Unity (part II)

By Odon Bulamba (summary only)

Acts 2:44-46, all the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.

The Bible doesn’t say that these Christians shared negative things. They shared good things among themselves. Sharing doesn’t mean to collect information like a journalist does, that’s to inform. When you have something in your heart or a problem that is important for the glory of God, you have to show it to others. A man shared with me that he had been married for seven years, and only once was his wife satisfied. Personally I thought it was useless for me to know that, but he thought it was good.

If Michael tells me he has a problem and needs God in his life, I’ll go to others and ask them to pray for Michael, this is what the Bible says about sharing. Sharing is not about telling Michael that you saw Oscar with a girl in town, the glory of God is not in this, sharing means to glorify God with a situation.

Another way of destroying unity is through pride, if you minimise anybody and think you have more knowledge then others, woe to you. If you can recognise that your primary school teacher contributed to you becoming a minister or doctor, this thought will help you to respect others and not despise them, this is an example of unity.

Example: Michelle came to Jesus through Michael and Sylvie, and lets say that Michelle became more powerful than them, Michelle cannot minimise them because she may have a gift, which is higher. Why do we respect Jesus when we are doing greater things than He? Although Michelle can be more powerful than Michael and Sylvie, she has to recognise that they contributed to her spiritual life.

The Bible says that the first church use to meet and eat together in the temple with joy, so do we have joy among us or is it just flattery? Flattery is not from God. If we are not able to have that joy among us it will be hard for God to work among us. If something is wrong go to your brother and find a solution, don’t complain to others about Peter. Even though Peter maybe nasty, he will not beat you. Accept it when someone comes to you with a problem, it may be right, it may be wrong, but whatever it is accept it. It is a grace when people advise you. If someone says you are a liar and you can’t accept it, we will never build unity.

God has called us to repentance; if someone advises you to change your ways don’t justify yourself, just accept it and repent. If you have a problem with your brother, deal with it so you can be free, because if you keep it in your heart you will run away, and God never works with sinners.

Galatians 4:1-4. If someone is in a sin you have to help that person, it is not a time to criticise or judge them or show them they are less holy then you. We must help them with kindness. What is a burden? A burden can be a spiritual problem that you may have, and sometimes it can be transformed into a physical problem. It can be a sin, it can be a blessing or curse; this is a burden. If people refuse your correction after so many attempts, leave that person and wipe the dust off your feet. If there is no love among the brothers you cannot love God, you can pretend to love but when there is no joy we are wasting our time, because we will never grow.

SUMMARY

- In order to be in unity we must remove pride
- We must accept the advice of others
- We must remember what others have done for us
- We must share only information that will glorify God
- We must not judge or complain about others but talk to them in private and help them

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