“See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, That ran down on the beard, Even Aaron’s beard; That came down on the edge of his robes; Like the dew of Hermon, That comes down on the hills of Zion: For there the Lord gives the blessing, Even life forevermore.”    Psalm 133:1-3 WEB

When we are at peace with sisters and brothers in Christ, it is such blessing. It is even more so when it is the wider family that we are born into. How sweet to fellowship, laugh and share with sisters and brothers in both natural and spiritual senses. How good to know that dear children belong to Christ and are walking with Him. These things cannot be taken for granted. 

How good to be able to fellowship with a group of believers who love Christ and are willing to be honest and true in relationships. The spiritual health of knowing each others faults and being able to forgive. To have the power to not judge others who are different from ourselves and choose different things to us. The diversity in the Church of Christ is so important. Cliques and factions cannot prevail. Those who build empires around themselves in the name of God, will have difficulty explaining why that was so.

The small fellowship where people are valued and the work of God is His work and under His sovereign intention, is a pleasure to be among. The bonds of friendship and the web of prayer that holds us fast, is truly the work of the Spirit of God. There may seem like there is less people to do the work, but sacrifice is the way to blessing, not great organisation. It is easy and inevitable to get lost in the big church. 

Money can never replace the beauty of the poured oil on the heads to the truly redeemed. This oil that signifies the setting apart for God and the blessed peace of the Holy Spirit. The oil that gives a fragrant atmosphere to the society where the Christian belongs, and to the godless world that we now still inhabit. The poured out blessing is a gift from God, not worked up by human efforts. It is the early morning dew that refreshes. It is poured out over the head, who is Christ, and runs down even to the collar of the robe. The blessing of Christ reaches to us, who belong to Him and are identified with Him.

Unity can be manufactured. In these corporate times, unity appears as a group of leaders,  who give an agreeable outlook from the front of gatherings with back slapping and hugs all round. People who have come together for political expediency and are seeking a unity of purpose to do something that will bind various groups together for a common end. It is not for spiritual warfare, but to present the organisation as a feasible force in the secular world. Anyone can join this “unity.”

The unity of the people of God is quite different. This body of souls are people from all kinds of persuasions, cultural groups, families, and abilities. These people are joined in love for Christ the Lord and the Word of God. The inclusion criteria is faith- a saving faith in Jesus the Saviour and a faith that will keep them until that last great day. 

Each believing person sees Christ in the other. A sacrificial love and lifestyle that serves saint and sinner. A purpose to speak Christ and live out His life in our lives. This is the unity of the people of God. The precious oil runs down from Christ to us and our lives become a fragrant offering to Him. Often it is a quiet blessedness, that pervades the life of the Christian believer and expresses itself in quiet service and unseen labour to the glory of God. 

The blessedness we seek is eternal life. A life forever serving and pouring oil on sisters and brothers, to the glory of Christ and the peace of God. The blessing of Zion, will in that triumphant day, be a constant felt experience for every redeemed person.