[Drake]

Jake>"Under ideal conditions Christians wouldn't see any barriers between themselves, and would feel totally free to worship together always..."

Why ideal? When has there ever been ideal conditions? You're justifying the erection of barriers. You are adding a condition for unity that is not found in the Bible.

The Apostle charged that there be "no divisions among you", he did not say "under ideal conditions there will be no divisions among you".

By injecting the notion of ideal conditions you facilitate division. There are no ideal conditions, there are always challenges, disagreements, conflicts in personality, etc. No one should think their differences cannot be solved just because conditions are not ideal. That becomes an excuse to erect barriers and create divisions.

Conversely, if you understand that you with all your problems and differences and the other believers with all theirs are to be the testimony of the oneness of Christ in the place you all live then you will work towards that. You will not make excuses for erecting barriers and creating divisions, but rather you will come together to resolve those differences, allow the Lord to work in you, and maintain the testimony of the oneness. The symbol of a lamp stand in each city mentioned in Revelation 2&3 represents that concept. There is no room for more than one lamp stand per city just because conditions are not ideal.

Drake