I recently heard the story of a man who visited an asylum for the criminally insane. He was a bit surprised to find that there were three guards to take care of a hundred inmates. He said to one of the guards, “Aren’t you afraid that the inmates will unite, overcome you, and escape?” The guard smiled and said, “Lunatics never unite.” This made me think to myself, “Hmm… so that’s the problem in our churches! Obviously, I was kidding.
While relaying this story to my church recently, my tongue twisted as I spoke about, “lunatics” and “uniting” and the word came out, “Unatics”. A smile grew across my face as one of our men said, “That’s good, Pastor! We need to be Unatics, and not Lunatics!”
“Unatics”… I think I coined a new word! If it’s not in the dictionary yet, it ought to be! I think we need to become so fanatical about Unity in the church that it overcomes us! So enthusiastic about the oneness of the body of Christ that it consumes us! We need to become activists for unity, and do everything we can to harbor it in the church!
Locusts gather their collective powers together into mighty swarms that can overrun and ravage an entire country… simply because they are unified in their effort, while one locust alone could do little damage. Can you imagine what the Church could do if we would come together in unity of mind, spirit and vision?
In Genesis chapter 11, God observed that the people were determined to, “build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven;”. God said in response, “Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” Therefore, he confounded their languages at the tower of Babel to keep them from accomplishing their goal. God established that there is power in unity!
It was in a spirit of unity that the disciples in Acts chapter 2 ushered in the mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost. As they were all with “one accord”, God poured out His great blessing upon them.
In Ephesians chapter 4, Paul begins to speak about the various gifts in the church, and the differences in offices and ministries. Then, he explains that these gifts are not to be separate, but to be used, “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” Even in our diversity, God’s goal is unity!
There is much we desire and long for in our churches and cities, and I submit to you that those desires will come as the result of a church that is zealous and unified in its pursuit to bring glory to God. If this is true, then we must be fanatical about unity. We must be extremist, radical and obsessed with birthing unity in the church!
I want people to see in me a fervent zeal for unity in the Church. I want them to observe as I actively promote and harvest love and fellowship in the Body. They may not know my motivation, but they will see my passion. They may not understand my drive, but they will be moved by my craving for unity. I’m not crazy, I’m just a Unatic!