======================================================================== ONENESS OF THE CHURCH by Gbile Akanni ======================================================================== Summary: Gbile Akanni passionately teaches that true revival and lasting unity in the Church can only be achieved when Christ and the message of the cross take the central stage, binding believers together as one body. Duration: 23:03 Topics: "Church Unity", "Revival" Scripture References: John 17:20-23, Ephesians 4:3, Psalm 133:1-3, John 1:51, Colossians 3:11, 1 Corinthians 2:2 (alluded) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In this powerful sermon, Gbile Akanni emphasizes the essential role of unity within the body of Christ as the foundation for genuine and lasting revival. He highlights Jesus’ prayer for oneness in John 17 and calls believers to center their faith on Christ and the message of the cross. Gbile Akanni challenges the church to heal the pulpit and remove distractions that cause division, urging a return to the true gospel that brings believers together. This message serves as a clarion call for prayer, repentance, and renewed focus on Christ as the source of unity and revival. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Living Seed Media brings to you God's Word, which is his comprehensive equipment for changing lives. May the Lord impact your heart as you encounter his Word. For further inquiry or counsel, contact Peace House, PO Box 971, Boko, Benue State, Nigeria. Telephone numbers 0703 03636 59, 0703 76811 98. Email address lsmedia at livingseed.org or visit our website at www.livingseed.org. Let us sit back and listen as the servant of God brings forth the Word of Life. Thank you very much. This morning we are going to pray. And the burden in my heart this morning is to cry to God for the unity of the body of Christ. The issue of revival has been very central in this meeting. As the Lord himself came to announce to us that we shall see heavens open and we shall see angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. But for us to be able to have genuine, lasting revival, the oneness of the body of Christ is very crucial. This is what we have been looking into through the Bible study. And I want us to know that this is very, very crucial in revival. If that revival will bring glory to God and if it will last, the body of Christ must be united. And I would like us to join Jesus, the Lord, in this prayer today to pray for the unity of the body of Christ. You know Jesus prayed seriously about this in John chapter 17. He prayed for the church to be united. He prayed that we would be one just as himself and the Father are one. John 17 verses 21 to 23, maybe from verse 20, said, And the glory which you gave me I have given them that they may be one just as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. You can see Jesus traveling for the unity of his body. You can see him praying, praying the Father. And up till now the Bible says he is making intercession for us. And for us to be looking for revival and not join Jesus to make this prayer a prayer and a reality would be a crime. We have a need to cry to heaven today and like the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 3, we will also endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. It's a task that must be done. It's a task that we must face squarely. But first we must cry to heaven about it so that God will make it possible. In revival this is crucial. If the blessings of heaven will come down, if the Lord will rent the heavens and come down and pour his blessings upon us, the unity of the body of Christ is very central. In Psalm 133 verses 1 to 3, the Bible says, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious oil upon the head running down on the bed of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garment. It is like the dew of Hamon descending upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord commanded the blessing life forevermore. Where there is unity, there God commands the blessing. We cannot get the blessing in revival if we are divided. In fact, division quenches revival. Unity fans into flame. Unity makes the world to know that Jesus has been sent by God to save mankind. It is not much of our preaching that will do the job, but for us to be united, whether in a locality, in a profession, in a church congregation, in a denomination, for us to be united. This is very crucial. It makes the world to know that God has sent Jesus. God is the one. You can imagine in an environment when the body of Christ is united, when we are not separated and divided by name, by denomination, when in a locality the entire body of Christ are united, with little preaching people will know that this Jesus is the way. But see how much we cry and we shout in the air and we preach, but the world is laughing at us because we are divided. Unity is crucial in revival. If the heavens will really open upon us, we have this task to do by the grace of God, praying and endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. In the John Scripture that we read, the Bible says that when we are united, in verse 23, it said, okay, it said, the world will know that you have sent me, in verse 21, yes, that they all may be one as you Father are in me and I in you, that they also may be one, that the world may believe that you sent me, and the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one. There is no glory for a church that is divided. There is no glory so there is no reviver. We will be deceiving ourselves to think that God will rend the heavens, but we are fighting each other. Heavens will be closed, so we have a need to raise a cry to heaven and lend our voice with Jesus, Jesus the head and we the body, crying to God for the unity of the body of Christ. It is a need, we will pray, Lord, make us one Lord, that just as God the Father and God the Son are one, and we don't know the difference, so also the church will be one. We have a need to pray. And along with it, you will discover that if in a reviver, Christ is not the center, that reviver will soon finish. Christ must take the center stage, and for us to actually be united. There is nothing else that can bring unity except Christ takes the central stage. Where money takes the central stage, there will be division. Where demon casting takes the central stage and there is nothing else more than demons, division will be plenty there, and there will be no reviver. So we are also going to be calling on God that in this reviver, Christ will take the central stage. You know, in John 1.51, the central scripture, the theme scripture that we have been looking at, the Bible says, Most assuredly I say to you, Hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. It's not upon you. It's upon the Son of Man that the angels will be ascending and descending. Christ must take the central stage. And there will be open heavens on whosoever has Christ. Heavens will open. Angels will be ascending and descending upon whosoever carries the life of Christ. Christ must be the center. And in Colossians 3, Colossians 3, verse 11, Colossians 3, 11. If you have Living Bible there, I would like you to read it for me. Colossians 3, 11. Colossians 3, 11 says, In Living Bible, Alright, it's already there for me. It says, In this new life, one's nationality or race or education or social position is unimportant. Such things mean nothing. Whether a person has Christ is what matters and is equally available to all. You can see that in this new life, nothing else matters but Christ. Christ must be central. If there will be revival and if it will last, Christ must be the center. No position, no education, no race, no denomination, no nationality, no color. This one is black. This one is white. It's unimportant. As far as this new life in Christ is concerned, what matters is if you carry Christ. Christ must be the center. And so, even through the Bible study, you will see that we have found the secret of unity. Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is the secret. Christ in you. If Christ is in you and Christ is in me, where is the quarrel? Where is the division? Christ is not divided against Christ. Christ is, you know, Christ is not going to fight Christ. Christ in you, Christ in me, there will be unity. So we are going to pray. One thing that we lack in the church today is the message of the mystery of Christ. What makes Christ to be located and to live his life in a believer is the message of the cross. It is the message of the cross. And Paul said, I don't want to know anything among you except Christ and him crucified. But what is happening in the church today, the message is different. Somebody specializes in the message of demonology. Another one specializes on the message of prosperity. Christ is left at the side. And so, you see, the one who is preaching demonology will only produce demons. The one that is preaching mammon will only produce money. Christ will not be in such lives. Garbage in, garbage out. It is the message that makes the people. It was the message we have been hearing that made the kind of Christians we have today. We are going to call on God to bring healing to the pulpit. Because if there will be unity, Christ must be the life in you and the life in me. Christ is the binding force. Not money. Not healing. Not prosperity. Christ is the binding force. And the message that will bring Christ to be at the center and to become the life in us is the message of the cross. You are going to plead with God to revive the pulpit. Let the Lord make the message of the cross to take the central stage in the church from today. It's a cry that we must raise. People have cast death into this pot. People have brought in wild vine into this great pot that God is cooking for His people. So they are preaching all kinds of messages. People are eating garbage in the body of Christ that does not make them to become like Christ. We will pray, Lord, casting the meal, casting the flour, casting the salt into the source of this stream that the church is drinking and it is making us immoral. It is making us lovers of money. It is making us almost completely like demons. We behave demonic. We will call on God. Please have mercy. Heal the pulpit. Heal the pulpit. Let Jesus and the message of the mystery of Christ take the central stage in the body of Christ. If Christ is in you and in me, then, of course, if this hand is my hand, it means my life is in this hand. That's why it is my hand. If my leg is my leg, it means my life is in my leg. That's why it's my leg. Why is it that the body of Christ is behaving unlike Christ? Because they don't carry the life of Christ. If we are going to be united, the message of Christ must take the central stage. Please, we will pray for the pulpit. We will pray for the preachers. We will pray for the ministry gifts in the body of Christ that Christ and Him crucified will become the central message from now henceforth. We are looking for revival and we can't get it except Christ takes the central stage. Except Christ is the one that we are preaching and the people of God are taking in. Christ must take the central stage. Christ and Him crucified must be the central message and the understanding of the mystery of the gospel, the mystery of Christ, must increase in our midst if there will be revival and if this revival will last. There will be unity. There will be unity because Christ will be the binding force. But you see the understanding of the cross is so little or none in the church today. We need to pray about that. That the message of the cross, the new creation life message that brings Christ into the congregation and into the believers. It will ravage the pulpits. Let it become the central message. All the other issues will be resolved. But we need to pray about this. Lord, may Jesus take the central stage in the church. It is not the pastor and founder that must be the center, Lord. It is not money. It is not demons. It is not this message, utilitarian message. Lord, help us return to our pulpits. Return. Return, O Holy Dove. Return. Revive the pulpits in our time. Strike away. Sweep away. Flog out the money changers from the church. Heal our pulpits. Cast in the meal. Heal the source of the water that the church is drinking. Cast in the salt. Heal our pulpits because it is the pulpit that makes the pill. O God, help us. That is our cry. We will pray for the revival and the unity of the body of Christ. We will join Jesus, the head, and we, the body. We will be united with Christ and say, Lord, make us one, Lord. Make us one, Lord, whatever it will take. It is time for the Lord to favor Zion. Make us one, Lord. It is the flesh that divides us, but the message of the cross casts it out. It is the flesh that brings quarrels, but by the message of the cross, Christ is brought in. We are going to plead with God. Please, Lord, make the message of the cross come on. Make it understood. Let it, because those who have come, you can hear the testimonies of people who went through millet. It was the cross, the message of the cross that did the job, that brought such a great change in the lives of people and Christ now dwelling in them. We are united. Different denominations were among us, Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, the garmented churches, everybody carried Christ. Why would we not be united? Oh, God, let the message of the cross come on our puppies and let it be understood. Let it be clearly preached. Let it be clearly understood. Please, let's put this matter into prayer. God must answer our cry. Christ is the binding force to cause the unity of the body of Christ. We are going to pray right now. Wherever you are, please, let's rise on our feet and join Jesus over this matter. Unite us, oh Lord. Bind us together and make us one. And Lord, the message that will make us one, that will bring Christ to the center in the body of Christ. Let it become common. Let it become a message effective. A message that will ravage the puppies. A message that will be well understood and bring deliverance to the people of God so that the body of Christ will be one. Christ in you, Christ in me. Please, pray about it. Father, hear us, we pray. Hear us. Hear us. Oh God, too much division. Make us one, Lord. This one fighting that and we are losing our grounds in the nations. Even where Christianity is much, you can see the enemy coming in, bringing division. And so we lose out in politics because we are divided. Lord, make us one. Make us one. Let's pray, please. Let's pray, rise on your feet as we pray together. All our leaders, take it on from there. We must put this matter to God in prayers. ======================================================================== Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/gbile-akanni/oneness-of-the-church/ ========================================================================