A physical body with parts that fail to work in harmony is, at best, inefficient and, at worst, on the road to breaking down completely. The simple task of walking to the kitchen for a glass of water or smiling at strangers becomes a crushing, exhausting daily exercise.
If every member in God’s family aims in entirely opposite directions with completely different methods, we run the risk of stagnation or even falling apart. But, when the church is united with a single mind and purpose, it stands, walks, and regains strength and resilience against any attack from Satan’s blows (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
So, what does this unity look like in practicality? It’s active, focused, and fearless.
No sports team is effective when it plays a game passively; it takes effort to remain unified and pursue a common goal.
When sin entered the world, so did chaos and disorder. It’s not natural for us to move toward one another. We will become disordered and self-seeking when left to our own choices, unless God intervenes (James 3:16).
But unity is Endurance, direction, and confidence—all these things come more easily because our body and its parts work in harmony. The brain directs, and the legs respond. And when this is not a reality, it’s a tragedy. We recognize this clearly in physical bodies, but it’s also true for the body of Christ. When Paul used “striving” to describe the kind of unity he’s calling the Philippian church toward (Philippians 1:27), he didn’t imagine a group of people casually connected. Unity doesn’t just happen automatically because you go to the same church or serve in the same ministries. It takes work.
True Christian unity in the church is formed over time as you labor to love one another when you’re different, repeatedly forgive when you’ve been wronged, and strive to move toward one another when you’re disappointed. True unity costs you energy, time, and resources. But it’s the kind of unity that remains.
Friendships fall apart when each person’s goals are divided or misplaced. When you’re all focused on different things—even if they’re good things like security and mission—you can wind up disappointed and disillusioned.
But Paul charges the Philippian church with a kind of unity that works side by side (Philippians 1:27). And the positioning makes all the difference:
Instead, Paul says to work side-by-side. This unity offers the intimacy of being locked in together, but your focus is outward and fixed in one direction: toward Jesus. With this kind of unity, you’re able to invite people to link arms alongside you, without fear of being broken apart. You’re stronger against the forces of the enemy, and you’re more easily able to move toward your goal as you take turns uplifting one another along the way.
Battles aren’t won without fearlessness. Throughout Scripture, God tells His people, “Do not be afraid.” Through the fearless obedience of God’s people, He moves in amazing ways to redeem, sustain, and advance his kingdom.
Without a fearless unity, none of the Bible would have been written, none of the apostles would have spread the gospel, none of the early churches would have flourished, and none of us would have been saved.
Opposition and suffering in the Christian life are real and should be expected. But when we stand unified in faith with fearlessness, we make our King Jesus look glorious. The gospel was never about safety; it was always about a group of people fearing God more than what’s in front of us.
When God’s people are unified, we display Christ’s love and power more prominently to the world around us (John 17:20–23; Philippians 1:27–28). Jesus didn’t die on the cross to rescue a scattered, disconnected group of people living our own lives. He died to unite people from diverse backgrounds, personalities, interests, and geographies into a single, living body that presses on toward Christ and strives side by side without fear.
Want to dive deeper? Check out our sermon series guide on the book of Philippians, or watch the most recent sermon from our Philippians sermon series.
