As Women of the Way, we seek unity in the Body of Christ as we focus on Who unites us rather than what divides us.
We are One Body with many parts. We are One Church with many voices.
Join me in welcoming Wanda Walker as she shares her voice on unity!
Greetings in the name of our Lord & Savior!
As I prayed about what to share for this blog, initially I focused on the topic of unity but as I prayed and studied the word, God gave me a different area to explore that is sometimes used when talking about unity and that is the word one. Unity and oneness sounds the same but there is a great difference between them.
Unity. It’s a word we often use in church, but what exactly does it mean to be unified with the people in your church, and how can you nurture this sense of unity? Each of us has a role to play, and each of us has much to gain from being part of a unified Christian community.
What is biblical unity?
- Does it mean that all God-fearing people get under one roof in one building, called a church by many, and worship together?
- Does biblical unity mean that all who claim to be Christian do everything together or the same things the same way?
- Does it mean that in spite of differing beliefs and/or opinions, whether religious or otherwise, Christians still worship and/or minister, and/or function together?
Unity is defined in Psalms 133:1 (KJV) “A Song of degrees of David. 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Unity is the coming together of people for a purpose. If we can achieve that it is a very good thing because God literarily commands the anointing and life when unity is achieved. Unity brings the oil and when the oil is supplied, we can do much exploits.
So, let’s talk about one or oneness for a minute.
One of my favorite Bible passages is found in John 17:20-23. Jesus is about to go to the garden where he will be arrested and subsequently crucified. Deep in prayer with His father, in verse 20 he shifts from praying for his disciples to praying for all believers. It reads:
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (NIV)
This passage shows Jesus’s heart for “the ones who will believe in me through their word.” In other words, He is praying for us … the believers who came to faith through the spreading of the Gospel after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
He speaks to his oneness with the Father. And notice his prayer is that we experience unity as well. Three times He speaks to his desire for us to be one. He wants us to be as unified with Him and with each other as he is with the Father – perfectly one. Imagine that.
The Father, Son, and Spirit are truly one. They exist in perfect, seamless unity. And perhaps part of the stumbling block we experience in picturing the perfect oneness of God is that it is beyond our comprehension to be in perfect unity with anyone.
When we talk about being on one accord, it is flowing in a spirit of oneness. When we are on one accord, we will see the power of God in many ways, like the church in the book of Acts.
The Bible uses the phrase one accord 17 times, 4 in the Old Testament and 13 in the New Testament. The majority of the references are in the book of Acts. Being one has crossed the entire metanarrative of Jesus – it’s important.
When you think of the word one, the first thing that comes to mind is a number or the concept of a single person or thing. This is the narrowest way of thinking about the concept of one. It is tied to a worldly assessment and does not carry much value.
Kingdom Math is so much better.
What is Kingdom Math? It is the opposite of the world’s expectations–to advance His kingdom using divine multiplication. In the world, 1+1=2, but in Kingdom Math, 1+1+1=1. The Father, Son & Holy Spirit = One Triune Body! The Bible says, that 1 can put 1,000 to flight and 2, 10,000, now that’s Kingdom Math!
Unity is about the coming together of people to achieve something but Oneness is the coming together of people to be something! This is where the great difference lies between unity and oneness.
Coming together to achieve something is not the same as coming together to be something. This hour calls for our coming together to be something more than just coming together to achieve something!!
Oneness is the power of God. It is the incorporation of more than one into a multi functioning one. If we are going to achieve oneness, it would be based on purpose, vision and relationship.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we must come together in oneness so that we can fulfill the mandate to build the Kingdom of God. God wants us to experience Kingdom math which happens when we are on one accord.
Peace and Blessings,
Wanda N. Walker is known by many titles, Mother, Nona (Grandmother), Deaconess, Chaplain, Intercessor,
Business owner, Retreat Leader, but the one that she cherishes most is Servant of the Most High God. In her professional
life she has been blessed to serve as an administrator in the nonprofit industry for over thirty years. This invaluable (and
AMAZING) experience gives Wanda the opportunity to mix her spiritual gifts and natural talents with her love for helping
women connect their passion with their purpose for the glory of God.