When I got serious about following Jesus there was a song we sang regularly at gatherings.

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they’ll know we are Christians by our love

What a difference the body of Christ would make in today’s contentious world if we believed and lived these very simple words.

We are one in the spirit.

There should be no separation by wealth, color, talent, or power. We are one in Jesus.

We pray that our unity
will one day be restored.

We are still praying that today. It is not a difficult concept to understand how important unity is to achieve any goal. Can a team of self-centered football players win a championship? A team needs to have one unified focus to achieve success. How much more important is unity in the body of Christ as we seek eternal goals? Certainly one of the enemies primary strategies is to create disunity. The frustrating thing is how we can become disunified over issues that would be incredibly embarrassing and humbling if Jesus appeared in person and asked what our problem was.

“Well, uhhhh, we were arguing about how the church should respond to (fill in the blank).”

I can picture the person squirming as Jesus looks into their eyes and, even more uncomfortably, into their hearts. When we forget the forgiveness, love, patience, and grace of God we lose our unity. And social issues become giant chasms of division that cause people to run away from our message.

My friend Pete Jung shared a quote with me from John Alan Turner that is also uncomfortably convicting.

“It’s hard to convince people that a God they can’t see loves them, when a church they can see doesn’t seem to like them.”

Ouch.

Paul wrote to a divided Corinthian Church with an admonition. But he began by reminding them of their blessings.

4 I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. 5 Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. 6 This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. 7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9 God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (I Corinthians 1:4-10, NLT)

We have been given extraordinary gifts of grace. Spiritual gifts. Forgiveness. Partnership with the Father through Jesus. And then he outlines how we should respond in unity.

10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

How will they know we are followers of Jesus in a life-changing way? Jesus makes it clear.

35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35, NLT)

That is how the early church changed the culture and that is the only way Christians can impact the divided world we live in. It ain’t happening through Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. Jesus is the ultimate influencer and His words are eternal.

“Your love for another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Love for one another and unity in Jesus is the recipe for revival. And they will know we are Christians by our love.