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Psalm 133:1 says, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Anyone who has ever pastored a church knows just how pleasant and how blessed it is when "brethren" do dwell together in unity! We all have experienced times when there was no unity, when the brethren were not getting along, when every step we took came with great friction. Certainly those are the times that try a man's soul. I can understand the emphasis of so many for us to have unity. I believe anyone who likes turmoil and discord is nuts and most likely lost and on their way to hell. The Bible teaches that sheep like shady green pastures and still waters. They are sensitive. That is in their nature. While I enjoy fighting the devil, the world and flesh, I do not enjoy fighting with God's people. Yet, I am not so sure that what is being called unity is really unity. It seems that many who are calling for unity are really calling for uniformity and there is a big difference.

Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary had this to say about unity, "Unity of faith is an equal belief of the same truths of God, and possession of the grace of faith in like form and degree." What a great definition of unity! Unity is not the absence of noise, or the presence of peace, but rather an equal belief of the same truths of God. I stress this because a call for unity at any cost is not a true call for unity at all. It is a call for uniformity. It is a call for some to drop truth for the sake of "everyone getting along." This is not unity! Sadly though, this is what most consider unity.

You see a great example of this call for 'pseudo' or false unity in I Kings 21:13-14. It would seem that the local ministerial association representative was sent to direct the prophet of God as to what he should say when he spoke to the King. This prophet, Micaiah, was noted for telling the truth. Since folks were not right with God where he was, he was not popular. In fact we are told latter in this chapter that his king hated him. The messenger told Micaiah, "that the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them and speak that which is good." Trumpet reader, there is nothing new under the sun. The cry today is the exact same thing, "speak like everyone else." This request is sometimes veiled under the guise of unity, but let us always remember unity is "an equal belief of the same truths of God." The crowd that is willing to compromise truth for the absence of noise will never have true unity. In verse 14 of that passage, Micaiah said, "what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak." In other words, if you want to have unity, you'll have to bow to the truth.

Our politicians compromise America's interests so we can get along with folks who hate us. They bow to the UN for the sake of unity and it's wicked. Sadly, many a good man has compromised his beliefs and convictions because he thought it would help bring about unity, but it never happened. In the hour we live in pastors and evangelists don't want to be labeled as divisive or disagreeable. Yet my friend, I submit that in any time of great backsliding, in any time of apostasy, God has always had men who would not bow to any pressures put on them to speak "with one mouth" with all the other compromisers. John the Baptist was "the voice of one".

Unfortunately, it takes more courage than most have to be a voice of only one. We would rather be a part of the voice of many. This is always much easier and far more popular. Honestly, I'm about sick of being in meetings and being told to just encourage everyone and not grind any axes. That is what the false prophets told Mi- caiah, thank God he had enough backbone to speak, what "thus saith the Lord."

As I close let me say, I want unity as much or more as the next man but I don't want unity at the expense of truth. That is not unity at all, at best it is only uniform- ity. In Acts 24:5 Paul's enemies accused him of being, "a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition " Why? He didn't say what they wanted him to say!

Pastor Steven E. Mays – Faith Baptist Church, Laurens, SC.
BroMays@FaithBaptistTrumpet.org