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SCRIPTURE READING :
ACTS 16:16-34
REVELATION 22:12-21
JOHN 17:20-26

SUNDAY REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is ‘Let us all be one, for Christ’s sake”. Let us all be one, for Christ’s sake means we must be united as the body of Christ. Unity is the state of being joined as a whole. The body refers to the Church of Christ or a fellowship of Christians. The theme can therefore be rephrased as working towards the wholeness of the church of Christ. We shall reflect on three reasons for which we must all be one for Christ’s sake. The reasons for which we must all be one, for Christ’s sake, are:

1. To enable us to win souls for Christ and focus on the mission of God in the world.
2. To give identity and credibility to us as disciples of God
3. To receive the reward for being one in Christ

Firstly, we must all be one, for Christ’s sake because we have a mission to fulfil and that mission is to spread the Gospel and win or redeem lost souls for Christ. In the first Scripture reading (Act 16:16-34) we observe that Paul and Silas were going about their evangelistic or outreach duties when they were met by a young lady who tried to expose them publicly. Paul prayed and delivered her from the spirit of divination. Paul and Silas were later wrongly accused by the owners of the girl, unjustly tried, beaten and jailed by the magistrate. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.” (Acts 16:25-26) Later the jailer and his household accepted Jesus Christ and were baptized. Beloved in the Lord, the most remarkable lesson Paul and Silas teach us through their working relationship while carrying out God’s mission is the unity of purpose and will. They maintained their unity as servants of Christ. They understood their mission and were not disturbed by the challenges they encountered but remained resolute and resilient for Christ. They demonstrated their unity or oneness by praying and singing hymns together to God. In other words, they were physically, spiritually and mentally one even when they were in prison. They are human beings like us and could have given up when they were wrongly accused, beaten and unjustly tried by the Magistrate. All the misfortunes and sufferings did not discourage them, they remained united for a common mission of serving the Lord and proclaiming His salvation wherever they found themselves and by so doing, they won and added more souls to the body of Christ. How strong is the church or Christians in being one in the face of adversities, challenges or persecutions in our time? The Church will face attacks from the world but must be one, for Christ’s sake to fulfil God’s mission in the world.

Secondly, we must all be one, for Christ’s sake because that is one of the visible ways Christians have a collective identity and credibility as the body of Christ in the world. The unity of the church enables the world to see and accept Christ. It is for this reason that Jesus prayed for the unity or oneness of the disciples in the third scripture reading, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:20-23). In other words, a divided church cannot have the identity of Jesus and will lack the credibility to reflect the image of Christ in the world. The world will never see Christ in the church if we fight, quarrel, backbite, slander and discriminate in the Church. These bad habits or characters lead to division in the church and make the church lack credibility in the world. When the church is divided and lacks credibility the mission of God suffers. The saved souls or sheep are scattered and the lost ones are further pushed into the wilderness of sin. A divided church lacks the empowerment and manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Suppose the people in the Church will repent and seek Christ as the common reason for which we fellowship and will focus on the Gospel but not on human frailties’, rumours, pettiness and material things. In that case, the unity of the body will be re-established and maintained to uphold the image of Christ and the credibility of the Church in the world.

Thirdly, there are two rewards we receive according to the first and second Scripture readings when we are all one, for Christ’s sake. Firstly, we receive the empowerment and intervention of the Holy Spirit. When Paul and Silas were united in prayer and singing of hymns even in times of adversity or imprisonment, “there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. (Acts 16:26). Being one in Christ through prayer and praise makes us experience the power of God in an extraordinary and liberating way. Secondly, we shall receive the eternal reward from our Lord Jesus Christ at His second coming. In the Second Scripture reading, Revelations 22:12-21 assures us that there is a reward for doing God’s will and being one in Christ. Jesus Christ promised “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:12-13). Dear friend in the Lord, you should not expect any reward from the Lord if your actions and inactions adversely affect the unity or oneness of the body or the church of Christ. You should however be expectant of your reward if you have greatly contributed to the oneness of the body of Christ.

In summary, beloved in the Lord, we need to be one, for Christ’s sake because through our unity, we can focus on God’s mission and win souls for Christ. Again, through our unity for Christ’s sake, we maintain the identity of Christ in the Church and the credibility of the church in the world. When we are one, for Christ’s sake, we shall be rewarded through the liberating power of the Holy Spirit and given the promised reward of eternal life by our Lord Jesus Christ at His second coming. May the Holy Spirit empower us to overcome all human frailties that create an impediment to living in unity as disciples of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Amen