In preparing for this Sunday's church lesson, I have had the joy of studying a very simple and widely known passage in Acts 4:32-37. This passage is used many places to preach or teach about unity but alot of the time, the passage is not fully explained. I don't claim to know more than these other people but I have discovered some things that I have never heard before.

This is the passage that talks about the times after the day of Pentecost when things were going well for the Jewish and Gentile followers of Christ. It says that people were one in mind and spirit and therefore everyone was looking out for the other, in somewhat of a utopian society. It even goes to the extent of saying that many believing land owners were selling property and surrendering the money to the apostles to be distributed so that everyone would be living well. I used to think this was Christian communism but the difference here is that nothing was forced. Everyone shared and cared for others out of the true love of Christ that was in them. There was great unity throughout.

I observed that the passage seems to be saying that because people were caring for each others' needs then the apostles were freed up to preach the Gospel. This was a direct answer to prayer in the preceding passage when the believers had lifted their voices to God to request boldness in preaching the Gospel.

I think it is amazing how the believers prayed for one thing that was right in line with the Father's will and God gave them what they needed to accomplish that, namely, unity. In other words for the church to be effective in reaching the world for Christ there needs to be a sense of unity. Unity does not mean agreement. I already disagree with every Christian I have ever met on some point or another, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to be their friend and grow to love them as a brother in Christ.

The body of Christ is not restricted to Baptists, or Pentecostals or the Bible church movement. The body of Christ engulfs these different groups under the name of Christ in order that they might work together to reach the world for Christ. I am tired of hearing that people won't work outside their denomination. It is not the body of Baptists, it is supposed to be the body of Christ.

If there is no unity in the body, there will be a lack in the effectiveness of our preaching of the Gospel.