Session 24

The key to effectiveness in the church

From Exodus: A 34-Day Devotional

Few things are more painful than watching a talented team fall apart. It happens in every Olympics and every World Cup. A nation puts its most talented players on a team but forgets that talent will only get a team so far. Without unity, players pull in different directions and the team never reaches its potential.

Divisiveness stops teams from winning games. It also stops churches from seeing the good news about Jesus spread farther and faster than we ever dreamed.

In Exodus 24, the Israelites experience the true potential of the church. When Moses shared God’s laws with the Israelites, they replied with one voice, "everything the Lord has said we will do” (Exodus 24:3). They were unified in their answer, and "they saw God” (Exodus 24:11).  

In 1 Corinthians 1:10, the apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of church unity, saying, “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

Satan wants nothing more than to draw our focus away from Jesus with petty, divisive bickering. When Christians argue about politics, policies, or procedures, we lose focus on our mission: to love God, love people, and love doing it together. 

Divisiveness slows the work God wants to do in and through us. But when churches value unity more than ideology, the good news about Jesus spreads like all-consuming fire throughout the world (Exodus 24:17).

Reflect:

• What’s one way you’ve seen divisions in the church push people away from Jesus?
• Why do you think unity matters so much to God?
• What’s one step you can take this week to build unity instead of division in the global church? Maybe you need to forgive someone or reach out to an old friend. Will you do it today?