By God’s grace, I am a Christian.

The followers of Jesus Christ were first called Christian in the city of Antioch. The moment is recorded in Acts 11:26. The name stuck, and for the followers of Jesus Christ, it is the only name that truly matters.

There are hundreds of other names for Christians. We believers, choose names that identify us with certain theological, social, and political positions, historical events and figures, forms of church governance, and even geography.

These other names have some value, as they provide identity and fellowship for the vast and varied ways Christians experience the grace of God.

While somewhat useful, these other names are clearly less important than the unifying name Christian. When we over-emphasize the other names, they distract and even divide us. If we allow dogma, territorialism, or competition to fragment the Body of Christ into disassociated bits and pieces, then we become guilty of these acts of the flesh: hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy. Paul doesn’t mince words when he warns us: those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God. See Galatians 5:20-21.

Christian, this is serious. In his passionate prayer found in John 17, Jesus describes unity among his followers as the necessary foundation to his mission’s success:

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Fellow believer, complete unity among the followers of Jesus Christ is the foundation for mission success. Imagine the kingdom impact of 2.6 billion Christians living in miraculous unity. Yes, that’s how many Christians are walking the Earth today. It is sad that we must imagine full and miraculous unity when we could be experiencing it.

Am I suggesting that all Christians must agree on every theological, political, and social issue? That they must follow Jesus the exact same way? That they must worship God with the exact same expressions to be able to live in complete unity?

I am not. To do so would utterly miss the point of Christianity. Our faith is, first and foremost, a personal faith. By God’s grace, it establishes a direct relationship between almighty God and his beloved child. Please hear this: by the grace made possible through Jesus Christ, nothing stands between God and his child. Nothing. It is an important truth that every follower of Jesus must humbly accept and preserve. If we don’t, then we pridefully and arrogantly place ourselves and our opinions between God and his child — and the result is division.

In Romans 14, Paul confronts this topic head-on. The Roman Christians were arguing with each other over disputable matters, and they were getting between God and his children. If you haven’t read that chapter recently, I suggest you read it today. Focus on this statement: So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. See verse 22. In other words, when it comes to disputable matters, keep your eyes on Jesus and your opinions to yourself. Don’t insert yourself between another believer and Jesus. If you do, the result will be division.

Jesus gave Peter the same advice in John 21:22. Peter was being nosy. He wanted to know about John’s relationship to Jesus. He was butting in. Jesus told him plainly: What is that to you? You must follow me.

Paul warns us: You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. See Galatians 5:7-8.

My friend, the point is this: follow Jesus wholeheartedly. He is your Master, and it is before him and him alone that you will either stand or fall. Don’t allow others to cut in and distract you from that relationship. No one should be between you and Jesus. No one.

That being understood, we also shouldn’t be inserting ourselves and our opinions between others and Jesus. Every believer must follow Jesus wholeheartedly, quietly, and humbly. Keeping that focus, while allowing others the freedom to do the same, results in Christian unity and mission advancement.

My fellow Christian, we don’t have a lot of time left to accomplish the mission of God, and every second spent in division is one we can never get back. Considering the weight of the Great Commission and the ministry of reconciliation, we don’t have a second to waste. Jesus is counting on us to get this right — and so is the world.