August 17, 2025 • 8 mins
We live in a world pulled apart by opinions, politics, pride, and pain. But Jesus offers a better way unity rooted in humility and love. In this episode, we’ll explore what it looks like to live as one body in Christ, even when the world around us is breaking apart.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:04):
The Wooden Cricket Welcome back to the Wooden Cricket podcast.
My name is Lawrence, and every day we gather here to pause,
breathe, and let God's Word speak directly into our lives.
Yesterday in episode 44, we talked about fear and how fear
(00:25):
can hold us back, whispering lies that keep us from living in
the freedom Jesus died to give us.
But here's the truth. Fear doesn't just stay inside
us, it spills outward. It shapes how we treat one
another. Fear being wrong can turn into
anger at someone who disagrees. Fear of losing control can turn
(00:48):
into the need to control others.And fear being hurt again can
turn into walls so high that nobody can reach us.
That's how divisions starts. And division is everywhere.
Families, workplaces, social media, even church.
But Jesus prayed for something better.
(01:10):
Not shallow unity, not fake smiles, but a unity rooted in
humility, gentleness and patience and love.
A unity rooted in Jesus. And today we're going to see
what God's Word says about living is 1 even when the world
tries to pull us apart. So let's begin with Paul's words
(01:32):
in Ephesians, his blueprint for unity, written not from comfort,
believe me, but from a prison cell.
It says in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 26, always be humble and
gentle. Be patient with each other,
making allowance for each other's faults because of your
love. Make every effort to keep
(01:54):
yourselves united in the Spirit,binding yourselves together with
peace, for there is one body andone Spirit, just as you have
been called to. 1 glorious hope for the future.
There is one Lord, 1 faith, 1 baptism, and one God and Father
who is overall and then all and living through all.
(02:19):
Paul isn't writing these words from a place of comfort.
He's in prison, and not because he committed a crime, because he
refused to stop preaching Jesus to people He was chained for
proclaiming the good news, for planting churches, for living
boldly in the mission God gave him.
(02:43):
And yet, with iron around his wrists, his focus isn't on
bitterness. It isn't self pity.
It's unity, he says. Always be humble and gentle
because pride and harshness their gasoline on the fire of
division, he says. Be patient.
(03:05):
Make allowance for each other's faults.
That's not natural, that's supernatural.
That's love that only comes fromJesus.
Andy's urgent Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the
spirit. Unity doesn't happen by
accident. It's fought for, it's guarded,
(03:28):
it's chosen again and again. The foundation is this.
One body, 1 Spirit, 1 Lord, 1 faith, one baptism, one God and
Father. We don't have to manufacture
unity, we simply need to walk inthe unity that already exists in
(03:51):
Jesus Christ. And Paul isn't alone in this.
Jesus himself prayed for this unity right before he went to
the cross. You could flip to John chapter
17 verses 2021. I am praying not only for these
disciples, but also for all who will ever believe in me through
(04:12):
their message. I pray that they will all be
one, just as you and I are one, as you are in me, Father, and I
am in you, and may they be in usso that the world will believe
you sent me. Hours before the nails, hours
(04:34):
before the crown of thorns, hours before the betrayal.
Jesus prayed for unity, nod for comfort, nod for success and not
for safety. He prayed that we would be 1.
And it wasn't just for the disciples at the table.
(04:56):
It's for us, for all who will ever believe.
That means you. That means me.
And why does it matter so much? Jesus says so that the world
will believe You sent me. Our unity is evangelism.
(05:17):
Our unity is proof that Jesus isreal.
The way you treat another believer can either strengthen
someone's faith or weaken it. That's how serious unity is.
So what do we do with this? How do we live it out?
In a world so divided, division will always be easier than
(05:41):
unity. It's easier to cut someone off
than to forgive. It's easier to walk away than to
reconcile. It's easier to surrender or to
surround ourselves with people who think like us than to love
those who challenge us. But that's not the way of Jesus.
Jesus humbled himself. He emptied himself, gave his
(06:05):
life not only to reconcile us with God, but to reconcile us
with each other. So what if we started to take
him incredibly seriously? What if we became known not for
our divisions but for our devotion, not for our arguments,
but for our love for one another?
(06:27):
Unity doesn't mean we'll agree on everything, absolutely not.
But it does mean we agree on themost important thing.
Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior,and in him we are family.
And tomorrow, we'll face one of the biggest barriers to unity,
the weight of unforgiveness. This is the Wooden Cricket
(06:51):
podcast on Lawrence. Our unity is not built on our
strength. It's built on Jesus, on his
blood that tore down the wall between US and God, between us
and each other at the cross. Enemies became family.
Strangers became brothers and sisters.
(07:13):
Division lost its power because Jesus himself became our peace.
And when the world sees us forgive each other, when they
see us love across differences, when they see us walk as one
body, that's when they see Jesusmost clearly.
That's when they believe he is who he says he is.
(07:35):
So today, don't walk in the spirit of division.
Walk in the spirit of Jesus. Let his humility shape you.
Let His love guide you. Let His peace bind you together
with others. And tomorrow we'll talk about
the heavy chain of unforgivenessand how Christ breaks it once
(07:58):
and for all. And until then, may Jesus
Himself be your peace. May His Spirit fill you with
patience and love, and may your life today be a living testimony
that in Him we're one. This has been Lawrence.
There's been the Wooden Cricket podcast, and then till tomorrow,
(08:19):
You know what I'm telling you all?
Have a good one please.
The Wooden Cricket Welcome back to the Wooden Cricket podcast.
My name is Lawrence, and every day we gather here to pause,
breathe, and let God's Word speak directly into our lives.
Yesterday in episode 44, we talked about fear and how fear
(00:25):
can hold us back, whispering lies that keep us from living in
the freedom Jesus died to give us.
But here's the truth. Fear doesn't just stay inside
us, it spills outward. It shapes how we treat one
another. Fear being wrong can turn into
anger at someone who disagrees. Fear of losing control can turn
(00:48):
into the need to control others.And fear being hurt again can
turn into walls so high that nobody can reach us.
That's how divisions starts. And division is everywhere.
Families, workplaces, social media, even church.
But Jesus prayed for something better.
(01:10):
Not shallow unity, not fake smiles, but a unity rooted in
humility, gentleness and patience and love.
A unity rooted in Jesus. And today we're going to see
what God's Word says about living is 1 even when the world
tries to pull us apart. So let's begin with Paul's words
(01:32):
in Ephesians, his blueprint for unity, written not from comfort,
believe me, but from a prison cell.
It says in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 26, always be humble and
gentle. Be patient with each other,
making allowance for each other's faults because of your
love. Make every effort to keep
(01:54):
yourselves united in the Spirit,binding yourselves together with
peace, for there is one body andone Spirit, just as you have
been called to. 1 glorious hope for the future.
There is one Lord, 1 faith, 1 baptism, and one God and Father
who is overall and then all and living through all.
(02:19):
Paul isn't writing these words from a place of comfort.
He's in prison, and not because he committed a crime, because he
refused to stop preaching Jesus to people He was chained for
proclaiming the good news, for planting churches, for living
boldly in the mission God gave him.
(02:43):
And yet, with iron around his wrists, his focus isn't on
bitterness. It isn't self pity.
It's unity, he says. Always be humble and gentle
because pride and harshness their gasoline on the fire of
division, he says. Be patient.
(03:05):
Make allowance for each other's faults.
That's not natural, that's supernatural.
That's love that only comes fromJesus.
Andy's urgent Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the
spirit. Unity doesn't happen by
accident. It's fought for, it's guarded,
(03:28):
it's chosen again and again. The foundation is this.
One body, 1 Spirit, 1 Lord, 1 faith, one baptism, one God and
Father. We don't have to manufacture
unity, we simply need to walk inthe unity that already exists in
(03:51):
Jesus Christ. And Paul isn't alone in this.
Jesus himself prayed for this unity right before he went to
the cross. You could flip to John chapter
17 verses 2021. I am praying not only for these
disciples, but also for all who will ever believe in me through
(04:12):
their message. I pray that they will all be
one, just as you and I are one, as you are in me, Father, and I
am in you, and may they be in usso that the world will believe
you sent me. Hours before the nails, hours
(04:34):
before the crown of thorns, hours before the betrayal.
Jesus prayed for unity, nod for comfort, nod for success and not
for safety. He prayed that we would be 1.
And it wasn't just for the disciples at the table.
(04:56):
It's for us, for all who will ever believe.
That means you. That means me.
And why does it matter so much? Jesus says so that the world
will believe You sent me. Our unity is evangelism.
(05:17):
Our unity is proof that Jesus isreal.
The way you treat another believer can either strengthen
someone's faith or weaken it. That's how serious unity is.
So what do we do with this? How do we live it out?
In a world so divided, division will always be easier than
(05:41):
unity. It's easier to cut someone off
than to forgive. It's easier to walk away than to
reconcile. It's easier to surrender or to
surround ourselves with people who think like us than to love
those who challenge us. But that's not the way of Jesus.
Jesus humbled himself. He emptied himself, gave his
(06:05):
life not only to reconcile us with God, but to reconcile us
with each other. So what if we started to take
him incredibly seriously? What if we became known not for
our divisions but for our devotion, not for our arguments,
but for our love for one another?
(06:27):
Unity doesn't mean we'll agree on everything, absolutely not.
But it does mean we agree on themost important thing.
Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior,and in him we are family.
And tomorrow, we'll face one of the biggest barriers to unity,
the weight of unforgiveness. This is the Wooden Cricket
(06:51):
podcast on Lawrence. Our unity is not built on our
strength. It's built on Jesus, on his
blood that tore down the wall between US and God, between us
and each other at the cross. Enemies became family.
Strangers became brothers and sisters.
(07:13):
Division lost its power because Jesus himself became our peace.
And when the world sees us forgive each other, when they
see us love across differences, when they see us walk as one
body, that's when they see Jesusmost clearly.
That's when they believe he is who he says he is.
(07:35):
So today, don't walk in the spirit of division.
Walk in the spirit of Jesus. Let his humility shape you.
Let His love guide you. Let His peace bind you together
with others. And tomorrow we'll talk about
the heavy chain of unforgivenessand how Christ breaks it once
(07:58):
and for all. And until then, may Jesus
Himself be your peace. May His Spirit fill you with
patience and love, and may your life today be a living testimony
that in Him we're one. This has been Lawrence.
There's been the Wooden Cricket podcast, and then till tomorrow,
(08:19):
You know what I'm telling you all?
Have a good one please.
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