If you fish, you know the importance of a good net. Whether you fish from the bank, a boat, or wade in a river, having a good net handy can make the difference between landing the big one just having a story about the big one that got away.

But what if your net was torn, which left a gaping hole? It would not be useable. You would either have to mend the net or get a new one altogether.

In 1 Corinthians 1:10, the Apostle Paul urges the Corinthians to agree, avoid divisions, and be made complete in the same mind. To be made complete is all one word that means to restore something to its proper working condition. The same word is used in Mark 1:19 as Jesus was approaching James and John to call them to be his disciples: "Going on little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets." These first disciples were fishermen, mending their fishing nets to restore them to their proper working order. Their livelihoods depended on mending nets so they could catch as many fish as possible.

Mending nets is an apt metaphor for restoring relationships.

Do your nets need mending?

Paul gave us an example of "mending nets," restoring Christian relationships to their proper working order. When there are divisions and disagreements, our nets develop holes indicative of broken relationships. Are you at odds with another believer or group of believers? Are you in a situation where you just don't know what to do to repair the break in fellowship?

How do we mend these relationships and restore them to the unity to which God called us?

1. Know that we already have unity in Christ. Paul had clearly made that point in the first nine verses of chapter 1: We have fellowship with one another by our fellowship with Christ. The fellowship Paul speaks of is the fellowship of our salvation. This existing unity is the foundation on which we restore all other divisions.

2. Remember that we are family.By our relationship with Christ, we are brothers and sisters in Him. Brothers and sisters are more than friends; they are family. A family has a special bond that is never broken. Even though family relationships are sometimes strained and damaged, one cannot change that you were born into a specific family with a specific last name. Similarly, nothing can change our membership in God's family. We are born again into the family of God, and nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39).

Because we are family, we should live like it by working out differences. In the everyday life of a family, there will be differences, difficulties, and conflict. And in the normal function of a family, differences are to be worked out. It is true of earthly families, and particularly true of the family God, for this is what God prescribes and expects of us.

3. Talk to people with whom you are divided. Open communication is critical to solving differences. Unfortunately, when communication is most important, it often becomes nonexistent. Cutting off contact is an immature, emotional response, not a biblical one. There will be no resolution until someone is humble enough to make the first move.

4 Be united in the things that matter and be gracious in the things that don't.

What matters? The essential doctrines of the faith matter.

• The inspiration and authority of Scripture
• The Trinity
• The deity of Christ
• The sovereignty of God
• Substitutionary atonement; salvation by grace through faith;
• Our call to be the church in worship, fellowship, service
• The Great Commission and evangelism

These are things worth standing for, and if necessary, worth dividing over. The Corinthians were divided because of pride, having adopted worldly thinking and values. The Apostle’s appeal to unity was based on what they already possessed in Christ.

Unfortunately, many things that divide Christians are peripheral issues rather than settled doctrine. Instead, Christians disagree about matters of opinion, preference, or personal conscience. For instance:

• Style of music
• Political views
• Wearing masks in worship
• The use of alcohol
• Types of movies and TV shows one watches
• Bible versions
• Parenting style
• Educating your children

These issues are important, and we should always apply scriptural principles to each one. We must always agree on the essentials, but we will have differences of opinion on many other issues. We must keep our established unity in Christ as the groundwork for working out differences of opinion when we do. We must learn how to have honest and gracious differences of opinion without letting them cause needless division.

If there's a gaping hole in your net, you'll lose the very thing you seek. Don't let unity escape and elude you. Mend the net, restore relationships, seek the unity that you already have "in Christ."