ESOCS Devotional 22 May 2026 – The Church Flourishes On Unity
MEMORY VERSE: “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace: There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Ephesians 4:3-5 KJV Lord has spoken!” Ezekiel 37:14 NLT
TEXT: EPHESIANS 4:1-16
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:
“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”
9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
READ OTHER ESOCS DEVOTIONAL HERE
The Church of Christ is one Body, one entity, founded on a solid rock. Ironically, dangerously, monstrous, and united enemies, whose unity of purpose is to prevail against her, surround the Church. What then is the way out for the Church to survive and grow, amidst these her united, and horrific adversaries. The solution lies in unity.
Saint Paul prescribes unity of purpose amongst Christian workers, (Ephesians 4:13). This is based on our unity in Christ as believers. To strengthen the Church in this direction, Christ gave gifts to her. He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers. In order to stabilize and grow the Church, these spiritual manpower must work in unity, to equip God’s people to do His will and build up the Church. They must not relent until all believers come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son, and become mature in the Lord, and measure up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
The New Testament Bible paints a beautiful picture of unity in the early Church. It portrays images of the Church always praying together, worshiping and coming to decisions in the harmony of shared lives. Based on God’s gift of unity, Christians are encouraged to work towards unity within the Church family. The existence of unity in Church meets powerful human needs for acceptance and belonging. It helps to make us fruitful and to increase the effectiveness of our witnessing.
Disunity results from quarrelling, favouritism, hypocrisy, and spiritual immaturity. God challenges us to work toward unity within the local Church, as well as strive for cooperation and collaboration amongst all Christian denominations. Fortunately, the foundation of the Church is so strong that the gates of hell cannot prevail against her (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20). But disunity can. Let’s take heed to ourselves.
Reflections
- The Church foundation is extra solid. But disunity can weaken it.
Prayer
- Lord Jesus, please unite us, lest we fall.
FURTHER READING: 1 Kings 1:5-13; 17:8-24; John 1:1-18
ESOCS Devotional 22 May 2026
