Sing a new song of unity

Pastor Mark Mast
Rainy River Ministerial

On Sunday, July 23, many of our community gathered at Hannam Park for a community church service and Music fest. This all-day event was a wonderful opportunity for each of us to live out the words of Psalm 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”
It was a magnificent day that we with one voice exalted the matchless Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through song and worship.
On occasions such as this, we truly begin to live out the prayer that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before He was crucified, “I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me (John 17:23).
Obviously, our unity must be based on a mutual agreement regarding the purpose and nature of our Lord. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus” (Romans 15:5). Jesus must of necessity be the focus of our unity or we will quickly fall prey to division and strife.
We can be assured that there will be rigorous attempts to thwart this unity by the enemy of our soul. This is why we must carefully consider the admonition of Ephesians 4:3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” That peace was brought to us through the cross and the blood that Jesus shed for our sins. Have you experienced this peace in your life through faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?
How long will we need to strive for this unity? Ephesians 4:13 informs us that “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
And finally, what virtue will cause this unity to flourish? In Colossians 3:14 we read, “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
May that love be abundantly evident in our community throughout the days and weeks to come. May the Lord richly bless the “Church” of Rainy River as we seek to find “unity” in Christ.