As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3 New International Version 

You can see how emphatic the Apostle Paul is about unity amongst believers. He told the Ephesians that they are diligent in keeping the unity they have in Christ through the bond of peace.

The Greek word for bond is syndesmos. It refers to the supporting ligament that holds a joint together. In other words, a strong Christian communal life comes from how well we love and work together. We know that this is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit in each one of us.

We need to learn how to set aside our differences and find strength in our diversity. Sometimes we think unity is maintained by avoiding conflicts at all costs and in doing so we are allowing important issues to go unresolved. In fact, the toxicity of unheard voices and unresolved conflicts kills unity. The truth is we must not just go through conflicts; we must grow through conflicts.

For example, the rising tensions over COVID vaccines are causing much grief and misery for believers as well as many others. Whichever side we sit on, it is needful to ask the Spirit to lead us so that we can truly live out a life of love towards God and our neighbours so that the name of Christ is exalted.

Be mindful that the Enemy wants to make use of this pandemic to sow seeds of disunity and division and thus threatenå our unity in faith and love.

We need to repent if our words and actions were less ideal than what the gospel said to do. Pray to God for help because His power is made perfect in our weakness. And value and treat each other with humility, honour and mutual respect.

Though situations and people may get frustrating and difficult, we always choose to love and continue to love. Remember God will make all things beautiful in His time. What is needed is for us to join our voices and hearts to ask Him to shine His face on us and show His favour to us. Instead of feeling dread and trepidation, I believe in this hour we are in, it will be our brightest moment as a church.