The Ladder of Unity
November 30, 2025 · 2:00:58 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Summary
The pastor opens just after Thanksgiving with gratitude to God, contrasting the peace and abundance enjoyed in America with the hardship in Ukraine, where many cities have no electricity or heat, and he calls the church to stop and pray for Ukraine. He observes how different the congregation is in education, upbringing, language and even appearance, yet one thing binds them together: Jesus Christ saved them and is leading them to His eternal kingdom.
Drawing on the fall of Jericho in Joshua 6, the early church praying in one accord in Acts 4, and Paul's plea in 1 Corinthians 1:10, he preaches a message titled 'The Ladder of Unity.' Jericho's massive walls fell not to human strength but to a people who moved together as one, and the early believers saw the place shaken and everyone filled with the Holy Spirit because they prayed in unity. Disunity, he warns, is the enemy's favorite weapon and the common root behind divided churches and rising divorce, even among believers.
His picture is simple: two very different people climbing a ladder grow closer the higher they rise. As a family or a church draws nearer to Jesus at the top, they draw nearer to one another. He names what makes such unity possible: the presence of God's grace that softens hearts and even changes our tone, genuine respect for one another, and humility before God. Without that grace, he says, fine music, buildings and polished sermons mean nothing.
Key Points
- What divides us are our differences; what unites us is the name of the One who saved us, Jesus Christ.
- Jericho's walls fell not to human strength but to a people who marched together in unity.
- The early church was filled with the Holy Spirit and the place was shaken because they prayed in one accord.
- The higher each of us climbs toward Jesus, the closer we grow to one another.
- Disunity is the enemy's first weapon against churches and families; it is easy to tear down and hard to build.
- Where God's grace is present, hearts soften and even our tone changes, for a gentle answer turns away wrath.
- Real respect and humility before God are what hold a family and a church together.
Devotional
Picture the ladder again: every step you take toward Jesus quietly brings you closer to the people beside you. Unity is not bargained for across a room; it grows as two hearts rise toward the same Lord. Ask whether your words today carry the gentleness that turns away anger or the edge that stirs up strife. Where God's grace rests, hearts soften and homes grow strong. Draw near to Him, and watch the walls between you and others fall.
“What we say apart divides us; the name of Jesus said together makes us one.”
“Jericho's walls did not fall to strength; they fell to a people united.”
“The higher we climb toward Christ, the closer we stand to one another.”
