Make Every Effort

Make Every Effort
written by Chris Baker

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

Ephesians 4:1-6

How far will you go to be united with your fellow brother and sister in Christ Jesus? What do you think it takes to keep such a unity within the Church? Does God really call each one of us to be unified with one another? How can such a unity exist and is it even attainable? The Apostle Paul has a lot to say on this subject. Take a moment, if you have not done so already, and read the passage at the top of the page.

Paul refers to himself as a prisoner for the Lord, not of the Lord. Being a prisoner for the Lord is voluntary. He gives up his own will, rights, freedoms all for the sake of the Lord Jesus. Paul calls the Church to have a similar mindset when calling them to live a life worthy of their calling. We are to be completely humble and gentle with one another. Notice Paul’s choice of words, completely, not somewhat, partially, but completely humble! Paul is calling the Church to regard themselves as equal with everyone else, regardless of their background, ethnicity, social status, etc. The gentle person can control themselves. This type of disciple cares more about the other person than themselves. 

Next, we are called to be patient with one another. We are to be long suffering, waiting on the Lord. It is important to remember that it is not all about us, rather, we are in this together. This call for unity is all out of love. We humble ourselves out of love for God and each other. The next part of Paul’s statement can be the most challenging, “make every effort.”

The Church is called to make every effort to be unified. This is no simple task or one that should be easily given up on. For this to become a reality we must learn to rely upon the Holy Spirit. True unity is not something that can be achieved in our own strength. The Church must remember there is only one head, which is Christ Jesus. There is only one body, the Church! Sure, there may be a million different denominations out there, but Jesus is the head of all of them. We are still one Church!

Paul concludes by reminding us that there is only one Spirit, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:5-6). We need to start acting like one body! Every Christian denomination is baptized into the same church, the same Jesus, the same faith, and the same Father. Let us make every effort to be one body. In John 17 Jesus prays that His Church would be one, just as, He and the Father are one. Just as the Father and Son are one, we are called to be one with one another!!! Jesus would not ask us to do something that was impossible to do. Last I checked, nothing is impossible for God. 

Therefore, we need to stay connected to the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is made up of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Hence, it is the Holy Spirit that enables us to be one. Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:4-5). May we be encouraged today to unite as One Body, being completely humble, out of love for God and each other!

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