❤️📖 FROM THE HEART | 26.06.2026 | One in Grace | Pastor Erton Köhler
From the heart, I believe that in this time God is calling us not only to work together, but also to walk together. Unity is not a strategy; it is a miracle.
When Paul traveled hundreds of kilometers to Jerusalem, he did not go there to win an argument, but to preserve the unity of the faith. The early church was facing a crisis. Some wanted to hold on to old traditions and insisted that new believers first had to become Jews before they could follow Jesus. Paul spoke openly and honestly about what God was doing among the Gentiles. The apostles recognized that the same Spirit who was working through Peter among the Jews was also working through Paul among the Gentiles. They extended the hand of fellowship and promised to walk together. The gospel was preserved, and the church remained united.
Unity often comes at a cost, but it always brings a reward. It requires humility, patience, and courage. The parable of the porcupines reminds us that during winter they faced a choice: either remain apart and freeze to death, or stay together and endure the pain of one another’s quills. They discovered that life is warmer when it is lived together.
Recently, I experienced that warmth myself. In the remote western region of Alaska, eleven young adults from GYC Northwest traveled to the village of Togiak, a community of about 770 residents that is rarely visited by missionaries. They went from door to door, offered health programs, led Bible studies for adults, organized a children’s Bible week, and even repaired the baptistry of the local church. In South America, the Adventist Church reached new people through Novo Tempo Television. According to reports, in 2025 millions of people studied the Bible through the church’s digital platforms.
“The secret of unity is found in the equality of believers in Christ. The reason for all division, discord, and difference is separation from Christ. Christ is the center toward which all should be drawn.” (<em>Selected Messages</em>, vol. 1, p. 259). The closer we come to Christ, the closer we come to one another.
We are one people, one faith, one voice, and one hope. We began this journey together, and by God’s grace, we will also complete it together. Heaven will not be a collection of isolated individuals, but one family united forever.
About the series
From the Heart is a weekly devotional series in which Pastor Köhler reflects on what it means to be rooted in the Word of the Bible and focused on mission, together and personally. Each episode is based on the four pillars of the strategic plan of the Seventh-day Adventist Church: fellowship with God, identity in Christ, unity through the Holy Spirit, and mission for all.
The series connects biblical faith with everyday life and shares brief reflections and insights into how God works through Adventists around the world.
Pastor Erton Köhler is president of the General Conference of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church.
