Unity is not our focus as believers.

That may seem strange since I just wrote and said that it is not optional and is absolutely essential. The reason unity is not or better said – cannot be – our focus is because that will never unify us.

If we focus and sweat and try our hardest to be unified, what eventually will happen is we’ll get offended and our old nature, (remember that one we had before Jesus?) it will rear it’s disgusting head in our life and discord will take place. We cannot try hard enough. At some point, in our own strength, we will break. Someone will upset us, and our preferences and selfishness will take over.

Also, if our focus is on each other and trying to be unified, we will become inwardly focused, and will not live out the mission God has given to us as His church. All we will end up doing is eating a bunch of food and having endless conversations about what we are doing the next weekend. Meanwhile, the world around us groans to hear the Good News of Jesus.

So our best bet is to focus elsewhere. Which on the surface would seem strange. But AW Tozer’s illustration is very helpful here:

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” – The Pursuit of God (53)

This once again magnifies the importance of our individual beholding and cherishing of Jesus.

What I really want us to get as a church, is that this is not a chore, but a joy. When we behold Jesus, I mean REALLY behold Him, this will be a joy. It doesn’t stop there though. Because when we behold things and treasure things what do we naturally do?

We glorify them.

We naturally glorify things. Glorifying something completes our satisfaction in it. It’s the icing on the cake. Not glorifying something we love and value is like eating cake without frosting on it.

When we glorify something, what we essentially are doing is wanting people to see the worth of what we are glorifying. We are showing people the value in something, displaying it, communicating things about it in order that that thing receives the attention it’s deserved.

Have you ever been to a sporting event, and your team won at the buzzer, or on the last play of the game, or (if you follow the best sport around) the last pitch? In that moment, no matter how reserved of a person you are, you are going to glorify what you just saw. You are going to rejoice. You are going to leave that arena or field and tell everyone about what you experienced and witnessed. No one had to coerce you into doing this though.

The same is true if you really love a certain coffee shop or restaurant. Whether it is the food or the coffee or the atmosphere, whatever it may be, you experience something and leave and recommend it to others because you naturally want to draw attention to it, because you love it, and you see the value in it.

Why can’t the same be true of God? Since God is to be most treasured, as His value is unsurpassable, why do we struggle with our aim being to glorify Him?

I think there is a step along the way in the conversation that we may miss, that being, you must seek to know God. I am convinced, that if you pursue after God and desire to know Him and ask Him to reveal Himself to you, you will WANT to glorify Him. All it takes is a serious recollection of what He has done for you on the cross, in giving you life, giving you the faith to believe in Him, and lavishing His mercy and grace on you, to stir up affection that will catapult you in the direction of wanting to glorify Him everywhere you go.

All it takes is a glimpse of God and a realization of who we are, and the unsatisfying things we pursue to see His immeasurable value. Consider:

“Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” – Exodus 15:11

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows Him counsel? Whom did He consult, and who made Him understand? Who taught Him the path of justice, and taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding?” – Isaiah 40:12-14

Considering who God is based upon those two passages alone, now consider:

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” – Romans 5: 6-8

And not only that….

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.” – Romans 8:15-17

If we consider who God really is, and who we are apart from Him, and what He has done for us – that’s why when you read in the Bible that the ultimate end in living is to glorify God -  this makes sense. So, if you and I do not know God, or never consider what He has done for us, and never give Him the time of day then, yes, when we talk about living for the glory of God it seems strange.

But when we know God, I’m convinced we are going to love Him more and more because we only find more and more sweetness and goodness and grace in Him. This will spur us on to naturally live for His glory because we will want others to see Him and know Him.

Church, if we all get this – I mean REALLY get this – we will have a unified church.

If each of us is living not selfishly for our own glory, and not simply trying our hardest to be unified, but instead is turning our gaze onto Jesus, considering Him, we will be unified – because we will all be living to glorify Jesus and make Him known in this world that desperately needs to know Him.

Pursuing God and WANTING Him to be seen and known by others will unify us. I’m convinced it is the only thing that will.

This is article 2 in a series titled “The Big Picture” by Pastor Josh. Click here to read article 1 in this series.