United and Diverse | Good News People Week 7 | 19 July 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Swimming in Waters of Division Without Knowing It

We often move through life unaware of the divisive currents shaping our thoughts, like fish unaware of water. Society’s polarization seeps into our assumptions, making “us versus them” feel normal rather than foreign to God’s design. Unity begins by recognizing the cultural waters we swim in—the quick judgments, the tribal loyalties, the fear of difference—and choosing to step onto the riverbank. Only then can we see how Christ’s call to oneness disrupts the patterns we’ve absorbed. [02:00]

“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2, CSB)

Reflection: What subtle cultural “waters” have you absorbed—attitudes toward certain groups, political labels, or social divisions—that contradict Christ’s vision of unity? How might you step onto the riverbank this week?

Day 2: Precious Oil Flowing Where Unity Dwells

Unity isn’t a bland truce but a fragrant anointing. Like oil poured over Aaron’s beard, it marks sacred kinship—diverse voices becoming one chorus of worship. This oil runs downward, not upward, requiring humility to receive from those unlike us. Where unity dwells, God’s blessing pools: not in uniformity’s stagnation, but in the mingling of distinct notes into harmony. [10:31]

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head… For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psalm 133:1-3, CSB)

Reflection: When have you experienced the “oil” of unity—a moment where differences enriched rather than divided? Who might you need to kneel beside to receive this anointing anew?

Day 3: Seeing Others Reflected in Jesus’ Gaze

When we fix our eyes on Christ, we glimpse our siblings mirrored in His pupils—their worth etched by His gaze, not our opinions. Strangers become family when seen through the lens of His relentless love. To look at others this way demands surrender: releasing our mental labels to see the image-bearer He died to reclaim. [14:38]

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3, CSB)

Reflection: Whose reflection in Christ’s eyes have you struggled to see? What label or assumption obscures your view of their God-given worth?

Day 4: Maturity Found in the Body’s Tension

A muscle grows by resisting weight; the body of Christ matures by leaning into the stretch of diversity. Uniformity breeds fragile faith, but unity forged through patience with differing perspectives produces spiritual adulthood. Our “rough edges” aren’t flaws—they’re friction points where grace sandpapers us into Christ’s fullness. [12:07]

“Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching.” (Ephesians 4:13-14, CSB)

Reflection: What current “stretch” in relationships challenges your maturity? How might this tension be shaping you into Christ’s likeness?

Day 5: Dissolving “Us and Them” at the Cross

The cross shatters every dividing wall, exposing “othering” as a lie. No tribe, class, or culture holds monopoly on Christ’s redemption. Unity flourishes when we scrap the labels of “us” and “them” to kneel as equally broken, equally loved rebels turned family. Here, at the foot of the cross, our differences become brushstrokes in God’s mural. [27:30]

“There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, CSB)

Reflection: Where do you unconsciously categorize people as “other”? What practical step could you take this week to embrace someone as family instead of foreigner?

Sermon Summary

The call to unity begins in a world that is swimming in division, polarization, comparison, confusion, chaos, and blame. The pattern of the world pulls people apart, often so quietly and constantly that it feels like water to a fish. Ephesians four calls the church not to conform to that pattern, but to live “worthy of the calling” with humility, gentleness, patience, and love.

Paul urges the body of Christ to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Unity is not uniformity. Unity does not mean everyone has to look the same, eat the same food, agree on every issue, or become a cut and paste copy of one another. Biblical unity is found in Jesus himself, because humanity is made in the image of God and therefore every person carries deep, intrinsic value.

The Trinity gives the deepest picture of unity in diversity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three and yet one, different and united, inviting humanity into the life and love of God. That invitation is not forced, manipulated, or coerced. It is something to partake in, something to delight in, something to choose.

Psalm 133 pictures unity as precious oil running down Aaron’s head and beard, like the first minister entering the presence of God. Unity delights God’s heart, and there the Lord bestows blessing and life forevermore. Ephesians four says maturity comes as the body learns to bear with one another in love, because maturity cannot be worked out alone. The fullness of God is seen as each part of the body does its work.

Jesus brings everything back to love. After washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus commands love as the mark by which everyone will know his disciples. Unity therefore begins with looking inward, letting the Holy Spirit hold up the mirror to assumptions, judgments, biases, and the hidden “water” of culture. The enemy fills cracks with lies, shame, blame, bitterness, prejudice, and fear, but the gospel is stronger than every divide.

The narrow road of unity means fixing eyes on Jesus, because as people move toward him, they move closer to one another. The kingdom of heaven is every tribe, nation, and tongue united under Christ, with no “other,” but oneness with one another and with the Trinity.

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Key Takeaways

1. Unity is not uniformity Unity does not ask God’s people to become copies of one another. The body of Christ is not made beautiful by sameness, but by difference gathered around Jesus. The church loses richness when it only surrounds itself with people who look, think, sound, and express faith in the same way. [05:54]
2. Jesus is the key to unity Unity cannot be built merely on shared opinions, similar backgrounds, or compatible personalities. Jesus himself is the one who holds together people who would otherwise drift apart. When God’s people fix their gaze on him, love for brothers and sisters begins to come into view again. [07:06]
3. Maturity needs the whole body Ephesians four ties maturity to togetherness, not private spiritual effort alone. Each person’s gifts reveal something of Christ that one individual cannot carry by themselves. The fullness of God is seen as the body is joined, held together, and built up in love. [12:07]
4. Cracks invite lies and bitterness Division rarely stays empty; the enemy fills cracks with shame, blame, assumptions, prejudice, and fear. The gospel answers that fracture with reconciliation stronger than the distance between people. Humility, patience, and self-examination become costly acts of resistance against the powers that divide. [19:06]
5. The narrow road examines assumptions Unity asks for more than being nice to people who are easy to love. The narrow road requires God’s people to question the judgments that feel automatic and the biases that feel normal. The Holy Spirit exposes what comes from the heart of God and what simply comes from the water of culture.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:27] - Living In Divided Times
[02:50] - Ephesians Four And One Body
[05:54] - Unity Is Not Uniformity
[08:11] - The Trinity And Unity In Diversity
[09:55] - Psalm 133 And God’s Blessing
[11:32] - Maturity Through Bearing With One Another
[13:48] - Fixing Eyes On Jesus Together
[16:17] - God’s Plan To Unite All Things
[17:44] - Looking Inward And Having Real Conversations
[20:28] - Examining Assumptions And Biases
[27:00] - Moving Beyond Othering
[29:14] - Every Tribe And Tongue United In Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ephesians 4:1-16
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: 'When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.' (What does 'he ascended' mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” [02:50]

Psalm 133:1-3
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” [09:55]

John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” [16:57]

Observation questions

In Ephesians 4, what attitudes and actions are named alongside keeping “the unity of the Spirit”?
According to Ephesians 4:11-16, what are some of the results of the body being built up and each part doing its work? [12:07]
In Psalm 133, what pictures are used to describe unity, and what does God bestow there? [10:07]
What are some of the things in the surrounding culture that can quietly shape people toward division rather than peace? [01:05]

Interpretation questions

Ephesians 4 connects unity, spiritual gifts, and maturity. Why might maturity require other believers rather than private faith alone? [12:25]
If unity is not uniformity, what does that protect the church from, and what kind of richness does it make room for? [06:02]
Jesus says love is the mark of his disciples in John 13. What does that suggest about the relationship between love, witness, and unity in a divided world? [17:00]
Cracks between people can be filled with lies, blame, bitterness, and fear. Why do divisions tend to deepen when they are left unaddressed? [19:06]

Application questions

Where has the pattern of division in the wider culture started to shape personal habits, reactions, or conversations more than might have been noticed at first? [02:07]
Unity begins with humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love. Which one of those feels hardest right now in a real relationship, and why? [11:37]
Jesus is the one who draws people together. When disagreement rises, what helps keep eyes fixed on him instead of on the issue, the offense, or the other person? [24:13]
Assumptions and biases can feel normal because they are part of the “water” people swim in. Is there a judgment, fear, or assumption about a type of person that needs to be held before the Holy Spirit and honestly examined? [21:24]
The church becomes mature as each part does its work. What gift, perspective, or experience might be missing when a group only stays close to people who are similar? [13:09]
Loving one another includes loving people who are different, inconvenient, or personally frustrating. What could taking one concrete step toward conversation, understanding, or reconciliation look like this week? [20:28]
The kingdom of heaven is every tribe, nation, and tongue united under Christ, with no “other.” Where is there a temptation to think in terms of “us” and “them,” and what might it look like to move toward oneness there? [29:14]

Sermon Clips

51s

#GospelReconciliation

“``But what is the message of the gospel? The message of the gospel is humanity and God separated, where nothing should be able to reunite, and yet Jesus brings us back together. And so, actually, even though we see polarization, I so believe that the power, the blood of Jesus, the grace, the redemption, the reconciliation that God is able to bring is so much greater than all that would seek to try and divide us. And so, is nothing, there is no two people groups too far apart that cannot be united back in Christ. But that takes humility, it takes perseverance, it takes patience, it takes self examination on our own part.”

49s

#UnityInDiversity

“I think to it's important to say that to be united does not mean that we all have to agree on everything. To be united does not mean we all have to look the same. It does not mean we all have to eat the same food. It does not mean we all have to be a cut and paste copy of one another. That is not what being a Christian is about. And actually, I think we have something really unique as the body of Christ. And where we look at the world and we see lots of division, actually, I think as Christians, we have the key to what it means to be able to to walk alongside one another well and to live in unity even amongst diversity. that key is Jesus himself.”

60s

#LookToJesusLove

“And as I was preparing to to share, I kind of had this picture, and I'm sure it's a picture someone has shared with me before. this sense that actually when we fix our gaze on Jesus, when we look into his eyes, what do we see? We see the reflection of our brothers and sisters in Christ also looking and gazing into his eyes. That actually when we look into the eyes of Jesus, when we get to know the heart of God, what do we find? We find love for one another. We find love that covers difference, that covers, yeah, difference of opinion, that covers offense, that covers bitterness and unforgiveness. We find love that is is willing to live in that place of humility, in that place of love.”

47s

#ResistDivision

“And I think in that void, in that cracks that start to form, the enemy knows, maybe even more than us, that we can't do it on our own. The enemy knows, maybe even more than us, that actually, the fullness of the plan of God is that we would all be united in Christ. So when he sees a crack, I am convinced that it is his plan to fill that crack with lies, with deceit, with shame, with blame, with bitterness, with assumptions, with prejudice, that he might further divide, further divide, further divide, that then there is no point that we are able to turn around and come back together.”

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United and Diverse | Good News People Week 7 | 19 July 2026 | Abi Lycett