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Come Together in Unity |
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Come Together in Unity
By: Steve Goody
Updates and additional commentaries by: Jennifer Williams
St. John 17:9-11
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Jesus prayed that we would be able to work together and be as one. We are meant to help one another, lift each other up and not degrade and humiliate. Jesus is glorified in how we treat each other. We are meant to be set a part. There should be no question that we are the body of Christ. It should be evident in our lives. Our songs, dances, and music should not compare or ever be confused with that of the world. Christians should not blend in. This world does not know unity and working together as God desires. When we get to the point where we recognize that we are all on equal ground, we will just begin to show unity. How can we be in unity when we talk bad about the other Pastors and Ministers. Whether we agree or not we need to encourage one another and work together. This was his desire and vision.
St. John 17:21-23
That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one In us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them: that they may be one, even as we are one.
The people in this world need to see unity. They need to see that people can be a family and have a sense of togetherness without gangs and cliques. Some Christian families are split down the middle and we live in the same manner as those in the world. How can we minister hope and encouragement when we cannot work together and see eye to eye. There is more anger and strife in Christianity than there is in most other places, because denominations do not agree. Those around us are not sure if we live the life we proclaim if they know that we are Christians at all.
Jesus asked the Father five times for unity in the church. The words “that they may be one” are in verses 11, 21 and twice in 22 and in 23.
We are to be servants of God
We are not doing our parts. We have taken it upon ourselves to start our own little cliques, hold our own insignificant beliefs and follow the traditions of men.
Mark 7:7-9
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandments of God, ye hold fast the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups; and many other such like things ye do. And He said unto them, “Full well ye reject the commandments of God, that ye may keep your own traditions.
We are not doing our parts. We have taken it upon ourselves to start our own little cliques, hold our own insignificant beliefs and follow the traditions of men. In some denominations and religious organizations the book of by-laws is larger than the Bible. When did we gain the authority to run people’s lives and tell them that there are rules that you must abide by that are not biblical?? If we are to dwell together in unity, we’re not telling everyone else what is right and what is wrong. We should not be telling anyone that they must abide by our own set of rules and breaking them means that they are no longer a member of our “club”. Leadership must exist but it does not make leaders lords. I read somewhere that we must seek out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We must all have a relationship with the Lord and that mean no one has a monopoly on the will of God.
Isa. 43:19
God said, “Behold, I will do a new thing: now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
Jer. 33:3
He said: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee and show the great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
So if God reveals something to me or your pastor or another member of the body of Christ and doesn’t show it to everyone else at the same time, we refuse to accept it, we separate and talk about each other.
I’ve been in churches that it appears have not moved forward, sideways or up in over 20 years. Has no one shared a fresh revelation with these pastors or saints or has fresh revelation been ignored.
The apostles were told to teach all nations, but they tried to get back together every Passover. You can rest assured they talked about the move of God in these meetings. They compared notes and prayed for guidance and refreshed each other. They corrected each other as in Acts 15 over circumcision.
Jesus said in Matt. 5: 23-24
if we have a problem with a brother to leave our gift at the altar and go reconcile with the person, then to return to the altar.
Come on, people, lets tear down the walls of religion, race, organization and any other hindrance that comes between us and unite in love. (I Cor. 13:1-8) throw out anything contrary to God’s word and repent. Let us start seeking His face in unity. Stop seeking miracles, blessings and seek Him.
Seek Him now, while he can be found. Turn all your problems over to God. Quit fighting among ourselves and unite as Jesus prayed “That they may be one”.
Frank Bartleman wrote in his book Azusa Street, “There can be no divisions in true Pentecost. To formulate a separate body is but to advertise our failure as a people of God. It proves to the world that we cannot get along as a people rather than causing them to believe in our Salvation.”
That they all may be one; that the world may believe. John 17:21
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The Five Love Languages
By Gary Chapman / Moody Publishers
We all know that the greatest commandment is to love. However, relatively few of us know how to express our love in the heart language of our family and friends. Fortunately, in The Five Love Languages Gary Chapman identifies the five primary love languages and teaches us how to use these languages to express our love. Although this edition of The Five Love Languages was written specifically for couples, the basic principles Chapman explores will apply to all relationships.
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God has given us so many gracious and wonderful gifts. This website has expanded beyond our original vision and has become a blessing to many. We will be adding study articles every month and our discussions will continue to change. We will be adding photos soon, if you would like to include a few. This website is an outreach to our family of believers around the world. We look forward to getting to know all of you. May God continue to bless you and keep you. I will be taking a break from major updates for the month. There will not be as much updates next month. I encourage you to read over and study the articles that are currently available.
Our Current Meeting Schedule
Person to Person= Sunday 10 Am, Smiley Park, look for flags(may vary)
Online Meetings in Meeting Room= Sunday Afternoon 1 PM
If you would like to meet online at another time, please notify us and we will try to adapt to you schedule.
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