The Importance of Relational Unity
The earliest followers of Jesus experienced an amazing amount of spiritual growth. So much so that because of the spiritual growth they experienced, Acts 2:47 tells us,
“The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved”
This is a very profound statement! Every day, the Lord added to their number. Why? What was happening in their community that was so powerful, so attractive to the local community in Jerusalem that every day more and more people wanted to become part of it?
I don’t know that there is one definitive answer to that question; however, the answer cannot be separated from relationship. If we take the relationships out of the mix, the growth in the community does not happen.
Jesus gives us a clue as to why relationship is vital to the growth of the Christian community. While in the Upper Room with his disciples, he prayed a fairly lengthy prayer in which he prayed for all believers. He said:
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21).
So Jesus prays for all future believers, which includes you and I, to be one so that the world would believe that God the Father sent him. If future followers of Jesus were able to be one in relationship, the world would know that God the Father sent Jesus.
These words of Jesus are a bit surprising to me. I would have thought he might say, I pray for future believers to be really good at sharing their faith, to give lots of money away for evangelism, to know their Bible’s really well, to attend church often, to love me wholeheartedly, etc.
Instead Jesus prays for unity among all future believers.
Why?
The apparent answer seems to be that unity among followers of Jesus is the most powerful means of convincing the world that God the Father sent Jesus.
What did unity look like among the early followers? They…
…were together
…had everything in common
…sold property and possessions to give to anyone in need
…every day continued to meet in the temple courts
…broke bread in their homes
…ate together with glad and sincere hearts
As a result “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Why were lots of people being saved?
Because the early followers of Jesus were one. Everyone who saw the oneness of the Early Christians truly saw that God the father sent Jesus.
This means the expansion of the Christian community is directly tied to the community living out the commandments to love God and to love one another. As this occurs, the Christian community always experiences growth. More importantly, as you live out the commandments to love God and to love one another, you will experience the spiritual growth you desire. Since it is impossible to love one another outside of relationship, it is impossible to experience profound, life-changing spiritual growth outside of relationship.
One question that could be asked is, why is relationship so important to my spiritual growth? The easy answer is because that is the way God hardwired the spiritual growth process.
When I walk into my house, I turn on the light switch next to the door, and it turns on a particular light in my house. Why does that switch turn on that particular light? Because the electrician wired my house that way.
God is the one who has wired your spiritual growth. For reasons known only to God, your spiritual growth is wired to spending time in unified relationship with other followers of Jesus.
Are you spending enough time in unified relationship with other followers of Jesus? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
One way to experience greater spiritual growth is to start spending time with other Christians. Attend church more often. Go to a Bible study regularly. Invite other followers to get together more often. Find out about the needs of people in your church and serve them.
There are a hundred ways to spend more time with other followers of Jesus. It is important for your spiritual growth. It is important so the world will know God the Father sent Jesus.
