Christian Unity

Faith always strengthens community.

It is time for Christians to unite and to serve as examples for others to follow. True faith comes from believing, behaving and belonging. The belief Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and was raised to be united with the Father. Our behavior is a reflection of our beliefs. We all belong to Him. We all belong to the same body, the multiples Christian churches; the places where we can live in community to lessen the burdens of life. We know that we will be held accountable for our lives.

1) Denominations are not the problem. The problem is us. We create the problem amongst ourselves. We are all sinners, we the ones that make the Christian community. We make the churches. The central message is the same. There are different paths to come to the truth and salvation. We all know we by ourselves are not good enough to be saved.

2) Unity under the salvation message. We believe in the same Christ, the One that gave us the key to salvation by dying on the cross for our sins so we could spend eternity in heaven.

3) Stop spreading misinformation. Provide our testimony to others without pointing to the faults of other denominations. It is not the denomination that is at fault. Yes, when we accept the fact we are the problem we then have the power to come up with solutions.

4) Edify other Christians. We all need to encourage more people to go to churches, to worship the One who created all of us.

5) Cooperate instead of competing. Yes, are competing for souls to be saved. Imagine if Baptists see themselves as having a mission to get Catholics "saved" and into what they think is true Christianity. I would be concerned since anyone who claims to be a Christian but then judges others for what they believe is NOT, in fact, a Christian. Imagine instead Catholics loving Baptists and Baptists loving Catholics since we all know and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as out personal savior. We can think of religions as bringing people together instead of dividing them.

6) Know who the enemy is. The enemy is evil. The enemy is sin. It is important to understand that the enemy always works its ways to come from within; within us to break the unity that makes us strong. The enemy always wants to divide us from the unity in true community. Let’s foster unity among Christians.

7) Lead others to the journey to faith. No one can be rushed to faith, only led to the truth. Sooner or later we are faced with the truth that there is eternity. Eternity is a long time to be wrong. Let’s unite and keep the central message, the message of salvation to our decaying world. We will never find our callings by trying to figure out whether we are better or worse than others. We are good enough to do what we are called to do.

We can build community supported by faith. Faith greeting faith, that's what community, is all about. Community is not the place where we are no longer alone but the place where we respect, protect, and reverently greet one another's faith. When we allow our faith to lead us thinking we are equal to others, our faith will enable us to rejoice in the faith of others. Our faith roots us in our own hearts. Instead of making us yearn for company that will offer us immediate satisfaction, faith makes us claim our center and empowers us to call others to claim theirs. Our various Christian faiths are like strong, straight pillars that hold up the roof of our communal house. Thus, faith always strengthens community.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)