It is absolutely clear from Scripture that God passionately desires supernatural unity within His Church. Unity is what Jesus prays for, what He commands, and what He says will be our greatest witness to the world.

If unity is so important to the heart of God, why is the Church one of the most divided groups on earth?

In his newest book Until Unity, New York Times-bestselling author Francis Chan calls for believers and churches everywhere to align our hearts with God and start taking seriously His numerous commands to unify. While many believe doctrine is at the root of the problem, Francis argues that the real problem is the shallowness or non-existence of our love for each other—rooted in a shallowness in our understanding of the gospel. This is what desperately needs to change.

The reason that God gifts the Church with leaders is so they can equip God’s people in a way that leads to “unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:13). We have done a poor job at this, but it can all change. Those who are believers will hear the call and be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (v. 3). There will be opposition, but we cannot allow anything to discourage us from giving everything we have to the pursuit of a unified, restored Bride.