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Discussion Forum : Devotional Thoughts : Urgency for Unity in the Body

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EvangelTam
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Joined: 2011/1/29
Posts: 149


 Urgency for Unity in the Body

Hey All,

So I felt the Lord placing unity amongst the body in my university and decided to write down my convictions on the matter. I hope this will edify you all as well!

Urgency for Unity in Hearts Fully Committed to God
By: Evangel Tam & Evelyn Mak

Table of Contents
I. The Urgency For Unity
II. Spiritual Blindness to the Times
III. Victory Found in Unity
IV. Returning to the Ancient Paths
V. How Does Unity Occur?
VI. The Power of Unity
VII. Godly Unity vs. Earthly Unity
VIII. The Power of Godly Unity
IX. Unity at Heart
X. Unity Through Whole Hearted Devotion
XI. Unity Through a Crucified Culture
XII. Biblical Examples of Unity that Misses the Mark
XIII. Conclusion

1. The Urgency for Unity
In order for the Body of Christ to be brought into complete Biblical unity, we must first see and understand the desperate and dire need for unity. We must see the urgency of the spiritual calamity we are in, and see it to such an extent that we conclude there is no other alternative but to unite. If we cannot see this, we will see no reason to set aside our differences to unite in the Name of Christ. If we cannot understand that the bleakness of our situation, we will be defeated by remaining divided.
We cannot merely acknowledge unity as a secondary or optional ideal that we may choose to follow or not. We must see it as a Biblical truth that is necessary and critical in winning back the lost souls of our generation and to fully reach the world for Christ.

We are living in one of the most turbulent points in human history and, more importantly, one of the most critical times for the Church of Jesus Christ. Things are starting to change very, very quickly around us political, socially and spiritually.

Jesus said to the Pharisees: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it turns out. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Luke 12:56b)

He also said to his disciples: "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” (Matt 24:32-33)
The Pharisees missed the coming of the Messiah because they were not able to interpret their times, even though all the law, the prophets and the psalms were to ready people for the coming of Jesus. We, as the Body of Christ, must not make the same mistake; there are no more chances after the second coming!

The signs that Jesus said would happen in the last days are coming true in increasing frequency and immensity. We, as the body of Christ, must see these signs and be alert; He is right at the door!

As the days pass, people are becoming more and more godless and God-hating. There is increasing hostility to the Christian faith; those who are vocal about Christ are met with glaring opposition. Immorality is abounding while justice is neglected. These spiritual signs are all occurring at an alarming speed!

Christ says that we will hear of wars and rumours of wars. In just the past century we have had the greatest world wars and genocides in all of human history. In only a few decades, anything that has faintly to do with the Christian faith has removed from our society and many different laws legalizing immorality have been introduced and promoted as just, right and true. Abortion rates are soaring higher than ever and, already, Toronto is called the homosexual capital of the world.

Christ says that in the last days children will kill their parents and parents their children. Recent news coverage has revealed these exact same things happening: for instance, the Shafia case and so many others. We tend to quickly forget these incidences and become increasingly cold and indifferent to these evils each time we hear of a new atrocity. We do not want to care anymore because it hurts too much, or because we just accept it as the norm. Christ says in the last days, the love of many will grow cold. Indeed, the emerging generation is extremely apathetic and indifferent.

Things that would only be in horror movies are happening in real life. Our sick twisted imaginings are becoming reality and this should not be a surprise. We are a wicked and depraved people; what people imagine is not far from what they would do in real life. Recently in Toronto, a couple was charged with brutally raping and torturing a man in his own home for 6 months. The man was held in a closet and not allowed out. Cartilage was pulled out from the victim’s ears with a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Straight pins were placed through his lips, preventing him from talking. Hot knives were used to burn the wounds closed and cuts were sewn up with a needle and thread. The sickest part of this is that this was done by the hands of the victim’s wife, who was pregnant with another man’s child.

There are more people living on the earth today than in all of human history, and there are more lost people today than ever. God has been working in powerful ways and has been faithful to us, but now in our postmodern generation, Satan is raging and waging war stronger and harder than before because he knows his time is short (Rev 12:12). Churches are closing down, countless ministers are dropping out of ministry exposed for immorality, and our generation is blatantly turning away from the churches. They do not see a need for God because much of what they see is a dead, powerless religion.

Let’s talk specifically about York. York has the largest Muslim population of universities and our campus has the most zealous Muslims. No university has Muslims as open about their faith as those at York. At our school, we also have a cult that believes that god is not only a father, but a mother as well, that goes and evangelizes on a regular basis. We also have a large homosexual and atheist population. Furthermore, York is known to be a very liberal school that supports ideals in complete opposition to God. However, in the midst of all the demonic religious zeal, blatant heresy and secular liberalism, where are God’s people? Most of the university is not even aware that there is a Christian Body on campus! They are much more aware of the Muslims. As a new Christian on this campus, my friend was only aware of C4C, yet there are 21 registered Christian groups at York.

In the midst of all this, the Body of Christ still remains divided and unwilling to cooperate. The reason why we have not been able to unite despite the obvious spiritual warfare is because we have grown complacent and blind to the spiritual battle around us. We need to wake up! Time is short, Satan is rallying his army and we must strengthen ourselves to fight back!

2. Spiritual Blindness to the Times
From the moment we were born, we are in a battle, whether we know it or not and whether we like it or not. We are born into a spiritual battle that has been raging throughout all of human history and is quickly reaching its climax. And the moment we are born again, we are enlisted into the army of Jesus Christ. The Bible uses much imagery that compares Christians to soldiers.

Ephesians talks about putting on the full armour of God so we can stand on the day of evil. More explicitly Paul exhorts Timothy to, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” (2 Tim 1:3-4).
Paul understood that he was living a battle zone between the forces of Heaven and Hell. He lived in that reality on a second by second basis. He lived his life with the mindset of a soldier in battle. Always ready, always alert and always ready to fight with all his might in a moment’s notice.

However, much of the Body of Christ is not aware of the spiritual battle that is raging all around them and, as a result, they have developed a complacent, laissez-faire, nonchalant attitude towards outreach. Because they are not aware of the spiritual warfare around, they are also not able to see the immense power they are fighting against. Outreach attempts, though having good intentions, lack the spiritual strength to fight the principality of darkness around them. In short, we are fighting flesh and blood, instead of the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places (Eph 6). We talk to people on a human level and touch their emotion, reasoning and character, but are not able to speak life into their dead spirits. This leaves our evangelistic attempts powerless and ineffective and even detrimental.
We have fallen asleep and grown complacent in a time where we should be preparing for battle. The Bible specifically talks about and warns against this spiritual condition in scriptures.

Amos cries out: “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria.” (Amos 6:1)

Paul warns: “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Rom 13:11-12)

Many believers feel they are safe and secure in their Christian communities. Everything seems okay and, as a result, believers lack spiritual discipline. Instead of training themselves to be ready to fight, they are getting caught up in “civilian affairs,” pursuing their own interests and selfish desires; building their own ministries and clubs for themselves in the Name of God. This is exactly what the devil wants! He wants to give believers a false sense of security so that they will be caught unawares when he decides to attack. In fact, we see this many times in Scriptures. While the true of prophets of Yahweh prophesied destruction and warned the people to repent and prepare, false prophets prophesied peace and prosperity (Jer 6:14). The devil knows spiritually complacent and sleeping believers will easily be destroyed.

Solomon counsels: "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:11)

We must wake up! Time is short and we need to stop living in complacency, put on armour for battle and get ready to fight!

3. Victory Found in Unity
In the midst of all the sin and rebellion in our generation, Jesus Christ is still alive and the God of the Bible is the same yesterday, today and forever! He is the one who determines the epochs and the ages and He is the one who calls forth the generations from the beginning! This generation was not and is not forgotten in His plan!
I believe we are currently in the most favorable situation for God to work powerfully in our generation to show that He, indeed, is Lord! God allows situations to become the darkest so that He can shine the brightest. It says in Psalms, “They reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress” (107:27-28).

As Paul was sailing to Rome, his ship was caught in the middle of a raging storm. In the midst of the utter chaos and hopelessness where the sky was black and the people were starved and without sleep for days, Paul stands up and, in complete peace, tells everyone to take courage for an angle of the Lord came to him last night and told him that they would all be saved.

In the same way, in the midst of a lost and dying world that is diving headlong onto the path of destruction, in the midst of a battle where all of hell is raging, God will raise up His church to be a shining beacon of hope and light!

However, it is necessary and critical that the body of Christ be unified if we are to be that beacon of light to win back this generation. One of the key reasons why much of the world does not know or acknowledge the truth of God’s Word despite our many outreach attempts, countless churches, many tracts, sermons and resources readily available is because we are not united.

Jesus said that it is only when we are unified that Christ in us will be revealed to the world! “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me” (John 17:22-23).

In this passage, Jesus talks about the glory given to Him from the Father, which He gives to His disciples. He has given each believer a part of Himself, that is why at the last supper He took a loaf of bread, broke it and said that, “This is my body, broken for you” and had them all partake. The physical bread represents the spiritual bread, Christ Himself. Just as the bread was broken at the table and Jesus’ physical body was broken at the cross, so His spiritual body was given to us that we may each be a member and reflect His glory. The key to the passage is that Christ has done this for two reasons: first, that we may be perfect in unity and, second, that the world may know that Jesus is the Messiah sent from God and would know His love. The Body at large has not been perfected in unity, and therefore the world at large does not know the love of Christ.
We cannot fight separately and scattered anymore; we do not have time to quarrel with or complain against one another. We are in a most critical part of the war, and what we do now will determine the fate of the entire world. Jesus has entrusted it to us by giving us the Great Commission! It is in this moment of chaos that the world needs to look and see a unified Body and understand that Jesus is alive and coming back!

In a society that has many different divisions socially, culturally, religiously, and politically, the unity of the Body of Christ stands out as a powerful testimony!
It is not enough just to get along with each other; we must fight alongside one another in one accord. Imagine a battle where each battalion of soldiers plans a separate strategy to fight the enemy. Imagine they refuse to listen to their commanding officer and follow methods apart from their own. They insist on fighting their own way and with their own weapons and strategies. The whole army would quickly be defeated and may even fight and kill one another. In fact, their refusal to work together under one leader is already an act of fighting against each other. They are defeating themselves.

The devil knows that a unified Church will be unstoppable against the forces of hell. All of hell will crumble before it! This is why divide and conquer has been the devil’s strategy against the Church since the beginning.
As you read the epistles you will notice countless warnings against those who will cause division and controversy over doctrinal matters, and against false doctrines that will be introduced to the Church to lead many astray. Within the first fear years that Church was established, Satan had already sent his agent into the church to divide it!
As Paul was about to leave the Ephesians church for good, he warns the church leaders: "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:28-31).

The battle for unity has been one of the biggest fights for the Church since the beginning. This is why Paul says to the Ephesian church, “Make every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3; emphasis mine).
This is a command not a suggestion!

4. Returning to the Ancient Paths
The Body today is very divided to the point where it seems impossible for it to be brought back into unity. But no matter how divided, how hopeless and how impossible the situation seems, God is able to turn it around and make all things new! We must not look at the situation around us, but rather look at what is written in the Word of God and trust that what is impossible with man is possible with God.
God calls us to "stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (Jer 6:16).

Despite any deviations that have occurred from the Word of God in our present time, we must always remember our roots and go back to how it all began. This is how every revival occurred under the Old Covenant. In Josiah’s time, they found the Book of the Law, went back to following it and God sent a revival. Under the New Covenant, we must also do the same. God is always faithful to His promises despite our unfaithfulness.

So lets take a look at how the ancient church in Acts walked and how we can go back to its example.
“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-47).

Now, I am not saying that we need to go back and do everything the way the first church in Acts did; that would not be practical. What happened there was unique to their time, culture and generation. God is not a God that always does the same thing over and over. He is a God who is always doing a new thing (Is 43:19). Same God, same power but the way He expresses it is always unique and perfect in each generation. Just look at how all the countless battles the Israelites fought that God won for them differed. Rather, what I am saying is that the first Church serves as a model and and possessed key characteristics that God blessed and, therefore, we need to follow.

The two most prevalent characteristics that we see are (1) whole hearted devotion to God and (2) complete unity as a Body.

First, the believers were devoted. Devotion is an attitude you have toward something or someone. When someone is devoted to something, their life revolves around that particular thing; every spare second is given to that one thing or person. The believers devoted themselves to seeking and knowing God. They spent all the time they could to the apostles’ teaching, to prayer and to talk about the things of God amongst themselves in fellowship with Him. They did this not once a week but on a day by day basis.

Now to many believers today, this seems like a bit too extreme. However, when someone is truly devoted, this is the natural reaction. In our generation, we find it a bit radical to be so devoted to our faith yet we do not find it strange at all when people are devoted to lesser things. We are so devoted to our social networking, video games, academics, athletics and appearances but do not see this as strange! We must keep in mind that the believers in Acts were people just like us, who had families, jobs, deadlines and assignments. Yet, what distinguished these people was their devotion to God over all other things.

Secondly, they were all united and of one mind: they were all always on the same page everywhere they went, whether it was in the temple, or in a house, they were all constantly in communion with one source: Christ, the Head who was directing them all. They were literally a travelling temple of God; everywhere they went, God was there as well. There were no disagreements or factions between believers in the first Church simple because their focus was the glory of God Himself.

Thus, when we read this passage in Acts, we that the first Church’s devotion and unity resulted in God working with, in and among them. So we see a sort of “spiritual formula” where:

[Whole Hearted Devotion] + [Unity] = [God Working in a Powerful and Supernatural Way!]

Let us go more in depth on the topic of unity, taking this passage from Acts as the core text that we will refer to.

5. How does Unity Occur?
When people’s hearts are all set on the same thing there is unity and community is formed. It is a natural human instinct to group together based on areas that we have in common. Think of all the different groups that we have on campus: they all revolve around something! It would be impossible to have a group that has no purpose! Take friendships for example, they are formed, strengthened and maintained when people have something in common. For example, someone may become friends because they are both in the same class or both play basketball. They start talking and as they find common ground to unite in they soon become friends. The relationship is strengthened by that common interest and only kept through it.

The depth of a relationship is in direct proportion to the commitment people have towards that certain thing. For example, two people who are friends both like basketball. However, one seeks to pursue it as his life goal and plays it religiously where as the other likes it just as a hobby. Though they have a relationship because of basketball, the extent of the relationship will go as far as the commitment they both have to the sport. They relationship will most likely become distant unless there is another factor that brings them together.

So we see that unity revolves around something or someone, a set of beliefs, ideals, hobbies, goals and cultures where, in many ways, these things overlap.
However, what human community was ultimately created for was to be centered around God. As Revelation 21:3 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.”

Here, we see God coming to down to His Holy City, the New Jerusalem, to dwell amongst His people, a people completely devoted to Him. Therefore, though we may be able to unite in different things and the world may have unity, it is not unity according to God’s standards unless it is a unity in Christ. In fact, man has taken God’s ordained unity and twisted it; instead of having unity in God we are have unity in wordily things against God.

Indeed, in the last days, the whole world will be brought into unity in rebellion against God. Psalm 2:1-3 says:

“Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,
‘Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.’”

Even now as the time comes closer and closer to the end, Satan is stirring and raising up an army among the nations to oppose God.

Revelation 20:7-8 says, “When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.

We often understand that Satan will stir up all the nations against God at the end, but we must also understand that in order to create a great army, work must be done beforehand, and this work is being done now!

6. The Power of Unity
Satan knows that there is power in unity! It has been his plan to unite people against God from the beginning. In the book of Genesis, we read about the Tower of Babel and how all the people of the world united together to build a tower to heaven in an act of human rebellion and pride against God.

God saw this from heaven and said: “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them” (Gen 11:6).This is interesting: even God recognized the potential power unity could have.

Every major political and social move that has changed human history has happened when people put aside their differences and united together in a common cause or ideal.
Let’s take for example the rise of communism in Russia: when all the poor and powerless peasants banded together, they were able to overthrow a longstanding and powerful regime. There are so many other examples, such as the rise of Rome, World War II and India’s Independence Movement led by Ghandi.

Think of the biggest student group on campus, the York Federation of Students, and their campaign to reduce tuition fees and the success they had. They hung a huge banner and postered the entire campus. Everyday, they zealously promoted the cause by hanging out flyers to everyone they encountered. They were able to accomplish their goal because all their members were unified for that one purpose.
Ultimately, the tower of Babel points us to the power of a unified church. Obviously, the united human race was not an actual threat to God. In the Bible, it says that to Him, the nations are all a drop in a bucket. Instead, God was telling us that nothing will be impossible for a people that are united in Him. In fact, we see that the division caused by the scattering of languages in Babel was mended in the Book of Acts. When God poured out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the disciples proclaimed the glory of God in different tongues and many Jews from among the nations were brought back together in Christ.

If all these people throughout history and even in our time accomplished such great things for such a temporal goal through earthly unity, how much more should a unified Church of Christ that has the help of the one true Living God be able to shake this campus for an eternal purpose?

7. Godly Unity vs. Earthly Unity

In the Old Testament, the only thing that distinguished God’s people was a Living God that would fight for them! God purposely made the Israelites weak so that He could glorify His Name among the nations of the world at that time through them. We see this similar thing happening in the early Church even though it was small and weak. There was a Living God working, dwelling and walking amongst them. This is the critical difference that distinguishes godly unity and the unity of the world! In true Christian community and fellowship, is there is a Living God that is clearly at work among us every time we gather. Though Satan is stirring up an army to oppose God, God is also raising up an army to stand for Him! It will be a small army, weak and foolish like the Israelites, but with a mighty God!

In the early church, “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common.” (Acts 2:43-44)

In our group gatherings, how much do we see the signs that a Living God is working among us and for us? How often is there a sense of awe in the congregation? Many times, we gather together to worship an all powerful, all glorious God, and instead of being enraptured by His beauty we look bored! What a horrible testimony this is! The world looks in and sees no need or desire to join. They are having a much better time without God! We do not have the same sense of awe among us because we do not have the same unity in Christ.

Much of what we call Christian fellowship is programs and social activities about God, but are not conducted as seeing Him as a God who truly interacts with us. He has become a set of rules and doctrines that we follow and believe in our minds, instead of a Living God who desires to live among us. Isaiah says,

“So the word of the LORD to them will be, "Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line, a little here, a little there," That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive” (Isa 28:13).

In many ways, we are satisfied with religion; the Word of the Lord has become ritualistic and much idealistic talk instead of something that is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). Though things may look good on the outside or according to human standards, there is no true life at the core of our community. In His letters to the seven Churches, Christ tells the Church of Sardis that they have a reputation of being alive but are, in fact, dead. In the same way, many of our Churches look like they are running well, but lack true communion with God in their worship times. Jesus said that, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24)
As a community, they have not truly allowed Him in. Rather, they are satisfied with the outward appearance of having Him. We like gatherings that talk about Him, but don’t truly allow Him to have an active part of our gathering. We put our programs and structure above Him, but yet expect Him to fit into our own preferences and schedules. We must understand that He is a Living God; He will not be contained in a temple made by human hands, nor be constricted by man-made programs.

The last words that Jesus said to His disciples are not found in the Great Commission, but rather His last words are found in the Book of Revelation. At the end of His warnings and exhortations to the seven Churches, Jesus says: 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev 3:20) In order for a sense of awe to return to the Church, we must be a community of people who are willing to open our doors and depend on Him, willing to wait on Him for as long as it takes. It says in His Word that He acts in behalf those who wait for Him (Isa 64:4).
In the book of Acts, the disciples waited and prayed until the Living God came and dwelt amongst them. They did not try to fabricate His Presence but were simply open and given completely to Him, waiting on Him to come. God desires a people who depend on Him in this way, who will not go until He has come. If we do not have a Living God, then there is nothing that sets us apart from other groups.

When we see other groups, we may see that they have strength in numbers and that their cause and methods sound far more reasonable in the eyes of the world. However, in the midst of all their projects and socializing is great emptiness! Psalm 115:4-8 says,

“But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.”

What other groups are centered upon are merely worthless and lifeless idols, so the people also become worthless and lifeless. The strength of worldly unity is found in unity itself. However, the strength of godly unity is found in God alone!

8. The Power of Godly Unity

This strength from God was clearly present in the early Church! The last part of the passage in Acts says “the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” The unity of the early believers allowed God to pour out His power and grace abundantly so that the early Church did not have to go reach out! Instead, God’s power brought them in! Indeed, we see that Psalm 133 was fulfilled in the early church:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Coming down upon the beard,
Even Aaron’s beard,
Coming down upon the edge of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon
Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forever.”

The oil the Holy Spirit was poured out so that it overflowed into the blessing of eternal life for many. In fact, every great move of God that shook and changed the course of human history started when God’s people reconciled their differences and united together in prayer and worship!

The first missionary movement began when the Church from different nations and with different callings united in prayer, fasting and worship. It was in this place that God moved and set apart Paul and Barnabas. Acts 13:1-4 says:

“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.”

These believers were so connected to the heart of God that they were literally the Body of Christ. The Bible treats the Church sending out Paul and Barnabus as one and the same as the Holy SPirit Himself sending them out. This calling from God was confirmed when we see that right from the beginning, Paul’s ministry came with power when he confronted a false prophet named Bar-Jesus who had demonic control over an area, caused him to be blinded and turned the local ruler to God.

The Shandong revival in China, one of the greatest revivals recorded in history started when the missionaries there reconciled their differences and quarrels with one another and repented of their hidden sin.

At UCLA in 2006, the believers there experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit where many people on campus were saved as God worked in supernatural ways! However, it all started when the university campus groups united together, repented of their sins and committed to starting a 24/7 house of prayer on campus!

“400+ Christ followers at UCLA gathered on campus for a night of repentance, unity and prayer for revival. This gathering "One Vision' was divine, for the first time in years, students and leaders from different fellowships and local churches came together, humbled themselves before God and one another, lifted up the name of Jesus as One Body of Christ on the campus of UCLA. It was in one word, powerful. The Holy Spirit flooded the room, as leaders from different fellowships joined hands and declared One Vision: to see the name of Jesus made famous at UCLA, to see God get His glory back on this campus. Students all over the room, got on their knees and repented for their own personal sins, and the sins of our land. Declaring spiritual war against materialism, sexual immorality, pride, injustice to the unborn, lukewarmness and the idolatry of our own hearts. We asked God to give us clean hands and a pure heart. We asked God to forgive us for judging, competing and being divided against one another as Christians. We realized, that no matter what fellowship or minor doctrinal differences, we have one common denominator; JESUS CHRIST! We realized it would take the Whole Body of Christ, to take the Whole Gospel to the Whole Campus!

My heart broke, as I witnessed students crying out in repentance and revival for UCLA, praying for the salvation of their dorm mates, pockets of lost students and lost friends. My heart was overjoyed when I saw leaders from IV, Campus Crusade, AACF, GOC, PC, KCCC, KCM, CCM, Garden Fellowship, Chi Alpha and so many other brothers and sisters in Christ join hands, reconcile their differences, and pray together for the salvation of the lost at UCLA. There was an open heaven, you could feel it in the air, prayers were being answered because "How blessed it is when brethren dwell together in unity." (Psalm 133). But that evening was just the continuation of something wonderful and beautiful at UCLA. Students have been praying all over campus, and witnessing to their lost friends. That night, the Body of Christ at UCLA committed to Unite in Prayer & Unite in Action. Practically, we committed to praying 24-7 this quarter for one week, to start revival prayer meetings all over different parts of the campus, and for each student to adopt a pocket of people on campus who don't have the Gospel by being a missionary to them and seeing a missional community established among them. We are taking back what the enemy stole, we are believing God for another chapter in the book of Acts to be written in our generation!”
“What has been happening at UCLA the last 10 days is unprecedented. The spirit of God is stirring and we are experiencing a new outbreak of revival like we have never seen. In the last week we have witnessed scores of salvations in the middle of campus, divine healings and the power of God break in. This is just the beginning of something great. Please let me give a preface to what has been happening.”

A. W. Tozer’s sermon, “Unity that Brings Revival,” gives an illustration of how unity brings forth God’s power. Imagine 120 volts of electricity coming into your home. The power is prepared and ready, but when you turn on the light switch, no light comes on. When you try to toast bread, nothing happens. No matter how many switches you turn on, no electricity comes. Why? Because somewhere in the house are two wires that are not connected properly. In the same way, God is ready to pour out his power and blessing on His people. However, when we flip switches and try to accomplish His will, nothing turns on and nothing happens. Why? If there is even one wire that is disconnected, even the smallest amount of disunity within the Body, then the power is not able to flow through.

The willingness of a united Body affects the outpouring of God’s blessing and power. In the story of Elisha and the widow, the widow went to Elisha and implored him for help because she had no money and was in debt. He told her to go and borrow as many empty vessels (pots) that she could find and to pour the little amount of oil she had left into those vessels. She did so and the oil kept pouring out of her little supply until all the vessels were filled. She then sold the oil to pay off her debt (2 Kings 4). We can see that it was not the oil that ran out, but rather the number of available vessels. We can also see that the vessels were all in one place and were empty. In the same way, when the Body is united and empty, God can pour out the oil of the Holy Spirit into His people.

So, we see that unity must centered around God and that only this kind of unity allows Gods power to be poured out on His people.

9. Unity at Heart

This unity that is centered around God and brings power and blessing begins at the heart. The early Church had this kind of unity; they were not united in a task or in an evangelistic effort but were united in worship and devotion to a Person!

We need unity at the heart level, not just a nice gesture where we feel either good (because we did something together for Jesus) or obligated to (because it is in the Bible). Rather, we need a unity that naturally draws us together in Christ and where we are all of one mind. Being of one mind means being unanimous as a group in the direction we are to go in. The unity of mind that the believers had in Acts was so deep that it wouldn’t matter who was doing what, whether it be a “great” or “menial” task. They could have switched bodies, positions and roles and it would not have affected them because they all shared the same mind: the Mind of Christ. This is why the believers were able to share all things with each other; they sold all their possessions and laid the money at the apostles’ feet because they saw one another as part of the same Body which was completely controlled by the Head, Christ. It was a unity where they shared and fellowshipped with one another in a deep and intimate way.

If the unity we have is only on a surface level, either physically (in action) or emotionally, it will not last nor be effective. The unity we need must be at a spiritual level at the heart.

For instance, a teacher assigns students to work in groups for a cumulative presentation project. However, the teacher groups students together who are from different cliques and don’t really get along. Though they may work together on a surface level, they will not be able to reconcile on a personal level. Therefore, though each may bring their own part to the presentation, there will be a forced formality and lack of flow, hindering the presentation and quality of the presentation.

Even more so imagine: a husband and wife who are constantly fighting but work together when guests stay for dinner in order to look united and save face. One sees that the unity they have is to make a good impression on their guests, rather than as a natural outflow of love. Thus, their “unity” will be shallow and easy to see through. In fact, the guests will most likely notice the tension and the hostile atmosphere.

Similarly, if our unity is as the husband and wife’s, the world is going to look and see that we may work together, but not really care about and love one another. We need a unity that comes from love for one another, a unity that stems from such a deep trust that we would give ourselves to each other, accept one another, look out for each other’s interests instead of our own and even consider each other as better than ourselves (Phil 2:4). This type of unity is the unity that Christ intended! A unity different than worldly unity, a unity so supernatural that it makes the world ask, “What do these people have?! What is this living force that is driving them?” A unity where the world is literally able to see the invisible Hand that is directing us!
10. Unity through Whole Hearted Devotion
Thus far, we know that the standard of God’s Word is that all believers must be united together, and that the united Church is the most powerful testimony to the world the God is alive.

However, this is the reality around us: much of the Body is divided. The world looks at us and scoffs at all the different factions, fighting and divisions among churches and even within churches because of our own pride, stubbornness and selfish ambitions. It seems that those against God are much more united that the Church itself. The body at large in North America is a poor testimony of God to the rest of world. As Scripture says, “God’s name is blasphemed among the gentiles because of [us]” (Rom 2:24). Now, I am not here to bash the Body of Christ; I would not speak against Jesus’ Bride like that. So, please don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that we are like this at York. This is just a general observation of clear facts. The reason I am saying these things is because I believe God is uniting His body in these times for His glory!

So the question is why? Why are there divisions?

Colossians 3:9-11 says: “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.”

This passage shows that in Christ, we are all renewed and, therefore, there should be no divisions based on outward appearances or doctrinal beliefs but rather we are made into a new people in which there is no distinction. Ephesians 2:14 tells us that Christ broke down the barrier of the dividing wall and made us into one new people. The reality is that He has broken down the division caused by our own sinful flesh. So, when we don’t see this truth reflected in our lives or in the Body of Christ, it is not an error of God, nor is it impossible to attain, but rather it is an error on our part. The condition for there to be no distinction between fleshly differences is stated at the end of the passage: that Christ is all and in all. Thus, we must see that division still exists simply because Christ is not all and in all, but something else takes precedence in the hearts of God’s people. In order for there to be godly unity, believers must wholly set their hearts to pursue God. In fact, these two things go hand in hand.

As mentioned before, unity naturally forms when people have something in common. Their interests become the core of who they are and therefore they find people who have like interests and goals. Likewise, when Christ is the sole desire of a group of people there will naturally be unity for their desire is that Christ be magnified in their bodies and thus in their community. However, if He is not their one magnificent obsession then there will be disunity.

Going back to the example of the two friends who became friends because of basketball. The one friend who desires to play professionally will base all of his life around the sport whereas the one who only plays as a hobby will have it as a much smaller part of his life. Eventually there will be conflict in the relationship because of these differences. When one wants to play basketball, the other will want to devote that time to something else. If the relationship is to be maintained with one another what must happen is for one to pull the other into their direction in life. The only other alternative is that the relationship will be compromised. This is true for believers as well: lukewarm Christians will group together with lukewarm Christians and devoted Christians will group together with devoted Christians. The only kind of unity that God blesses is one stemming from whole hearted devotion to Him.

The lukewarm Christian and the fully devoted Christian will not be able to walk together. The Bible uses the imagery of being yoked together with unbelievers. Though, in this case, it may not be with an unbeliever the same spiritual principle still applies to not be unequally yoked. When two oxen are yoked together and striving to go in different directions, only two things can happen. One will end up pulling the other against their will. It will be impossible for the oxen to make any significant progress in either direction. The alternative is that they will reach a compromise where both do not go in the direction they desire. A compromised unity will form as a result. Many times believers knowing that unity is needed try to unite for the sake of uniting. They will compromise on things for the sake of unity. The problem with this is that they are putting unity over Christ. This may seem to be okay temporarily, but will not truly last and will be powerless. Unity blessed by God can only happen in Christ, never apart from him.

11. Unity Through a Crucified Culture

Though a group of believers may be genuinely seeking God and not the world, they still may not be wholly devoted to God because they are either seeking to build their own ministries and kingdoms in the name of Christ or hold cultural traditions, ideals, theologies, doctrines and religious traditions above God Himself and before Christ’s interests.

When the Body is seeking whole heartedly after God and not seeking to hold to a set of religious agendas, selfish motives or doctrines then we will have unity. We must understand that the core of Christianity is not following a set of doctrines but is following a resurrected Person who is living inside of us! If we follow a Person, then any differences in doctrine will be easily settled in love.
For doctrine and man-made religious tradition will divide but a Living Person Unites!

The problem lies in the fact that much of Christianity today has become a mix of culture and religious tradition. These things have been added onto and put above what is written in the Bible. As a result, two things happen: believers who want to join a church must accept Jesus and culture and religion instead of simply accepting Jesus only. They end up having to agree and sign with a lot of “fine print” that were never in scripture. The definition to being a believer is determined more on the current cultural standards rather than the Word of God. People are considered Christian if they are able to conform to the culture and traditions of the church and rather than be held accountable in light of Scripture. Thus, a cultural understanding of Christianity is created.

The problem that is created is twofold: first, those who are truly of Christ and those who are part of religious culture are both covered under the guise of the culture. However this contamination and degradation has happened very gradually, so, secondly, those who grew up in a church community cannot truly distinguish between culture, religious tradition and true faith.

The reason why believers are not able to unite is because culture has become the standard for Christianity instead of the Bible. Therefore, people from different ethnic cultures are not able to unite. The foundation is not built on the Christ the Rock, Who is unchanging and transcends all things, but rather on culture, which is fleeting and ever fluctuating.

We have lost sight on our goal and purpose as Christians and have allowed culture to become an idol over Christ. We have done this because we have lost sight of the glory of Christ and, instead, created another Christ that fits the standards of culture.

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.” When the church loses the full vision of who Christ is and replaces it with one that is defined by culture, people are left without spiritual direction and fall into apostasy and the church is left without power. If glorifying Christ is not our first and foremost goal, the church will not succeed and will pursue our own agendas in the Name of Christ but without the Person behind this Name.

Even though our vision has not been completely lost (we still desire people to know Christ) it still falls short of the standard of God’s Word. The gospel is either all or nothing at all. A vision that has even minutely deviated from the original still falls dangerously short. Our vision today has been diluted with a Christianity that places too much weight on culture, even as we reach out to the lost, we go with an impure Christ-culture mix. As a result, the power of the gospel is lost like a sword that has lost its edge. We may preach things that are true, but instead of a piercing conviction bringing people to Christ, our words are like a blunt weapon that beats people with the expectations of culture and religion.

Paul said that he resolved to know nothing else save Christ crucified so that the faith of those he was ministering to would be on God and not the wisdom of man. It also says in his letter to the Thessalonian church that the gospel came not in words only, but also in power and deep conviction. We have not resolved to know nothing but Christ crucified, so our words do not come in power and deep conviction. Thus, many people are leaving the church because they have not been fully confronted with the true Christ, but have been unknowingly and unintentionally put their put in a man-made religious.

Christianity today (specifically in Toronto) has generally developed into two mainstream cultures: the Pentecostal/Charismatic culture and the Evangelistic/Reformed culture with variations among different ethnic groups. Within each culture, unity is easily achieved among different churches. However, the problem comes when one tries to unite between these cultures. Though these two cultures are friendly towards each other, there is disunity at heart. Thus, they are not able to truly work together. Unity will only come when these two cultures are able to separate culture from faith and submit their cultural identities at the foot of the cross, leaving only Christ to be lifted up. Though there is nothing wrong with the way each church worships or functions however there is a problem when these expressions intended to glorify God become more important than God and other or when believers start to feel like one way is more “spiritual” or better than the other We must understand that what is important is that we are able to worship and pray in Spirit and in truth.

Maturing believers will find that they must quickly choose a “side”. A new convert brought into an Evangelical/Reformed Church will have to start to learn the language, mannerisms and practices that occur in services and social settings. Likewise, a new convert in a Charismatic/Pentecostal Church may be expected to live up to the expectations in how one should express themselves during worship. The two cultures are very different: each even has its own set of distinctive terms. We often hear reformed Evangelicals use terms such as, “doctrinally correct” or “exegesis” while we often hear believers in Pentecostal or Charismatic churches use terms such as “anointing” or “Spirit-led”. Even the word “baptism” has different denotations and connotations depending what Church you are in! Thus, new converts may subtly feel pressured to fit into one culture or another. There is no mutual acceptance: a Reformed Christian may offhandedly criticize the terms a Charismatic Christian would use and the Charismatic Christian may feel that the other is unbelieving and needs an encounter with the Holy Spirit.
We must refocus our vision back to the original purpose and commission for the church solely to go and make disciples of all nations and not make followers of tradition, culture, doctrine or denomination. We must lay aside all other agendas and focus the purpose of our church’s existence toward the goal of making disciples for the glory of God’s Name. It is only when believers have one common vision and goal that Christ glorified above all that we will be able to unite. This must be our first and foremost vision that transcends both culture and doctrine. We must be willing to lay aside our own methods and our own ideas for the sake of the Great Commission.

It is only when we submit our own expressions of worship and crucify our cultural understanding of Christ that unity is achieved in which Christ can truly be glorified in an area.

12. Biblical Examples of Unity that Misses the Mark
Even after knowing all of this, if we try to achieve unity without the Person of Christ in the Holy Spirit, things will go horribly wrong. It is possible to be united as God’s people, but be without God’s heart. However, true unity, as seen in the book of Acts, comes from not merely being united as a community but being united with God’s very heart.

United in Unbelief

When the twelve spies were sent into Canaan to see the Promised Land, ten of them came back with hearted united in unbelief towards God. Only Joshua and Caleb returned with faith that God would give the Israelites victory. However, all the Israelites sided with the ten and became united under unbelief. When Joshua and Caleb, along with Moses and Aaron, pleaded with the people not to rebel, the people were so roused and ready to stone them until the glory of God appeared.

How many of God’s people today are united in unbelief today? When a remnant of God’s people who believe try to tell them that nothing is impossible with God, they are stoned with slanderous words and labeled as too radical or extreme.

United in God’s Work: But Not in His Way

After becoming king, David gathered Israel’s leaders together and, in one accord, agreed to bring the ark back. In itself, this is a good thing; the ark represented God’s promises and presence amongst the people and David was acknowledging their need for both of these. However, it says that “all the assembly said they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people” (1 Chr 13:4; emphasis mine). They did not proceed because God commanded them, but because it seemed right in their own eyes. Instead of having priests carry the ark, they put it on a new cart. The new cart represents man trying to change God’s way of doing things because it seems more ideal, convenient or appealing. This, of course, was drastically stopped. When one of the men, Uzza, tried to steady the ark because it almost fell, God struck him dead.

God’s people had lost a fear and respect for God’s Word and thought they could do it their own way; their good intentions resulted in turning God against them. Likewise, we can unite as a Body for outreach purposes but be doing it according to what looks good to us and not in the way written in the Word of God.

United in God’s Work: But Without His Power

In 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites prepared to fight the Philistines. They previously lost a battle where four thousand were killed and came to the conclusion that it was because they did not have the Ark of the Covenant with them. When the ark was brought into the camp, the Israelites shouted so loudly that the earth literally shook and the Philistines where filled with fear. They heard the noise and said, “God has come into the camp,” thinking that they would be defeated. However, the Israelites suffered a severe defeat: thirty thousand men died and the ark was captured. On that day, Eli the priest, along with his wicked sons, also died.

Though the Israelites united in acknowledging their need for God, their collective and continuous compromise toward God’s law during that time blinded them to the fact that God was not actually with them! On the surface, it looked as if God was with them; there was such a great shout so that even their enemies acknowledged God. Alas, God was not with them. Similarly, we may think that God will be with us simply because we are united and preach Biblical truths. However, compromise in our day to day lives will surely reveal how much we are actually united with God’s heart. If we have unity with one another but only nominal unity with God, this too will fail.

United with Compromised Believers

Though Jehosaphat was a righteous king in Judah, he allied himself twice with the wicked kings of Israel: once with Ahab and once with Ahaziah. When he allied himself with Ahab, he almost lost his life, but God mercifully helped him and Ahab was killed instead. Afterward, he received a stern rebuke from Jehu: “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord and so bring wrath on yourselves from the Lord?” However, when he allied himself with Ahaziah and built ships for battle, the Lord completely destroyed his work resulting in great loss.

What we can learn is that when we unite with believers who are not walking whole heartedly with God, our efforts will also be in vain.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the need for unity in the Body is paramount if we are to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ and win back our lost and dying generation. Unity has been at the core of the Biblical Church since the beginning, and thus is something Satan is desperately keen to attack. Only in unity will we be able to defeat the power of Satan, and only in unity will God pour out His full power and blessing. True biblical unity is needed on a spiritual level where both with believers in heart and with the heart of God Himself. When we, as the Body of Christ, are united in heart and in God, we will be set apart to be a powerful witness to the world through God’s power at work amongst us and by His love being displayed through us. Unity can only be achieved when people are whole heartedly pursuing the same goal -- God, and the glory of God -- so believers must cast off lukewarmness and things that take precedence over Christ, namely culture, religious tradition and doctrine, if we are to truly unite in heart.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph 3:20-21)

 2012/2/26 4:20Profile





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