How many of us have...
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How many of us have joined hands around a blazing campfire on a beautiful summer evening, singing in unity with our fellow campers, "We are one in the Spirit, one in the Lord, and we pray that all unity may one day be restored, and they'll know we are Christians by our Love"? Unity and teamwork do not just happen. They require a dedicated band of disciples using whatever talents God has given to each one to contribute to the reaching of a goal or completion of a mission or task. Christian unity in our day is crucial as we move closer to the twenty-first century. In the first century, Paul recognized the need for unity in the Christian community. So too did an unknown Christian writing the following words in "The Epistle to Diognetus": "What the soul is in the body, Christians are in the world. The soul is spread through all the members of the body, so are Christians in all the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the body and yet is not of the body, so Christians dwell in the world, and yet they are not of the world ... The soul is enclosed within the body and itself holds the body together; so too the Christians are held fast in the world as in a prison, and yet it is they who hold the world together." As we work and witness to Christ in the context of the congregation, we share our talents, grow in unity, and function as the healthy body of Christ in our world. -- Mills
