I Will Be a Unifying Church Member

God desires for Christians to get along. In fact He is emphatic about it. Jesus was clear when He said: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) The world will know if we are Christians or not by the way we who are believers act toward one another. When you become a Christian, God expects you to be a part of His church. And when you become a part of His church, He expects you to be a unifying presence there. “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,” (Ephesians 4:1-2)

We have a responsibility as church members. We are to be a source of unity. We are never to be a divisive force. We are to love our fellow church members. And while that doesn’t mean we agree with everyone all the time, it does mean we are willing to sacrifice our own preferences to keep unity in your church.

I. Gossip and Other Negative Talk.

A. Gossip is bad. And gossip is destructive in your church.

being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; (Romans 1:29-31)

Few things can destroy the unity of a church like gossip. A unified church is powerful. Gossip tears apart that unity and renders a church powerless. James minced no words when he wrote about the negative power of the tongue: “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6)

So how should we respond to this issue of gossip in our church? First, don’t be a source of gossip. If you have any doubt whether something is gossip or not, don’t mention it. Keep your tongue under control. Second, if someone in the church begins to share gossip with you, gently rebuke him or her. You don’t have to be harsh in your response to them. Kindly say that you would rather not hear any gossip and you would hope it wouldn’t continue to spread. “For He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.” (1 Peter 3:10)

II. Forgiveness and Unity

A. Unity in the church will not happen if members have unforgiving hearts.

Too many times members have anger and hurt because of something another member has said or done. Some members are angry and hurt at the pastor and staff because of something they said or did or failed to do. Paul says it best in Colossians 3:12–14, as he spoke directly to the members of the church: 12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

Each local church is made up of imperfect members and imperfect pastors. We will make mistakes. We will all sin. Yes, we are all hypocrites. Church unity is torn apart when members refuse to forgive, when any member is too prideful to grant forgiveness. Remember, Christ loved us so much that He died on a cross to forgive us. And now, as He has forgiven us, so we must forgive others. It is essential to the unity of your church.