. Instead, unity means that we need to share the same humility, and adopt a Christ-like posture toward one another.
The Word spoke to me this week as I continued to meditate on this Scripture. I am convinced that unity is about relating to one another in LOVE, recognising that we are all part of the same Body brought together by the one Spirit of God who lives in each of us. While we can be very different as individuals – with different personalities, preferences, and experiences, we are to be humble and gentle, and bear with one another’s faults out of love. In fact, “unity in diversity” is a hallmark of Kum Yan Methodist Church.
CAC President Rev Lek gave a good definition of Unity: Unity is the Spirit-created oneness of believers in Christ that must be actively guarded through humble, peace-filled relationships.
I would say the reverse is also true. If we want to know whether or not our church Body is united, we need to look at the relationships we have with fellow Kum Yan folks. Are these relationships peace-filled? Do our interactions exhibit humility? Do we truly love one another?
The basis for unity is given to us in verses 5 and 6,

5There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

In other words, if we are all working towards fuller surrender to Christ each day, share one profession of faith in Jesus, confess Him as Lord over our lives, and acknowledge God as the Father of us all, then we have true and authentic unity. As in Christian marriage, as we all grow in spiritual maturity and intimacy with God, we will inevitably grow in oneness and unity of Spirit within the Body.
If there was any time to start on this, now is it. May this year be the year where each of us experiences deeper intimacy with God, and therefore also greater oneness with each other. Let us all be the most gentle and humble this year than we’ve been before, and let us bear one another up in love – that in all things, Christ may have the church He desires.