***NEWS RELEASE***
The Power of Christian Unity
Religion and Culture Expert Dr. Alex McFarland: In the New Year, Christians Must Set Aside Differences and Show What Can Be Accomplished When We Join Together as Christ’s Hands and Feet
GREENSBORO, N.C.—“Unity” was certainly not a key word for 2017, with much dissention evident throughout the nation this past year—in political parties, socio-economic classes and even among believers.
But religion and culture expert and author Dr. Alex McFarland (www.alexmcfarland.com) says that unity within the body of Christ is a concept that Jesus Himself promoted among the earliest Christians.
For a new commentary in The Christian Post, McFarland recounted an experience that deeply impacted him decades ago. While a college student, McFarland joined a team to rebuild a small church that had burned down in Whiteville, N.C. The goal was to go from rubble and ashes to foundation and walls in just 48 hours.
Men with hammers and nails came from several states away to help, and soon a construction chorus was building together—in tune. In just two days, the church was restored, ready for the small congregation to welcome the community again.
“Since New Testament times, groups of Christian believers have accomplished things that benefit the world and promote the knowledge of salvation,” McFarland wrote. “This was Jesus’ plan, that his followers live and serve as one (John 17:21; Ephesians 4:15). The church’s unity showed the world that Christ’s presence is tangible and His message true! So what may be accomplished when Christians pull together?”
McFarland pointed to Dwight L. Moody, the great 19th century leader, who led Christians of the 1800s to build orphanages, start schools and literacy programs, feed the poor, plant churches and lead millions to personal faith in Christ. Moody served in a “horse and buggy” era, mobilizing Christians on six continents, and doing all that he did in less than three decades.
“There is power in unity!” McFarland said. “I will never forget that experience so many years ago. It was a beautiful thing to see all those Christian men working together, fervently and harmoniously. Oh, how our country needs that again—perhaps not always with hammers and nails, but in the work God has called us to do. What if a passerby had looked at our construction team and witnessed us arguing, attempting to prove each other wrong and turning our backs when it was time to raise the walls of the church together? They would have walked away with the sad realization that Christians were just like everyone else, unable to unite for even a two-day task. Unfortunately, this is the case today among many Christians, even inside the same church walls. It’s time to show passersby what real unity looks like and what we can accomplish for the Savior when we truly come together as His hands and feet.”
McFarland, who is also Director for Christian Worldview and Apologetics at the Christian Worldview Center of North Greenville University in Greenville, S.C., recently announced the 2018 Truth for a New Generation (TNG, www.TruthforaNewGeneration.com) conference in March at North Carolina’s Life Community Church. Several nationally known speakers will be part of the stellar lineup, including Fox News’ Todd Starnes and Lauren Green, renowned apologist Josh McDowell and faith investigator J. Warner Wallace, among others.
The event, with the theme of “Save a Nation,” is set for March 23-24, 2018, at Life Community Church, 4900 W. Wendover Ave., Jamestown (the greater Greensboro area) in North Carolina. This year’s conference will also feature a screening of the American Family Association feature-length film, “The God Who Speaks,” in which McFarland is featured, as well as lunch options and VIP “Gold Circle” seating, which will allow participants to interact with speakers.
View the media page for Alex McFarland here. For more information on Dr. Alex McFarland, visit www.AlexMcFarland.com or follow him on Facebook or on Twitter @AlexMcFarland. For more on the TNG conference, visit www.TruthforaNewGeneration.com.
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