As Christians, living in unity is one of the most powerful ways we can demonstrate our faith to an onlooking world. But what does it mean to live together in unity? How do we demonstrate to our church what it looks like to make “every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit,” as Paul described in Ephesians 4:3? We asked a few of our previous conference speakers for their perspectives.
One of the ways that church leaders can encourage unity is not just to pray for it the way that Jesus did but to model it. One of the ways that we can model it is by being okay when people disagree with us over disputable matters, showing that it’s fine. We don’t have to agree on all these different things. In Romans 14, Paul talks about that, accept one another when it comes to disputable matters. And as leaders, we have lots of opportunities to put that into practice.
I think the burden is on us to initiate conversation, developing relationships with people they might not otherwise find themselves unified with—meaningful, transparent conversation, in the context of trust, as leaders. And then watch it spill over like the oil flowed from Aaron’s beard down to the garment. It starts with the head.
One, is we want to emphasize in preaching, teaching, and communication—whether that’s a weekly email or social—the things we have most in common. And then the second thing I think we have to highlight is the way that the world is trying to create division and create discord. And I think if people have a framework for, “This is what we have most in common, this is my primary identity, and these are the ways the enemy is working in this day to create drama,” it really strengthens the people to see one another as kind of a “one team, we’re in this together” mindset, as opposed to little pockets of people in a congregation.
We have to start by being honest about why there’s disunity in the first place. I would submit that I think most of the disunity is the result of people feeling misunderstood and unloved. When you feel loved and when you feel understood, there’s automatically going to be a sense of unity because there’s the presence of care. I think about the way Jesus conducted himself. Right? So, when he was confronted with people who maybe disagreed with him—and of course, he knows all things, so he knows they disagree with him—he actually led with curiosity. He asked the question in order to have them articulate what they thought and how they felt. And then he shared truth. But he shared it from a place of compassion. So, I think that the solution to disunity is honestly just being like Jesus. Seeking to understand before we seek to be understood.
People are sorting themselves out of their churches over ideological differences when they used to unite together around theological issues and the gospel. So, what is a pastor to do? I want to encourage you, first, to stay faithful to your calling. God has called you to lead well, to shepherd well, and to call people into relationship with one another. I think there are two key things that I would say will help us to bring a greater sense of unity, not calling for unity—calling for unity nowadays just seems like something people say. But I think if we elevate our ecclesiology, in other words, we help people see just how important these bonded relationships of community are in the life of the church, and then we engage the mission—helping people to join together and showing and sharing the love of Jesus—I think that’s what will help bring churches together in the context where we find ourselves. So, let’s elevate our ecclesiology. Let’s engage the mission. Let’s do it together in unity.
Living in unity is difficult but worthy work. We can model unity and initiate conversation about it. And empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can lead with compassion as we engage in the mission of the church.
How do you cultivate unity in your church? Watch sessions from RightNow Conference 2024, Together, for inspiration and practical applications. Click here to watch.
The heart of our mission is to serve the global church. Recognizing the growing need for biblical content to serve people in the Middle East, we launched RightNow Media MENA (Middle East and North Africa) in 2024 and it currently serves around ninety churches. Mona El Serafy is the regional director.
We have over a dozen originally produced series in the native languages of the region, with even more content on the way. Thanks to our strategic alliance with NextGen Global leaders, we’re able to reach the Middle East and North Africa with RightNow Media resources.
The library of content for the MENA audience continues to grow, covering a range of topics designed to deepen the spiritual walk of those in the region. Check out some of the recent MENA studies below:
Living with Suffering
Wassim Sabry
Difficulties in Prayer
Maher Samuel
Teach Us to Pray
Hossam Qamsieh
The impact of RightNow Media in the Middle East and North Africa is encouraging. Middle East and North Africa is our newest global region, and despite different challenges to sharing the good news in this area, the RightNow Media platform continues to make a difference.
“Among the beautiful things I found in this platform is the series on how to read the Bible. It gives you a deep and encouraging insight that helps you to really dive deep into Bible learning. RightNow Media also has a lot of very interesting topics. Honestly, I have never seen a Christian platform like RightNow Media.” — Monica A., Cairo, Egypt
RightNow Media’s mission is to work with the global church to inspire people to love others before self and Christ above all. Our strategic alliance with NextGen Global leaders in MENA and beyond has allowed us to expand our ministry to over one hundred countries in thirteen languages.
To see more original content with churches outside of the US, check out the Around the World library on RightNow Media. Additionally, you can learn more about RightNow Media’s global reach on the Global Reach page.
My husband jokes that the only difference between a toddler and a middle schooler is the need for potty training. With the pendulum of emotions and smells that pervade our home raising a ten-, twelve-, and fourteen-year-old, I must agree.
While keeping a toddler alive and happy is its own kind of hard, parenting preteens and teens feels next level. These pre-adults are dealing with hormones and the emotions that come along for the ride. They crave privacy and independence. They may experiment with pushing boundaries. They have the influence of friends invading a space that used to be mom and dad’s domain.
And although our kids still need us, they need us in a different way. How are we to navigate this new phase?
Here are seven practices to help you navigate the preteen and teen years of parenting:
Between school, sports, clubs, and youth events you may find yourself in the car with your teen more than any other place. Although Uber driver and social activities coordinator may not be impressive on your work resume, being present for those drive times with your teen is important.
One way to engage your teen during these car rides is to ask thoughtful questions. Not “How was your day?” but “How was that test?” Pay attention to what your teen values. You may still be met with a grunt but your teen hearing you ask about a specific part of their day that is important to them matters even if all they do is grunt back, “good.”
Toddlers are little chatterboxes. They ask questions and—before we have responded to their first question—they ask a second and third question. As children age, their questions and chatter slow. The worlds they readily welcomed us to be a part of become more exclusive. Friends become their sounding board. Their incessant outer dialogue and curiosity move inward.
That can be hard to take in, but it just means we need to listen and pay attention both to what they are saying and what they are not saying. Has your daughter stopped talking about her best friend? Did your son mention an audition coming up? Are they really excited about a playoff game? Your kids may not be as free with their words these days, but by paying attention, you’ll be ready for those moments when they open up to respond in a way that says, “I’m listening.”
In the classic movie The Princess Bride, Buttercup learns that the farm boy Westley is saying, “I love you,” every time he responds to her requests with “As you wish.” One of the loudest ways we can say to our teens and preteens that we love them is by being present. Save the phone call for later. Delay the email. Sign off social media. Be in the moment with your kids. That time with your kids—even if they are reluctant to engage in conversation—speaks, “I love you” even louder than Westley’s “As you wish.”
When our kids were little, we often put them in time out for poor choices. This five-minute punishment was our way of helping them understand the consequences of their actions. And it usually worked well. It can be tempting to think the same approach will work for our preteens and teens.
In their search for identity, our kids will make mistakes. Time-outs won’t work and neither will verbal reprimands. That doesn’t mean their actions are without consequences. They may have to pass on a meet-up with friends or go without tech until they raise their grades, but they don’t necessarily need a polished lecture.
You probably know what I’m talking about. We oftenfeel tempted to start a “When I was your age” Ted Talk when what our kids really need is quiet to process what they are feeling and maybe a well-worded question that helps them think it through.
Ironically, as our kids age, we may need to put ourselves in timeout—our words at least. There are days when I really ought to have James 1:19 tattooed to my wrist. “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” This means holding off on the lecture. It means realizing that just like you make mistakes being parents, your kids will make mistakes being kids. It means modeling restraint and understanding.
No parent is perfect. Let that settle in your mind and heart. You will make mistakes—and your teen needs to hear, “I was wrong. Will you forgive me?” This is an important practice at any stage but especially in a time when your teen may be terrified to be wrong or reluctant to confide in you that she messed up. If you can make mistakes and seek reconciliation, it gives her permission to make mistakes and seek forgiveness.
While kids need their parents at every stage of development, they start to lean on outside voices in their teen years. Because your teens will be listening to the voices of peers and other adults, you must also invite voices of faith into the conversation. Small group leaders. The student pastor. Parents of your teen’s friends. Our teens and preteens need to hear the values you uphold from other people. It sends a message to our kids that sounds something like: “These adults I trust are saying the same things my parents have been saying for years. Maybe there is something to this.”
When my kids were little, I found it easy to turn everyday moments into spiritual ones. “Look at the trees! Who made the trees?” I would ask my toddler crew. They would joyfully reply, “God!” “That’s right,” I’d respond. “God made the trees. Let’s pray and thank God for them.” They would fold their tiny hands and thank God for the trees.
As they’ve aged, those conversations don’t come as naturally. Of course, we can still thank God for the trees, but that suggestion is often met with an eye roll. Despite what may feel awkward, don’t give up on making faith a part of your daily interactions with your teens. Encourage your teen to look for God at work in her day. Thank God for the grace he gave your son to study for a hard test. Encourage your daughter to rely on God when best friends become bullies. We can help our kids see that the God who made the trees is present in the spaces that matter to them.
Parenting teens may not be as harrowing as the toddler years, but there’s a huge learning curve for how we interact with and react to our maturing brood. Lean into the strength that only the Lord can provide and love them well. Learn to listen more than you speak. And point them repeatedly to Christ. Even if they roll their eyes. And refuse to use deodorant.
Every presidential election season in the U.S., all eyes look toward election day—“The Tuesday next after the 1st Monday in November”[1]—when Americans head to the polls to fulfill their duty as citizens: voting. Whether by candidates vying for office, journalists and news outlets, or friends and family members, voters are implored to exercise their constitutional right and pull the lever for the candidate they’d most like to see in the Oval Office. The act of voting is imbued with near-sacred importance.
While voting may not be sacred, it is important. In our representative form of government, casting votes is one of the principal ways we make our voices heard. And it’s a right that many in our country’s history have fought to see extended to all American citizens of voting age. Voting isn’t something we should take lightly.
But a presidential election only comes around once every four years. As important as it is to participate in the political process by voting, casting a vote shouldn’t be the only way we engage in the public life of our republic. As Christians, what does our faith compel us to do in the four years between presidential elections?
There are several ways to answer this question. From the prophet Micah (Micah 6:8) to Paul’s letter to the Romans (Romans 13:1–7), the Bible is replete with instructions on how we are to live in society with others. Yet regardless of where we turn in the Scriptures, Jesus’s words echo throughout: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31).
For Christians, the command we’ve been given is simple: we are to love our neighbors. We are to be neighbors.
Naturally, the command to love our neighbors sparks a handful of questions for us—chief among them: What is love?
First-century Christians must have had similar questions about love because the apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthian church, spelled it out plainly:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends (13:4–8a ESV).
What does it mean to love our neighbors now, in the time between presidential elections? At the very least, it means to be patient with our neighbors; to be kind to them; to be humble and respectful toward them; to be accommodating and open to meeting their needs and hearing their ideas; to be cheerful toward them; to wish them well; to commit to them for the long haul and to hope good things for them—and even to effect good things for them.
Love is nonpartisan. It compels us to cross all boundaries, political or otherwise, for our neighbors’ good. And without love, all our political activity, no matter how grand it is or “inspired” it seems, will be nothing more than a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV).
But like the lawyer in Luke 10, the command to love our neighbor might lead us to ask another question: “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29 ESV).
Jesus’s answer to this question in the Scriptures, in the parable of the good Samaritan, flips the question on its head. Instead of “Who is my neighbor,” we ought to ask, “Who am I to be a neighbor to?” Answer: Those who are in need, regardless of class, religion, race, creed—or political affiliation. Even those we’d consider our enemies.
At its very core, our political engagement is not about grand gestures or national politics. It’s about seeking our neighbors’ welfare and “the welfare of the city,” the community, the neighborhood, and the street “where [God has] sent [us]” (Jeremiah 29:7 ESV). It’s about seeing every act of participation as an opportunity to love your neighbor as yourself.
The good Samaritan stands as an example of what it looks like to love our neighbor as ourselves. And Jesus’s command to us today—before, on, and after Election Day—is the same as it was to the lawyer in Luke’s Gospel: “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37 ESV).
So, by all means, vote. But don’t let your vote be the sum total of your political engagement. Love your neighbors. Serve them. Befriend them. Feed them dinner. Be generous toward them. Pray for them. Tell them about Jesus. Invite them to church. Drive their kids to practice. Have them in your home. Listen to them. Be kind and patient and committed to their good. Sacrifice for them, as Jesus did.
[1] “2U.S. Code § 7 - Time of Election,” Legal Information Institute, accessed September 26, 2024, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2/7.
We have “work friends,” social happy hours, and a unique dialect that would have our families and friends side-eyeing us if we spoke similarly outside of work: “Could we pick a dinner spot by EOD?”
Even though our workplaces feel compartmentalized, they’re not. When Jesus commanded his followers to “Go . . . make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), he didn’t mean for them to accomplish his mission everywhere except where they work. Jesus intended for us to see all areas of our lives as opportunities to share who he is and what he’s done—and that call extends to our jobs.
So, what does disciple-making at your workplace look like? How can we best live out Jesus’s command to make disciples not just where it’s most comfortable but where it’s most needed? Whether you’re an employee or a manager, you can take practical steps to make disciples where you work.
Most people fear being “that person” at work who only talks about their faith. While we are called to be unashamed of our faith, being belligerent about our faith isn’t the most winsome—or faithful—approach.
Never discussing your faith isn’t a faithful option either. As a Christian, you likely engage in plenty of Christian activities throughout your week—attending church, participating in small groups, or reading your Bible. When people ask the familiar, “What did you do this weekend?” on a Monday morning, tell them. Simply sharing your experience at church or with a small group—not even what happened, but just that you engaged in some Christian practice—could open the door for deeper questions.
On a more basic level, telling your coworkers stories of how God has worked in your life, whether it’s answered prayers, things you’re learning, or experiences you’ve had with Jesus, can also be a good way to prompt spiritual conversations.
Have you ever noticed the people you most enjoy talking to ask the most thoughtful questions? There’s a big difference between listening half-heartedly to someone’s answer to your question, waiting to answer it yourself, and genuinely paying attention to someone’s answer.
If you want to make disciples at work, ask good questions of your co-workers. Jesus often asked questions to prompt conversations, most famously to Peter in Matthew 16:15, “Who do you say that I am?” Look for opportunities to move beyond the typical action-oriented questions, “How was your weekend?” and “What are you doing for dinner?” Ask questions concerning their thoughts and feelings: “How did you feel about that meeting?” or “What do you think I should do?”
It may be unnerving to invite this deeper level of conversation, but the more you show interest in your co-workers’ thoughts and feelings the more likely they are to come to you with their perspective on non-work-related topics. These conversations often lead to more spiritual conversations.
Being forward with your faith can be frowned upon as a boss in a non-Christian workplace. However, one of the most enticing aspects of the Christian faith is the servant-leadership of Jesus which is modeled for us in his sacrificial death. As a boss, you can show people your faith.
As a Christian called by God to imitate Jesus, you can be a servant-leader for your employees by seeking their good above your own. Being the kind of boss who sacrifices for your employees may invite people to ask why you lead sacrificially.
Think about ways in which you can lead sacrificially for your employees. What kinds of things would the people working for you feel appreciated by? What habits could you start to show your care for your employees?
While being overly forward with your faith may not be appropriate from nine to five in the workplace, great potential exists outside those hours for spiritual change.
Companies of many sizes often have social groups focused on specific interests or hobbies—recreational sports, book clubs, food sampling, etc. Suggest beginning a Bible study or prayer meeting before or after work hours to higher management. If your company is small enough and you’re a manager, you may be able to initiate these activities all on your own.
If your company already serves your local community in some way, you could lead the service project at the next opportunity or find new partners to work with in the future. Just like Jesus met the physical needs of people around him, you can meet the physical needs of people in your community using your workplace’s resources.
For resources about how to work, live, and lead within the workplace like Jesus calls us to, check out RightNow Media’s Work library.
RightNow Media’s mission is to work with the global church to inspire people to love others before self and Christ above all. We are committed to equipping pastors and leaders worldwide with the resources they need to make a lasting impact in their congregations and communities.
As part of our global expansion, we’ve formed a strategic alliance with like-minded individuals and teams, extending our reach and impact across various countries. By working together, we amplify our efforts to support the global church.
God is using RightNow Media to support and empower church leaders around the world, making a meaningful impact in their congregations and communities. Discover powerful stories of transformation from RightNow Media regional teams and the churches they serve:
“Prior to subscribing to RightNow Media, one of the tough challenges that I faced as a senior pastor was looking for resources, quality materials, basically to help me, both as a pastor here in my church and as someone who leads other pastors here in my community. When I came across RightNow Media, I told myself this is heaven-sent…RightNow provided me with a plethora of digital resources where I am allowed to learn from the wisdom of excellent Bible teachers and wonderful pastors in the comfort of my home at the convenience of my schedule.”
—Daniel Gabasa, One Body, One Lord, Asia-Pacific
"RightNow Media represents a very uplifting experience for our congregation. Each of the resources available on the platform has served as training for leadership and as teaching material in discipleship groups."
—Pastor Mariano Marroquín, Camino Bíblico Leche y Miel, Latin America
“Not only has this tool been beneficial to us as individuals, but it has also been vital to the training and formation of leaders in our congregation.”
—Pastor Roberto Torres, Iglesia Vida para la Ciudad, Latin America
“The use of this platform and all its resources at Iglesia el Pacto has enabled us to find a deep intimacy with the Word of God and we have experienced significant spiritual growth as a community. We are grateful for this tool that has allowed us to strengthen our faith and our commitment to the gospel.”
—Andrés Bunch, Iglesia Cristiana el Pacto, Latin America
[We’ve] found it to be an absolutely fantastic resource for our church. We’ve been using it in our life groups. We’ve been encouraging people to use it on a personal basis, as well as in our kids, youth, [and] leadership development. All across the board, we’ve found it helpful in so many areas of church life.”
—Jamie Haxby, Hope Church, United Kingdom
“We are equipping all our ministries in church with tools, resources, and teaching all in God’s Word, that are relevant to them. RightNow Media gives us easy tools to go deeper in God’s Word so that we can focus on going wider in reaching the world.”
—Karen Beatty, Newtownbreda Baptist Church, United Kingdom
See some of the originally-produced RightNow Media content from around the world:
Explore our Around the World library to find a variety of content that supports church leaders everywhere. We hope these resources inspire and equip you to make a meaningful impact in your own community.
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