Talking with my 81-year-old Uncle Dave, a living-legend war hero (40 medals, 5 bullet wounds, 1 bayonet scar), helped me understand what true unity looks like.
When soldiers are in a foxhole or on a battlefield, fighting together to accomplish a mission, it doesn’t matter what ethnicity or backgrounds they have — they become brothers-in-arms, forged together in true unity.
Where does this battlefield unity come from? It comes from three key realities:
- a common mission worth fighting for.
- a common enemy worth fighting against.
- a common hardship worth struggling through.
If you read books or watch documentaries about war, you’ll see this is true. Nothing brings unity to soldiers like an active battlefield.
All of this applies to us as believers. The strongest sense of biblical unity is forged on mission, against a dangerous enemy, in the crucible of hardship.
A common mission worth fighting for
Jesus has given us a unifying mission worth fighting for — the Great Co-mission: to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
We work together to make disciples who make disciples, until everyone, everywhere, has had the chance to hear the Gospel and put their faith in Jesus.
A common enemy worth fighting against
We also have a dangerous enemy worth fighting against — Satan and his army of fallen angels — whose goal is to deceive, distract, discourage, and destroy God’s people, dragging as many lost souls to Hell as possible. As the apostle Peter put it:
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
A common hardship worth struggling through
The battle is hard. Resources often feel limited. We get injured along the way. But it is in this common hardship that we find deep affinity and unity with fellow Kingdom soldiers.
Speaking of our common enemy and struggle, Peter wrote this reminder:
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:9
If you want deeper unity as a church, in a small group, or as a network of believers, get on mission together.
Click here to see how the mission of spreading the Gospel is advancing throughout the world!
