How To Have Unity in the Church as Taught by Jesus

Have you ever pondered the idea of what heaven will be like? The picture we see so often on TV is one of clouds and people floating around with halos on their heads. I don’t know about the clouds but I do know that people don’t turn into angels when they die in spite of all those Facebook posts that suggest it. In Matthew chapter 18 we get a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven right from the mouth of Jesus.

Matthew 18:1-3
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Heaven will be filled with those who have become like children because unless we become like that Jesus says we will not be there.

Before we go on I must give the caveat so many need to hear. Jesus is in no way teaching that salvation is earned by our behavior. What Jesus is teaching is that those who have been given the free gift of salvation will be changed. An accurate understanding of our new birth in Christ includes the fact that we are being changed. There is a work going on in us that will one day culminate in us being like Christ. But it is like the old saying about “putting the cart before the horse”. We cannot change ourselves. But when we become saved God makes His abode with us through the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in our hearts. Thus we have the power to fight the new battle of the flesh against the spirit. Jesus is teaching us what that will look like in those who are truly His.

So what is going on in the beginning of Matthew 18 is that Jesus is rebuking the disciples for their attitudes of arrogance in which we see in scripture several times. The disciples are arguing over which one of them will be the greatest in heaven.

“What in the world is wrong with these guys” is the typical Christian reaction to this passage. How can they walk with Jesus and not see the folly in their own behavior? But in truth the church is no different. Jesus was not only trying to teach the disciples a lesson, He was teaching us one as well.

Sadly the church is no different. Oh we don’t usually verbalize the idea that we think we are worthy of the title of the greatest. No, we are much too humble for that. Right? Right. If that is true why is there so much dissension and bickering in the church?

The Bible is written for our instruction. 1 Corinthians 10:11 reminds us that “…these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” I love the warning that comes right after that verse. 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

In Matthew 18 Jesus gives us three essentials that the church (by the way we are the church you and me) needs to follow so that unity and harmony can exist amongst us. Humility, honesty, and forgiveness are three attributes each and every one of us should seek to instill into our own lives.

When Jesus stated that in order to be like children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven He was speaking of a humility that is like a young child who is completely dependent on someone else for its very survival. We must be like that towards God and if we are then we will take no pride in self. This type of humility transcends self. It puts Jesus first, then others, which leaves only last as the position for self.

Jesus goes on in Matthew 18:15-20 to teach us about how to deal with those who sin against us in the church. Never should we teach this practice of dealing with others unless we have first taught the lesson of humility Christ spoke of here. If you cannot humble yourself before taking the steps set forth in this section then you will not handle things Biblically.

There are four steps Jesus gives to take when we are offended against by a brother or sister in Christ. First is to go privately to them. Do this in humility with truth in love and most times you can resolve the issue.

If not take a brother or two with you to try again. Don’t just take your best friend who might ignore the truth in his loyalty to you. Maybe you are the real problem and the second opinion might reveal how it wasn’t them who needed correction. If they agree that the other person was wrong then with prayer and love the issue might get resolved. But if not there will be another witness to the situation as you take the next step.

If the first two steps don’t accomplish the mission of reconciliation then you should go to the church for help. You see the goal isn’t for you to win the case but it is that you will win back your brother. The disciplinary procedure Jesus set forth here is most often misunderstood. The third step means that the entire church is unified in both the accuracy of determining the offense and in seeing that unity is maintained throughout the church. This doesn’t really speak about the pastor or the elders taking someone into their office and rebuking them, it means the whole church is appraised of the situation. Sadly few churches follow this procedure and even sadder most are not spiritually mature enough to do so. This isn’t about gossip and punishment; it’s about truth being spoken in love through humility, which will help bring restoration.

At the end of all this if the person refuses to hear the truth then the instruction is to remove the person from your own fellowship. But this isn’t about giving up on them. Pray for them daily. Love them even in this process. Through love things change. Proverbs 10:12 says, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” 1 Peter 4:8 tells us “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Jesus finished up with His lesson on how to restore a brother by reminding us about the power of prayer. Matthew 18:19-20, “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Prayer is the key to the Christian life. Restoration is always possible. Pray for it.

Jesus finishes up this lesson with the most important of the three attributes He is teaching us about; forgiveness. It is no coincidence that it follows the other two. He shares a parable in Matthew 18:21-34. I won’t share it here but I suggest we all look at it carefully for the last thing Jesus says in this section is a stern warning.

The parable is the story of a man whose debt, a debt that could never be repaid, as it was too much, was completely forgiven by the king. But then the forgiven man refused to forgive a much smaller debt to another man just like him. When the king heard the man refused to forgive as he had been forgiven the king cast the man into prison with the stipulation that he must only get out when he paid his debt. In other words never as his debt was impossible to repay. Listen to the words of Jesus as He gives the warning.

Matthew 18:34-35
“And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.  So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

People Jesus is serious about forgiveness. So serious that here we find Him actually suggesting that our refusal to forgive will keep us from eternal life with Him. Again let me remind you, Jesus is not preaching salvation by works. The full counsel of scripture is clear that we are saved by grace alone. But what is a fact of the Gospel is that there is a way to test it. Not to be the pessimist here but the truth is some of us think we are saved when we are not. Again listen to Jesus as He states this.

Matthew 7:17-20
“So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.  A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

Jesus follows this up with a very sobering statement.

Matthew 7:21

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. “

The Church is the Bride of Christ and He loves it very much. We are the Church. We need to find harmony and peace with our brothers and sisters. Matthew 18 is about just that. How we can accomplish this is by doing the things He put forth in this chapter and the only way to do that is by walking in the Spirit.

So read Matthew Chapter 18 again. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be your teacher and for the power in your life to do what Jesus says. Then we can stay on the mission of the church instead of wasting our time with disputes and arguments.