The Unity of the Spirit             in the Bond of Peace
Joe Slater
. . . giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
Ephesians 4:3 ASV             
	Matthew, one of Jesus’ apostles, collected taxes for the Roman government (Matthew 10:3). Simon (not Peter), another apostle, belonged to the Zealot party, a fiercely anti-Roman group (Matthew 10:4). That these two men not only didn’t try to kill each other, but worked together in unity, is a striking tribute to the power of Jesus and His gospel!
	Unity and peace have always been at a premium in the church. Soon after it began, the Jerusalem church faced potential division as the Greek-speaking Jews murmured against the Hebrews (Acts 6). From that day until this, Satan has raised stumbling-block after stumbling-block to disrupt the unity of the Lord’s body. Entirely too often, he has succeeded. Well did Paul exhort us to give diligence (be urgent, earnest, and zealous) to keep the unity of the Spirit.
	Not all unity is desirable. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not tough what is unclean, and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17). Yes, there are cases where separation is a good thing, and unity is a sin.
	We strive for the unity of the Spirit. Ephesians 4:13 refers to it as the unity of the faith. According to Ephesians 4:4, 5, there is one Spirit (God’s Holy Spirit), and one faith (the gospel, which the Holy Spirit inspired). Thus, the unity of the Spirit is unity which results from believing and obeying the Spirit-inspired gospel. Biblical unity is based upon truth; compromising God’s word brings only artificial unity. Jesus prayed that His followers would be one as they believed on Him through the word of His apostles (John 17:20, 21).
	To have the unity and peace of Ephesians 4:3, we must back up one verse: “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love” (4:2). Pride, harshness, impatience, and selfishness destroy a congregation’s peace. Like mortar between bricks, peace bonds us together as living stones in God’s house. When peace is destroyed, unity is impossible.
	Brothers and sisters, as we cling to the truth of the gospel, let us be humble, patient, and understanding with each other! Satan seeks to divide the church today just as he has since its beginning. He will fail if we, by God’s grace, are diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
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Compliments
	A  lady took her 5-year-old daughter shopping with her. The little girl watched her mother try on one outfit after another, and each time she exclaimed, “Mommy, you look beautiful!” Finally a woman in the next fitting room called out: “May I borrow your daughter for a moment?” (See Proverbs 16:24)
	via Jacksonville, AL
To Tell The Truth
	Does anyone tell the truth these days? Is there anyone left with even a semblance of regard for what is fast becoming the scarcest commodity in our society? Politicians bend the truth; advertisers stretch it; actors elicit both laughter and applause as they routinely side-step it, or overtly trample it. And it seems, by the silence of most of us, and the shocking complicity on the part of too many of us, that we, apparently, “love to have it so.”
	Yes, ours is a world bombarded with daily doses of subterfuge, spin control, and deliberate disinformation. Truth is forced to take a back seat to more subjective matters of personality and performance; whether a thing is true or not seems to be less important than the entertainment value or cleverness of the account in question.
	No wonder today’s young people have become so cynical. They have no idea who, if anyone, is telling them the truth. They hear the news, and hear lies; they hear their favorite television and movie characters, and hear lies; and, sadly, they too often overhear the conversations and business dealings of many of us – their parents, teachers, and role-models – and, again, they hear lies.
	Friedrich Hebbell was on target in observing, “One lie does not cost you one truth, but the truth.”
	No wonder Scripture enjoins, “Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25).
	The elements of darkness will no doubt continue their long-standing love affair with dishonesty and deceit, but we, as God’s people, as children of light, must speak truth.
	If we don’t, who will?
		--Dalton Key (Tulsa, OK), via Old Paths