Ecumenical Smoke

Fear of not being in control has helped produce fear of unity among believers. “We want to work with you – come join us in our projects,” is more likely to be heard than a gathering for prayer in which the prayer might be, “Lord, show us how we can submit to you by submitting to one another.”

Ecumenism is a cheap substitute for powerful unity. Ecumenical agreements are truces among disagreeing camps that promise not to step on each other’s toes as we go about our own little projects. Unity in the Spirit of Jesus looks and acts very differently. It is so supernatural that it is past our understanding or misunderstanding.

The identity of the body of Christ is bigger than our natural abilities to imagine or see. Especially with all the disagreements we have about free will and predestination and how to get saved and how to stay saved and what ministries are good and what is evil. Most of us think that most of the rest of us aren’t saved. We can only grasp any of the truth by listening to Jesus.

So the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” nor again the head to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, all the more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary. And those parts of the body that we think to be less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unpresentable parts have a better presentation. But our presentable parts have no need of clothing. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.
(1 Corinthians 12:21-27 Holman Christian Standard Bible ®©)