Sermon by Pastor Michael D. McDuffie
One of the greatest challenges facing the body of Christ is the inability to walk together in unity. Across churches, ministries, and Christian leadership, there is often more competition than cooperation, more concern about individual recognition than collective advancement, and more attention given to building individual congregations than strengthening the kingdom of God. Yet, there is tremendous power available when God’s people learn to move in the same direction. The faster believers can mobilize their feet, connect with one another, and work toward a common purpose, the faster they can influence the earth and bring about meaningful change in their communities. The message of the mobilization of the heel bone is a call for the church to awaken to the importance of spiritual unity, intentional networking, and collective action.
The central idea is that God never intended His people to operate as isolated individuals or competing ministries. From the beginning, His desire was for humanity to exercise delegated authority, cultivate the earth, and extend His kingdom throughout the world. In Genesis, Adam and his wife were given responsibility to oversee creation and carry out God’s instructions. What began in the Garden of Eden was meant to expand beyond its boundaries until the earth reflected the order and authority of heaven. This is connected to the prayer Jesus later taught His disciples: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, KJV). God’s intention was for His people to carry His purposes into the earth through obedience, stewardship, and coordinated action.
However, Genesis 3 reveals what happens when humanity moves away from God’s direction. Rather than remaining submitted to the Creator, Adam chose to operate according to his own desires. His decision to disobey God disrupted the relationship that had been established and brought consequences upon the earth. The problem was not simply that Adam made a mistake; he deliberately chose his own way over God’s instructions. This departure from divine direction illustrates how disobedience produces disorder where there was supposed to be harmony. When people refuse to move according to God’s will, they begin operating independently, and the purpose they were created to fulfill becomes compromised.
Genesis 3:15 introduces another important dimension of this message through God’s declaration concerning the serpent and the seed of the woman. The conflict between the serpent and the woman’s seed involves the bruising of the head and the heel. The heel becomes a powerful picture of movement, advancement, and the eventual defeat of the enemy. The focus on the heel bone represents the importance of getting God’s people moving in the direction He has established. The enemy may attempt to strike the heel, hinder progress, and interrupt the movement of God’s people, but the church must recognize that its strength is connected to its willingness to advance together. The heel bone is therefore used as a picture of a mobilized people who are no longer standing still, competing against one another, or allowing division to prevent them from fulfilling their assignment.
This principle becomes especially clear when Genesis 3 is considered alongside Joshua 6 and Luke 10. In Luke 10, Jesus sends His disciples out two by two, demonstrating that ministry was never intended to be accomplished entirely through isolated individuals. He organized and mobilized His followers, sending them forward with a shared assignment. Their movement was coordinated, intentional, and connected to the mission Jesus had given them. In Joshua 6, the children of Israel were also mobilized under Joshua’s leadership to move around Jericho according to God’s instructions. These passages reveal a consistent principle: when God’s people are properly aligned and move together in obedience, they can accomplish things that would be impossible through individual effort alone.
The connection between these passages reveals why unity should be one of the church’s greatest priorities. When believers learn to move in one direction, the Holy Spirit can bring the different pieces together to accomplish something greater than any individual ministry could accomplish by itself. The church must stop viewing other churches as competitors and begin recognizing them as potential partners in the work of the kingdom. The objective should not be to prove that one congregation is more anointed, more successful, or more influential than another. The objective should be completion rather than competition. Every ministry has a different assignment, and every leader brings different strengths to the table. When those differences are respected and properly coordinated, the body of Christ becomes more effective.
Unfortunately, competition has become deeply embedded in many areas of Christian leadership. Pastors sometimes measure their success by the size of their congregations, the influence of their ministries, or the recognition they receive compared with other leaders. Churches become protective of their resources, and individuals begin treating ministry positions as personal possessions. Someone who has performed a particular responsibility for twenty years may become offended when leadership decides to give another person an opportunity. A church may resist expansion because its members have become comfortable with familiar routines and relationships. Instead of celebrating the possibility of growth, they become concerned about losing their influence or having to adjust to something different.
This attitude creates an environment where personal interests become more important than the collective mission. The church cannot effectively influence its surroundings when its members are constantly fighting over positions, recognition, and control. One of the enemy’s greatest strategies is to create division within the body of Christ because he understands the strength that comes through unity. If believers can be persuaded to distrust one another, compete against one another, and refuse to cooperate, their collective influence becomes weakened. The enemy does not have to defeat a unified church from the outside if he can convince the people within it to work against each other.
The importance of unity extends beyond the walls of an individual congregation. Churches must begin recognizing the spiritual and practical needs of their surrounding communities. It should not be unusual for a pastor to know the leaders of other churches located within a few blocks of their congregation. Yet, many ministries operate for years without developing meaningful relationships with neighboring churches. They may know the activities of their own members but have little understanding of what is happening in the surrounding community. As a result, seniors may be neglected, families may struggle without assistance, and opportunities to serve the neighborhood may go unnoticed.
A church that understands the mobilization of the heel bone must begin looking beyond its own membership. Local leadership should intentionally identify other churches, learn about their ministries, understand their strengths, and discover opportunities to work together. A congregation with limited resources may have something another congregation needs, while a larger ministry may possess transportation, facilities, volunteers, or financial resources that could help smaller churches accomplish their assignments. The purpose of networking is not to make every church identical. It is to create relationships where different ministries can contribute according to their abilities and work toward shared kingdom objectives.
This also requires understanding the difference between spiritual unity and simply gathering people together. Bringing several pastors into the same room does not automatically produce unity. People can sit at the same table, attend the same meeting, and participate in the same event while still maintaining competing agendas. True spiritual unity among believers requires the work of the Holy Spirit, while meaningful cooperation also requires intentional communication, trust, humility, and a willingness to make sacrifices. The body of Christ must learn how to function as one body without demanding that every member perform the same assignment.
There is also an important distinction between maintaining Christian unity and respecting people who hold different religious beliefs. The church must remain firmly established in its conviction that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. Believers should not abandon their faith or compromise their commitment to Christ in an attempt to create unity with everyone around them. At the same time, Christians must learn to live respectfully alongside people in their communities who worship differently or hold different beliefs. Respect does not require surrendering biblical convictions. The church can maintain its identity while demonstrating love, mercy, grace, and wisdom toward those who do not share its beliefs. Its responsibility is to influence and disciple the nations without losing sight of the kingdom it represents.
One of the most important requirements for achieving unity is understanding that everybody must be willing to give something up. No individual can expect to enter a collaborative relationship and have everything operate according to personal preferences. This is especially important among pastors and ministry leaders. A leader may be accustomed to making every decision within their own congregation, but working with other ministries requires a different approach. When leaders gather together, they must recognize that their individual authority does not automatically make them the person best equipped to lead the entire group. A pastor with thousands of members may be highly effective at leading a large congregation but may not necessarily possess the skills required to coordinate a diverse group of leaders. Leadership in a collaborative environment requires humility, discernment, and the ability to recognize the strengths of others.
Every person must understand what they contribute and what they may need to surrender for the benefit of the larger assignment. One leader may be gifted in administration, another in preaching, another in prayer, and another in organizing community outreach. Instead of competing for the same responsibility, leaders should learn how to distribute assignments according to their strengths and abilities. When everyone insists on being the speaker, making the decisions, controlling the finances, or receiving the recognition, the group will struggle to accomplish anything meaningful. However, when each person accepts their appropriate role, the collective effort becomes stronger and Christ receives the glory.
This principle is not limited to church leadership. It is equally important in marriage and other relationships. Two people cannot successfully share a life together if each expects to get everything their own way. Marriage requires compromise, sacrifice, and an understanding that the needs of another person must be considered. There will be disagreements because people have different personalities, perspectives, and preferences. The absence of disagreement is not the measure of a successful relationship. The ability to remain committed through disagreements demonstrates maturity. Love must be understood as a deliberate decision to care for, correct, and cover another person, even when personal feelings do not always align with that decision. Liking someone is an emotion, but loving someone requires intentional action.
The same principle applies when believers work with other Christians. Not everyone will have the same personality, ministry style, or way of approaching a problem. It is possible to love and respect someone without enjoying every aspect of working with them. Sometimes two people may recognize each other’s calling and still discover that they are not effective partners in a particular assignment. Even the biblical account of Paul and Barnabas demonstrates that disagreements can occur among people who are committed to serving God. Their separation reminds believers that not every ministry relationship will function in the same way. Maturity involves recognizing when cooperation is possible, when boundaries are necessary, and when different assignments may require different partnerships.
An example of the power of coordinated ministry can be seen in the Patterson Youth Crusade, which brought together multiple churches and pastors to organize a community-wide Christian outreach. Under the leadership of Pastor Fred LaGard Senior, several influential ministers worked together to bring young people from different congregations to Eastside High School for a week of ministry. The effort involved leaders including Dr. Dean Trulier, Dr. Buster Soreus, Dr. Donnie Hilliard, and other ministers who contributed their gifts and influence to the project. Rather than allowing individual church schedules and preferences to prevent the event from happening, participating congregations made sacrifices. Some churches canceled their regular youth services, choir rehearsals, and other activities so their young people could participate in the larger gathering.
The process was not always easy. Strong personalities sometimes clashed, and leaders had disagreements about direction and authority. However, the group understood that accomplishing the larger assignment required a recognized leader and a willingness to work within an agreed-upon structure. Pastor LaGard Senior established the direction and helped coordinate the different personalities and ministries. The result was a significant community effort that brought churches together around a shared purpose. The experience demonstrated that unity does not mean everyone gets to lead, everyone gets to make the final decision, or everyone gets to do things their own way. It means recognizing the leadership structure, contributing what is needed, and sacrificing individual preferences when necessary for the greater good.
This example also demonstrates why unity must be developed through relationships rather than assumed simply because people share a religious identity. Leaders must spend time getting to know one another, praying together, communicating honestly, and learning to trust each other. Communion itself should represent more than a monthly religious event. It should reflect an ongoing lifestyle of fellowship and connection within the body of Christ. Believers must become comfortable recognizing their own strengths and weaknesses while acknowledging that someone else may be better equipped to handle a particular responsibility. When that level of trust develops, ministries can begin sharing resources and distributing responsibilities in ways that benefit everyone.
The importance of this movement becomes even clearer in Joshua 6:1, which describes Jericho as a city whose gates were securely shut because of the Israelites. No one went out, and no one came in. Jericho had heard what the God of Israel had done, including the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, and the city understood that Israel represented a serious threat. The people of Jericho were afraid because they recognized the power accompanying the Israelites. Their response was to shut down and secure the city, but their resistance could not prevent what God had already determined to accomplish.
The message draws attention to the relationship between Jericho’s reaction and the mobilization of God’s people. When the enemy recognizes that believers are moving together in obedience, their collective strength becomes a threat to the systems of darkness. The church must understand that it is not called merely to gather inside buildings and maintain religious activities. It is called to move, influence communities, make disciples, and confront the conditions that prevent people from experiencing the purposes of God. The image of Jericho being locked down becomes a reminder that resistance does not necessarily mean God’s people are moving in the wrong direction. Sometimes opposition arises precisely because the work being undertaken threatens established systems.
The comparison also highlights the importance of understanding how the enemy operates through gathering and organization. If forces of darkness can coordinate their efforts, they can create an environment that strengthens their influence. The church cannot afford to remain divided while the opposition operates with a shared purpose. Its responsibility is to mobilize believers, establish relationships, and bring the influence of God’s kingdom into places where darkness has become established. When the church learns to work together, it can become a powerful force for transformation in neighborhoods, cities, and communities.
The same vision is behind the effort to develop broader networks of clergy leadership through the Patterson Pastors Workshop Clergy on Fire. The objective is to build relationships among ordained and licensed ministers, establish a structure for communication, and create opportunities for churches to share resources and encourage one another. The vision extends beyond Patterson into other parts of New Jersey and across the country. Through regular online meetings, prayer, fasting, encouragement, and eventual gatherings in different communities, the goal is to develop a network of leaders who are committed to the kingdom of God rather than divided by political parties or personal agendas.
This movement is intended to remain focused on Jesus Christ and the advancement of His kingdom. It is not about endorsing political candidates, attacking individuals, or creating another platform for arguments and division. Instead, the emphasis is on building relationships among ministers who can support one another, strengthen their communities, and work together without making smaller ministries feel inferior to larger ones. A congregation of five people still represents a significant responsibility, and its leader deserves respect just as much as the pastor of a congregation with thousands. The number of members does not determine the value of a ministry or the importance of its assignment.
The larger vision also includes helping churches regain stability, reopening ministry doors, and transforming community properties into spaces that can serve neighborhoods. The effort to develop community centers and provide assistance to struggling churches reflects the practical side of kingdom mobilization. The church must be willing to move beyond conversation and put its resources, relationships, and leadership into action. It is not enough to preach about unity while refusing to share resources or recognize the needs of neighboring ministries.
Ultimately, the mobilization of the heel bone is a call for believers to stop allowing pride, jealousy, competition, and personal preferences to prevent the advancement of God’s kingdom. The church must learn to move together while respecting the different assignments and abilities represented within the body of Christ. This requires spiritual maturity, humility, intentional relationships, and a willingness to surrender individual preferences for a greater purpose. Not everyone will lead, not everyone will preach, and not everyone will have the final word. However, everyone can contribute something meaningful when the pieces are properly connected.
The lesson from Genesis 3, Joshua 6, and Luke 10 is that God’s people must remain aligned with His direction and understand the power of moving together. Adam’s departure from God’s instructions brought disorder, Jesus demonstrated the importance of sending disciples together, and Joshua led Israel in coordinated obedience that resulted in Jericho’s defeat. These passages point toward a church that understands its collective responsibility and refuses to remain divided. When believers stop competing and begin completing one another’s assignments, their influence can extend far beyond the walls of their individual congregations. The heel bone must move, the feet must become coordinated, and the body must learn to function together. The goal is not simply to build bigger churches, establish greater individual influence, or receive more recognition. The goal is to advance the kingdom of God, strengthen communities, make disciples, and demonstrate what becomes possible when God’s people move in unity under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
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