“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in place….And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:1-4).
“That they all may be one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:21-23).
“These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14).
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in place….And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:1-4).
“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple….And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:44-47).
“When God’s people place themselves in proper relation to Him and to one another, there will be a full impartation of the Holy Spirit for the harmonious combination of the whole body.
Nothing so manifestly weakens a church as disunion and strife. Nothing so wars against Christ and the truth as this spirit....We can be united with one another only as we are united with Christ.... Many who have dwelt much upon doctrinal subjects, but who have not learned of Christ, have been found unable to control themselves. They need the Holy Spirit’s power. We should seek to understand what it means to be in complete union with Christ, who is the propitiation for our sins and for the sins of the whole world. Our life should be bound up with His life....When God’s chosen people are of one mind, barriers of selfishness will disappear as by magic, and many, many more souls will be converted because of the unity which exists among believers. There is one body and one spirit. Those who have been building territorial lines of distinction, barriers of color and caste, might better take these down much faster than they put them up.
Those in whose hearts Christ abides recognize Christ abiding in the hearts of others. Christ never wars against Christ. Christ never exerts an influence against Christ. Christians are to do their work, whatever it may be, in the unity of the Spirit, for the perfecting of the whole body. The church is to be purified, refined, ennobled. The members are to cast from their hearts the idols which have hindered their advancement in spirituality. By the influence of the Spirit, the most discordant may be brought into harmony. Unselfishness is to bind God’s people together with firm, tender bonds. There is a vast power in the church when the energies of the members are under the control of the Spirit, gathering good from every source, educating, training, and disciplining self. Thus is presented to God a powerful organization through which He can work for the conversion of sinners. Thus heaven and earth are connected, and all the divine agencies cooperate with human instrumentalities” (Signs of the Times, February 7, 1900).
“As trials thicken around us, both separation and unity will be seen in our ranks….The people of God will draw together and present to the enemy a united front. In view of the common peril, strife for supremacy will cease; there will be no disputing as to who shall be accounted greatest. No one of the true believers will say: ‘I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas.’ The testimony of one and all will be: ‘I cleave unto Christ; I rejoice in Him as my personal Saviour.’
Thus will the truth be brought into practical life, and thus will be answered the prayer of Christ, uttered just before His humiliation and death: ‘That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.’ John 17:21. The love of Christ, the love of our brethren, will testify to the world that we have been with Jesus and learned of Him. Then will the message of the third angel swell to a loud cry, and the whole earth will be lightened with the glory of the Lord” (Testimonies, Volume 6, 401).
“Brethren and sisters, we have no time to dwell on little differences. For Christ’s sake, to your knees in prayer! Go to God, and ask Him to give you a clean heart. Ask Him to help you to stand where He wants you to be. Labor in harmony with one another, even though you are not alike. Do you not know that of the leaves on a tree there are no two exactly alike? From this God would teach us that among His servants there is to be unity in diversity.
Bring all the pleasantness that you can into your lives. Do not make your mind a depository for the enemy’s rubbish. Do not let trifling differences destroy your fellowship with one another. Do not say that because your brethren differ with you in some particular you cannot stand by their side in service. They do not differ with you any more than you differ with them.
We are commanded to love one another as Christ has loved us. So great was His love for us that He willingly gave His life for us. And our love for one another is to make us willing to sacrifice our feelings and ideas, if by so doing we can help them” (General Conference Bulletin, March 30, 1903).
“When differences arise among brethren as to the understanding of any point of truth, there is one Bible rule to follow. In the spirit of meekness and love for God and one another, let brethren come together, and after earnest prayer, with sincere desire to know God’s will, study the Bible with the spirit of a little child, to see how closely they can draw together and not sacrifice anything but their selfish dignity. They should regard themselves as in the presence of the whole universe of God, who are watching with intense interest as brother tries to see eye to eye with brother, to understand the words of Christ, that they may be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (Ellen White, 1888 Materials 1008).
• What individuals do you feel a need to forgive or apologize too and how can you go about it?
• In what ways can you be a peacemaker in your own church, helping members humble their hearts, apologize to and forgive one another?
Because Jesus wants to come soon, let’s pursue unity, forgive each other and make wrongs right!
Dear Father, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, make us one as You and Jesus are one, so the world may believe that You sent Jesus. Forgive us for our disunity and argumentative spirit. Forgive me for being critical, judgmental, and unforgiving. Be in me and let me be in You so that we all can be made one and the world can know You have loved them too.
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