Dear saints, I love to see the church being filled with genuineness and much kindness in my days – such that all the saints will truly care for one another and sacrifice their all for the wellbeing of one another. I love to see the church being filled with tender-heartedness – such that all the saints will deeply sorrow over the downfall of a brother and will bow down on their knees until he has recovered. I love to see the church being filled with forgiveness – such that a brother will not hold grudges against a brother and will live in harmony with each other. Indeed, I love to see the church being filled with truthfulness – such that a brother will not slander a brother for vain glory and a brother will not cover his lie with a sweet smile but will speak the truth to his neighbour from the sincerity of heart (Ephesians 4:25). Oh, how I wish to see this glorious church in my days. O Lord, let the church recover and gain her former glory!

   Ephesians 5:21 says, “Submitting to one another in the fear of God,” (NKJV). UNITY is not lacking where there is submissiveness. All the members of the church should submit to one another; the younger ones to the elderly ones, likewise the elderly ones to the younger ones. Sisters should submit to the brothers, likewise brothers to the sisters. When submissiveness abounds, there is a cure for intense competition and evil jealousy, for unity, which is the product of submissiveness is the best medicine for competition and evil jealousy. I assure you that all the saints can cooperatively seek the Lord for the growth of the church and work together for the success of the Lord’s work if the church has prevailed over intense competition and evil jealousy.

   “Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you,” Second Corinthians 13:11 (NKJV). The church people must live in PEACE – this is a commandment from God. We live in peace when we are of one mind in the Lord. How do we be of one mind? Having comfort towards all the saints.

   Philippians 4:2 to 4 indicates that to be of one mind is the state of neither holding grudges and offenses against one another nor thinking evil of one another. Paul admonished us in Colossians 3:13, saying, “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive,” (ESV). We must forgive and think no evil of one another. Forgiveness is the only way the saints can gain comfort towards one another and be of one mind. Through forgiveness, the Lord comforts our hearts and wipes away the scab of bitterness from our hearts. Second Corinthians 1:4 affirms, “Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God,” (NKJV). When we forgive the sins of those who have offended us, our wounded hearts are healed, and thus, we will receive comfort from God. Now, we can live in peaceful coexistence with the brethren as we receive comfort from God and our minds are no longer thinking evil of one another. Dear saints, living in peace is the sacrifice of forgiving frequently as many as have offended us in order to be comforted by God and be of one mind towards all the saints. Philippians 2:2 to 3 indicates that living in peace is a true cure for quarrel and contention among the saints, and further develop a deep mutual respect and understanding between members of the church. We must endeavour to be at peace with one another (Romans 12:18).

   In conclusion, First Corinthians 12:12 to 13 say, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.  For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit,” (ESV).

   As regards the ONENESS of the members of the body, the scripture says that the body of Christ is one. As I heard it said by Brother Titus Chu, the oneness of the body cannot be divided. Of course, the one body of Christ can never be divided into pieces for all the members of the body are joined together by the Holy Spirit. Though the expression of the one body of Christ in the various localities are divided, the oneness of the body [in the Spirit] remains the same. Yes, it is evil that the members of the church are divided in almost every town; we must seek the Lord to break down the wall of division among Christians wherever we are. The Lord hates division, therefore, division can hinder a believer  from seeing the kingdom. However, it must be noted that the division among the saints in the flesh does not break the oneness of the body in the Spirit. We must therefore have a good attitude towards every believer irrespective of where he meets.