Don't Be A Hater...Be a Pray-er

And They'll Know We Are Christians
Public Domain
arranged by Jars of Clay

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love

Here's a video of the song on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/qrOywJnLj7Y

I woke up this morning with that song in my head, and I've been thinking about it all day.  If you read this blog consistently, you know that probably my biggest pet peeve about the church universal is division, and how all of it is man-made.  I am frustrated that the Enemy has broken down the unity of the body of Christ by insinuating rules and requirements for salvation that are not true.  I am frustrated how we as a Christian community have laid down dormantly and accepted these lies as truth.  I am frustrated that so many have been deceived, and that those who aren't haven't done anything profitable to undeceive others. 

And by profitable, I don't mean beat each other over the head with the Bible and throw scripture at offenders like rocks at skunks.  But I mean, we haven't sat down in love and talked about the things that divide us.  We haven't earnestly come together as a body and prayed that we would all be in unity with the Father.  Because the bottom line is that we can try to be in unity with each other, but if we aren't in Unity with God, all of our efforts would be in vain.  We are fallible, sinful creatures.  Our pride and our flesh lead us astray.  Our perceived intellect skews Truth.  But God is infallible and sinless.  His humility (how else could Jesus do what He did?) and his Spirit guide us rightly.  His wisdom professes Truth in its purest form.

I don't get bothered or offended by the unchurched or unsaved doing the horrible, wretched things they do.  I don't get offended by the world hating Christianity, or claiming we are narrowminded.  We were told those things were going to happen.  The world will act like the world.  So let it, and pray for them to come to know Jesus.  What truly bothers me is that the Church as a whole doesn't act like the Church.  It acts like the world, and talks like the Church when it's personally beneficial or convenient...or when it wants to impress someone.  And then there are the select few who claim to be the Church and use the Word as a battering ram, hatefully damning others who have differing points of view (especially the lost, who don't know any better). 

That' when my spirit gets all up-in-arms, when the Church lets rhetoric and opinion interfere with salvation and fellowship.  Because, more than anything, Jesus wants us to be unified.  He told us in Matthew 12:25 that "every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand."  And he prayed in John 17:21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in me, and I in You; that they may also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."

So this line from the song, "we pray that our unity will one day be restored" is really hitting home with me today.  Because if we are in unity, we are in unity with the Father, and the Father is Love.  And if we're in unity with Love, we will walk, talk, act as Love would, not as man.  And when that happens...well, the kingdom of darkness has better watch out.

Don't hate.  Pray.