Unity in the Church

Opening Prayer: 

King of kings, Paul teaches us that our unity is Your creation, based on our reconciliation with You and with one another. This reconciliation has been accomplished through Your cross and when we live in unity and work in partnership we demonstrate the supernatural, counter-cultural power of the cross. But when we demonstrate our disunity through failure to partner together, we demean our mission and message, and deny Your power of the cross. Amen.

Reflection:

A divided Church has no message for a divided world. Our failure to live in reconciled unity is a major obstacle to authenticity and effectiveness in your mission.

We lament the dividedness and divisiveness of our churches and organizations. We deeply and urgently long for Christians to cultivate a spirit of grace and to be obedient to Paul’s command to ‘make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’

Closing Prayer: 

While we recognize that our deepest unity is spiritual, we long for greater recognition of the missional power of visible, practical, and earthly unity. So we pray for our Christian sisters and brothers worldwide, for the sake of our common witness and mission, to resist the temptation to split the body of Christ, and to seek the paths of reconciliation and restored unity wherever possible. Amen.

Ask God to pour out His Spirit to stir us with a vision for the gospel for every person and family.