If you love someone, you care very deeply about the things they care about. If something is important to one you love, it is important to you.
Did you know that unity in the family of God is very, very important to Jesus? It is so important to Him that in the garden shortly before the soldiers arrived to arrest Him, Jesus prayed that we would be one just as He and His Father are one. Here's what He prayed:
"I'm praying not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me. The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind -- Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they'll be as unified and together as we are -- I in them and you in me. Then they'll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence That you've sent me and loved them in the same way you've loved me." (John 17:20-23, The Message)
Sadly, you don't have to hang out at church more than a few minutes to realize that we are not one. In fact, the Body of Christ couldn't be more disunited. We're fragmented into hundreds of denominations, and even within those denominations the members can't even agree on the smallest things.
I am absolutely convinced the disunity of the Body is the devil's proudest accomplishment in the last two thousand years. Think about it: If you were the devil, how would you go about making sure the world didn't come to know Jesus? He can't discredit the Savior; He is blameless and spotless. He can't discredit God's word; it is truth without mixture of error. He can't discredit the message of the Gospel; it is the power of God unto salvation. So what's the devil to do to slow the spread of the Gospel? He went after the weakest link in the chain -- us.
The devil is a liar, but he's not stupid. If he can get you and me arguing and fighting with each other we'll be so busy going after each other we won't take the time to tell others about Jesus. And that is precisely what he has done so successfully for most of the last two thousand years.
Here's the truly heartbreaking part -- we've been separated for so long and the divisions run so deep that most of us have a great distrust for anyone who proposes unity among the various factions of the Body of Christ. I might have to admit that you are my brother in Christ, but if you adhere to a different belief than me about when in the course of history Jesus is going to return or whether or not a gift of the Holy Spirit is still valid today, I can't worship with you, I can't fellowship with you, I can't work together with you to win our city for Christ, and in a lot of cases I will preach against you in my pulpit. God help us! No wonder the world looks at us and decides they don't want what we claim to possess!
If you look at the disunity in the church and consider how many hundreds of years it took us to become this fractured, it is so easy to give up hope. There's no way we can ever put this back together again. We can't even get 10 people in our church to agree, how can we even dare to think the Body of Christ can ever be united this side of eternity?
But I still believe in and serve a miracle-working God! A God who spoke the universe into existence with the power of His Word. A God who time and time again has done the impossible. The Bible tells us in no uncertain terms that nothing is impossible for God. And in the Garden hours before He died for you and me Jesus prayed -- not that you and I would agree on everything, but that we would be one.
God, get your family together again!
Scripture Of The Day: If you love someone, you care very deeply about the things they care about. If something is important to one you love, it is important to you.
Did you know that unity in the family of God is very, very important to Jesus? It is so important to Him that in the garden shortly before the soldiers arrived to arrest Him, Jesus prayed that we would be one just as He and His Father are one. Here's what He prayed:
"I'm praying not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me. The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind -- Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they'll be as unified and together as we are -- I in them and you in me. Then they'll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence That you've sent me and loved them in the same way you've loved me." (John 17:20-23, The Message)
Sadly, you don't have to hang out at church more than a few minutes to realize that we are not one. In fact, the Body of Christ couldn't be more disunited. We're fragmented into hundreds of denominations, and even within those denominations the members can't even agree on the smallest things.
I am absolutely convinced the disunity of the Body is the devil's proudest accomplishment in the last two thousand years. Think about it: If you were the devil, how would you go about making sure the world didn't come to know Jesus? He can't discredit the Savior; He is blameless and spotless. He can't discredit God's word; it is truth without mixture of error. He can't discredit the message of the Gospel; it is the power of God unto salvation. So what's the devil to do to slow the spread of the Gospel? He went after the weakest link in the chain -- us.
The devil is a liar, but he's not stupid. If he can get you and me arguing and fighting with each other we'll be so busy going after each other we won't take the time to tell others about Jesus. And that is precisely what he has done so successfully for most of the last two thousand years.
Here's the truly heartbreaking part -- we've been separated for so long and the divisions run so deep that most of us have a great distrust for anyone who proposes unity among the various factions of the Body of Christ. I might have to admit that you are my brother in Christ, but if you adhere to a different belief than me about when in the course of history Jesus is going to return or whether or not a gift of the Holy Spirit is still valid today, I can't worship with you, I can't fellowship with you, I can't work together with you to win our city for Christ, and in a lot of cases I will preach against you in my pulpit. God help us! No wonder the world looks at us and decides they don't want what we claim to possess!
If you look at the disunity in the church and consider how many hundreds of years it took us to become this fractured, it is so easy to give up hope. There's no way we can ever put this back together again. We can't even get 10 people in our church to agree, how can we even dare to think the Body of Christ can ever be united this side of eternity?
But I still believe in and serve a miracle-working God! A God who spoke the universe into existence with the power of His Word. A God who time and time again has done the impossible. The Bible tells us in no uncertain terms that nothing is impossible for God. And in the Garden hours before He died for you and me Jesus prayed -- not that you and I would agree on everything, but that we would be one.
God, get your family together again!
By
Alan Riley
Friday, April 22, 2011
True Unity
In John 17:21-23, Christ prays for His disciples and for all who would come after them (we who are His church) that we would be unified. Unity can be a challenge for the church as Satan is constantly seeking to undermine it. After all, the stakes are high, given that Christ says that true visible unity will allow the world to conclude that the Father did indeed send Jesus to earth.
Christ’s design is that the church’s testimony of unity should be so powerful that it convinces the unsaved that something supernatural has happened to the church to enable them to care for one another as they do and to be in such agreement and harmony. Thus, whether we live as those unified or not has profound evangelistic impact. If people can see that Jesus has created a harmony and love among us, people will see that Jesus is Who He said He was. If all they see is bitterness, gossip, slander, arguments, and strife, they will have no desire to believe.
Christ’s prayer is that the church be perfected in unity. Obviously we won’t be perfected in unity until we are glorified and go to be with Christ, but Christ’s undeniable desire is that we grow more and more perfect in love and unity each and every day. Perfect unity is best illustrated, as Jesus says, by His relationship with the Father. They are literally one God, of one mind, of one Spirit, of one heart, of one purpose, of one belief, and of one truth. They are on the same page in everything that They do and are. They define love (1 John 4:8) and truth (John 14:6). Christ’s prayer is that we be one as They are one. This will only happen as we grow in truth and love.
Christ prays in John 17:17 that God would “Sanctify them [the church] in the truth; Your word is truth.” True unity will increase as we are conformed to the Word of God in belief and obedience. Ephesians 4:11-12 speaks of God gifting pastors, teachers, and evangelists for the purpose of building up the church and edifying it. Verse 13 explains what the outcome of sound Biblical teaching and preaching is, saying, “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Thus, growing in our knowledge of the true meaning of Scripture by the guiding work of the Holy Spirit as He leads us into all truth is essential to growing in unity as the body of Christ (see John 16:13).
Yet let us not be so naive as to think that merely having a high Bible IQ is the fullness and fruition of Christ’s prayer. Colossians 3:4 says, “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Just because we know a lot of the Bible or are involved in church activities does not make us mature. We could win at Bible trivia and still be last in the kingdom of God if we do not have love. God is not impressed with loveless martyrdom and knowledge that lacks compassion, grace, and humility (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). He wants hearts that are willing to die so that others might live, and He desires humble hearts that care more about the needs of others than their own.
We are to study and be conformed to the Word of God, but we must also allow Christ to incarnate His love in our lives. Both are necessary for true unity. May God teach us His Word so that we might grow into His likeness, and may He enable us to love so that the world may see that Jesus not only came to earth but that He died, rose again, and lives within His church. May we be one as He and the Father are One.
By
Brent Barrett
Christ’s design is that the church’s testimony of unity should be so powerful that it convinces the unsaved that something supernatural has happened to the church to enable them to care for one another as they do and to be in such agreement and harmony. Thus, whether we live as those unified or not has profound evangelistic impact. If people can see that Jesus has created a harmony and love among us, people will see that Jesus is Who He said He was. If all they see is bitterness, gossip, slander, arguments, and strife, they will have no desire to believe.
Christ’s prayer is that the church be perfected in unity. Obviously we won’t be perfected in unity until we are glorified and go to be with Christ, but Christ’s undeniable desire is that we grow more and more perfect in love and unity each and every day. Perfect unity is best illustrated, as Jesus says, by His relationship with the Father. They are literally one God, of one mind, of one Spirit, of one heart, of one purpose, of one belief, and of one truth. They are on the same page in everything that They do and are. They define love (1 John 4:8) and truth (John 14:6). Christ’s prayer is that we be one as They are one. This will only happen as we grow in truth and love.
Christ prays in John 17:17 that God would “Sanctify them [the church] in the truth; Your word is truth.” True unity will increase as we are conformed to the Word of God in belief and obedience. Ephesians 4:11-12 speaks of God gifting pastors, teachers, and evangelists for the purpose of building up the church and edifying it. Verse 13 explains what the outcome of sound Biblical teaching and preaching is, saying, “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Thus, growing in our knowledge of the true meaning of Scripture by the guiding work of the Holy Spirit as He leads us into all truth is essential to growing in unity as the body of Christ (see John 16:13).
Yet let us not be so naive as to think that merely having a high Bible IQ is the fullness and fruition of Christ’s prayer. Colossians 3:4 says, “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Just because we know a lot of the Bible or are involved in church activities does not make us mature. We could win at Bible trivia and still be last in the kingdom of God if we do not have love. God is not impressed with loveless martyrdom and knowledge that lacks compassion, grace, and humility (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). He wants hearts that are willing to die so that others might live, and He desires humble hearts that care more about the needs of others than their own.
We are to study and be conformed to the Word of God, but we must also allow Christ to incarnate His love in our lives. Both are necessary for true unity. May God teach us His Word so that we might grow into His likeness, and may He enable us to love so that the world may see that Jesus not only came to earth but that He died, rose again, and lives within His church. May we be one as He and the Father are One.
By
Brent Barrett
It's All About "Me"
Forget for a minute what you think it means to “remember.” Travel with me to South Dakota. Visit the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It’s one of the poorest areas in the country. There, to remember is not to recall. Remember means to restore.
“Re-member” is the name of a non-profit group working to “put back that which is broken.” That’s how founder Keith Titus describes it. Every year, volunteers from across the country sacrifice their time to help the Oglala Lakota people. Dilapidated homes are re-built. The tribe’s quality of life improves. Members reconnect to a stronger, loving community.
This puts me in mind of Jesus’ final rebuilding instruction to his disciples just before his crucifixion. At the last supper he repeatedly urged them to “remember me.”
Listen to 1st Corinthians 11:23b-25: “On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.’ In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.’”
Surly Jesus’ ultimate body and blood sacrifice deserves more than a sacred recollection now and then.
It is believed that the ancient definition of re-member is to “put back that which is broken,” If that’s true, communion is more than just a chance to think back on the miracle of Calvary. It’s also an opportunity for us to restore, revive and build up each other! Hear again the words of Jesus: “Re-member Me.” Put me back together. We are members of the body of Christ. We are his spiritual body parts. So “Me” consists of everyone who has confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Romans 12:4-5 makes it clear that, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”
1st Thessalonians 5:11 urges us to “Encourage each other and build each other up…” But too often the Body of Christ is busy producing free radicals or suicide cells. They cause the body to attack itself, and damage healthy cells. Spiritually, free radicals are strife, jealousy, envy and competition. They plant seeds of discord among the saints. But Jesus said “Re-Member Me.” Restore, uplift, edify and encourage “Me.” That’s how we ensure a healthy immune system in the Body of Christ, His church.
Physically, if you stub your big toe, the entire body is impacted. When you are vibrant and fit the whole body feels exhilarated. So it is spiritually. Yes, we are many members with different functions. Yet we are all connected. What happens to one, impacts all.
So, Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.” And Hebrew 13:11 tells us to “Let brotherly love continue.” Yes, we are our brother’s keeper. 1st Peter 4:8 reminds us to “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Every year on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, strangers from near and far gather to help build up and restore a tribe broken by prejudice and hardship.
Christ was broken and bruised to restore the world. When we restore or uplift someone, we remember him. We unify his body, the church.
So, take time today and purposely re-member, edify or uplift a brother or sister. Give a hug, a smile or an encouraging word. Restore someone’s faith in human kindness, decency and genuine friendship.
Remember, it’s not about you. It’s all about “Me,” the body of Christ.
By
Sharon Frame
“Re-member” is the name of a non-profit group working to “put back that which is broken.” That’s how founder Keith Titus describes it. Every year, volunteers from across the country sacrifice their time to help the Oglala Lakota people. Dilapidated homes are re-built. The tribe’s quality of life improves. Members reconnect to a stronger, loving community.
This puts me in mind of Jesus’ final rebuilding instruction to his disciples just before his crucifixion. At the last supper he repeatedly urged them to “remember me.”
Listen to 1st Corinthians 11:23b-25: “On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.’ In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.’”
Surly Jesus’ ultimate body and blood sacrifice deserves more than a sacred recollection now and then.
It is believed that the ancient definition of re-member is to “put back that which is broken,” If that’s true, communion is more than just a chance to think back on the miracle of Calvary. It’s also an opportunity for us to restore, revive and build up each other! Hear again the words of Jesus: “Re-member Me.” Put me back together. We are members of the body of Christ. We are his spiritual body parts. So “Me” consists of everyone who has confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Romans 12:4-5 makes it clear that, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”
1st Thessalonians 5:11 urges us to “Encourage each other and build each other up…” But too often the Body of Christ is busy producing free radicals or suicide cells. They cause the body to attack itself, and damage healthy cells. Spiritually, free radicals are strife, jealousy, envy and competition. They plant seeds of discord among the saints. But Jesus said “Re-Member Me.” Restore, uplift, edify and encourage “Me.” That’s how we ensure a healthy immune system in the Body of Christ, His church.
Physically, if you stub your big toe, the entire body is impacted. When you are vibrant and fit the whole body feels exhilarated. So it is spiritually. Yes, we are many members with different functions. Yet we are all connected. What happens to one, impacts all.
So, Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.” And Hebrew 13:11 tells us to “Let brotherly love continue.” Yes, we are our brother’s keeper. 1st Peter 4:8 reminds us to “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Every year on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, strangers from near and far gather to help build up and restore a tribe broken by prejudice and hardship.
Christ was broken and bruised to restore the world. When we restore or uplift someone, we remember him. We unify his body, the church.
So, take time today and purposely re-member, edify or uplift a brother or sister. Give a hug, a smile or an encouraging word. Restore someone’s faith in human kindness, decency and genuine friendship.
Remember, it’s not about you. It’s all about “Me,” the body of Christ.
By
Sharon Frame
Monday, April 18, 2011
According To Fred Smith
Here are some Scriptures Brenda Smith learned from her dad: “A true friend sticks by you”(Pr 18:24 TM ). When Fred was initially hospitalized a host of well wishers came by to visit, but eventually dropped off when they didn’t know what to say. It was friends who stood by them over the long haul who sustained them. “The Lord sees the good people and listens to their prayers” (Ps 34:15 NCV). The Psalmist said: “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry…he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Ps 40:10-2 NIV). Fred Smith said, “Many nights I lay awake unable to move or sleep, but…when I was tempted to lose hope, prayer renewed my strength.” A psychiatrist who interviewed aspiring astronauts reported that, faced with total isolation, many candidates became frustrated, whereas those who knew how to pray and sense God’s presence had fewer problems. Prayer works when all else fails--but don’t wait till things reach that stage. “When you are old…I will take care of you” (Isa 46:4 NCV). Someone said, “Old age ain’t for sissies.” While you are getting older physically, you don’t have to get old in your outlook. We live in a “disposable” culture that dismisses seniors as set in their ways and out of touch. Fred Smith proved otherwise. He demonstrated that while aging isn’t convenient or comfortable, it can be productive. By focusing on the “can do’s” instead of the “used to do’s,” you not only follow the example of Christ, you create a blueprint for the next generation.
From
Newlifeoakwood.org
From
Newlifeoakwood.org
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Accept The Whole Body Of Christ
God has developed certain inter-dependence throughout the Body of Christ. In other words, we have to rely on each other. You see no one person has all the anointing, all the revelation, all the gifts, or all the power.
So, in order for us to get all that is available to us, we have to be able to receive from somebody else and accept somebody else's ministry, call, and anointing. Only then can we experience the totality of all that Jesus has made available for us.
Now, Jesus is the head of the entire Body, which means that Jesus and the Body are one. If we decide we are not going to receive from a part of the Body, then we are not receiving Jesus - because they are part of His Body.
In Matthew 10:40, Jesus explains it this way: He said if they receive you, then they have received Me, and Him who sent me. In other words, whatever part of the body we decide not to receive, then we are not receiving Jesus, nor the Heavenly Father for that matter.
It is important for us to understand how to receive the Body. Verse 41 says, "He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive the reward or pay, prize, gifts, and results of a prophet." Notice it says he who receives a prophet, it didn't say he who receives the prophet's ministry. In other words, you have to receive the person first before you can receive the benefit of their gift. The same is true in receiving from a pastor, a teacher or even from a righteous man. We get the reward or anointing of that person when we accept the person first.
So learning to accept other members of the body regardless of who they are and where they come from is key to getting all that God has for us. We cannot afford to shut off any part of the Body. In so doing, we would be shutting off our blessing.
I Corinthians 12:27, says that God has set some in the church, first apostles, prophets, teachers, workers of miracles, and so on. Now everybody is not an apostle, or teacher, or worker of miracles. Why not? It's because we all have a particular call and place in the Body. So, to get the full benefits from the Body of Christ, receive the effectual working of every part. Receive the whole Body.
By
Bishop Keith Butler
So, in order for us to get all that is available to us, we have to be able to receive from somebody else and accept somebody else's ministry, call, and anointing. Only then can we experience the totality of all that Jesus has made available for us.
Now, Jesus is the head of the entire Body, which means that Jesus and the Body are one. If we decide we are not going to receive from a part of the Body, then we are not receiving Jesus - because they are part of His Body.
In Matthew 10:40, Jesus explains it this way: He said if they receive you, then they have received Me, and Him who sent me. In other words, whatever part of the body we decide not to receive, then we are not receiving Jesus, nor the Heavenly Father for that matter.
It is important for us to understand how to receive the Body. Verse 41 says, "He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive the reward or pay, prize, gifts, and results of a prophet." Notice it says he who receives a prophet, it didn't say he who receives the prophet's ministry. In other words, you have to receive the person first before you can receive the benefit of their gift. The same is true in receiving from a pastor, a teacher or even from a righteous man. We get the reward or anointing of that person when we accept the person first.
So learning to accept other members of the body regardless of who they are and where they come from is key to getting all that God has for us. We cannot afford to shut off any part of the Body. In so doing, we would be shutting off our blessing.
I Corinthians 12:27, says that God has set some in the church, first apostles, prophets, teachers, workers of miracles, and so on. Now everybody is not an apostle, or teacher, or worker of miracles. Why not? It's because we all have a particular call and place in the Body. So, to get the full benefits from the Body of Christ, receive the effectual working of every part. Receive the whole Body.
By
Bishop Keith Butler
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