For a church to be a model church, a church that represents Christ well and that other local churches appreciate, and even want to emulate, it must have harmony among its members.  The only kind of church that is pleasing to God is a unified one.  The first thing that is needed for a church to be united is the proper character and disposition of its membership.  

Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV)
¹  I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ²  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Proper character and disposition begin with the right view of oneself.  To be humble is to have a deep sense of one’s own smallness and moral flaws.  This allows one to esteem others better than self (Philippians 2:3), and to treat people with gentleness, patience, and love.

A second thing that is necessary for a local church to maintain unity is a strong desire for it.  Paul said that brethren should be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit.”  The word eager means “to make an effort, be prompt or earnest, or to be diligent.”  Being a unified church does not happen by accident.  To have unity while being a part of a mixed group of people with different ideas, backgrounds, and personalities takes work.

What are some areas where a local church needs to be united?  First, in our willingness to stand firm for the faith.  A model church loves the truth collectively and is ready to defend the gospel against all assaults.

Philippians 1:27 (ESV)
²⁷  Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

Every church has at least a few who are willing to stand firm for the faith, but a model church has a membership doing so with one spirit and mind.  The entire church, or at least the majority, feels the same way about earnestly contending for the faith (Jude 1:3).  They want the preacher to expose error and emphasize truth.  They want the elders to take a strong stand for the Bible.  When it comes to living, preaching, and fighting for the faith, a model church will stand united.

This harmonious stand for truth will lead to another area where a church should be united—in speech.  A unified church will always speak the same things.

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

This kind of unity leads to others believing in Jesus (John 17:20-21).  We must be on the same page doctrinally, and that doctrine must be the doctrine of Christ.

Let’s all help our local churches be unified for Christ.  We will be better off for it, and so will the world that we are trying to reach when they see our example.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.