Galatians 3:28- "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Here it says that Christians, "... are all one in Christ Jesus." While each of us are different there is a spiritual connection between true believers that should override the differences we may have. The fact that we are all one in Christ also speaks to the fact that we are all on level ground spiritually. Someone who is a new Christian can be used by God just as someone who has been a believer for years can be used by Him. God looks for those who will say "yes" to Him when He wants to use them to advance His kingdom.
In this article I would like to share some things the word of God says about unity. Unity is a theme that runs throughout the New Testament, and in John 17 Jesus even prayed that we would be one. Unity is important, but what does it look like? To answer this question it may be helpful to first see what unity is not:
Unity is not compromise:
Matthew 10:34-36 (words of Jesus)- "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to, 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter in law against her mother in law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' "
1Corinthians 11:18-19- "For first of all, when you come together as a church, I here that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you that those who are approved may be recognized among you."
We must remember that unity is not compromise. While we should avoid being critical or judgmental over the doctrinal differences we have, we must never compromise truth, not even for the sake of unity. As we see in these two passages, the truth naturally brings division between those who believe it and those who do not.
Unity is not conformity:
Romans 12:4-5- "For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."
When discussing unity it is important to remember that being in unity does mean everyone being exactly the same. God made each of us unique and we each have different roles in the body of Christ. Many people are miserable because they are trying to fit into a mold that God never intended for them to fit into. We are to all reflect the nature of Jesus to those around us, but as we do we will each do it in a way that is unique to us. We must remember this and seek God's direction to find our specific place in the body.
Now that we have seen what unity is NOT we will look at two characteristics of true, godly unity:
Unity is cooperation:
Romans 15:5-6- "Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
As I said before, each of us have a unique role in the kingdom, and when we are in unity we are each working toward a common goal, which as we see here is to glorify God. Ephesians 4: 16 speaks of every member of the body doing their share to build up the body. This cooperation in which each of us are in our place doing our part to advance the kingdom is the unity that I believe God wants to bring to His church.
Unity enables the Church to be an effective witness:
John 17:20-21- "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You Father are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us that the world may believe that You sent Me."
The fact that Jesus said in His prayer for the Church that when we are one the world will know that He came from the Father tells me that one of the ways we can show the world who God is is by being in unity.
In Genesis chapter 11 we read of a time in which the world was united and decided to build a tower with a top reaching to the heavens and make a name for themselves rather than obey His command for them to fill the earth. In Genesis 11:6 it says, "And the Lord said, 'Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.' " Think about what God said here: because the people were in unity they would be able to accomplish anything. If that were true when they were united in an act of rebellion, how much more can we accomplish as the body of Christ if we are working together in unity to do what God does want us to do?
In Matthew 18:19-20 Jesus said, "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." One thing that helps the Church to be an effective witness when we are in unity is the fact there is a spiritual power to be found in unity.
So what can each of us do to promote this unity? I believe that it will come through us loving one another and serving one another in love. May the Lord help us to walk in unity and make us more effective as we work to advance the kingdom!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
The Power of Prayer
We have all heard of "the power of prayer," but how powerful is prayer really? Does prayer really accomplish anything? In this weeks' article these questions will be answered.
1Kings 17:1- "And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the Lord God of Israel lives before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years except at my word.' "
In this verse we are introduced to the prophet Elijah in this account of how he pronounced judgement on the land because the wicked king Ahab had turned the hearts of the children of Israel away from God (or to be more accurate he led them farther away from God than they already were). Elijah's statement was basically, "It's not going to rain until I say so." It took amazing boldness to make this statement: a boldness that I believe came from an understanding of the power of prayer. As we understand the power of prayer we will see an increase in faith and we will learn how we can work with God to change the world around us.
1Kings 18:11- "And it came to pass after many days that the word of Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, 'Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.' "
Three and a half years had passed since Elijah declared that there was going to be a drought and just as the prophet said, there had been no rain, but now God told him, "I'm going to send rain." In this situation many of us would probably have said to ourselves that if God is going to send rain we should just wait for it to happen, but remember that it was not to rain until Elijah said so. God had told Elijah what He was going to do, and in revealing His will the creator of the universe invited Elijah to work with Him to bring that will into the earth. This same invitation is extended to us today.
1Kings 18:41-46- "Then Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the abundance of rain.' So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of mount Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, 'Go up now, look toward the sea.' So he went up and looked and said, 'There is nothing.' And seven times he said, 'Go again.' Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, 'There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand rising out of the sea.' So he said, 'Go up, say to Ahab, "prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you." ' " Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went up to Jezreel. Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel."
After presenting himself to Ahab and facing the prophets of the idol baal, Elijah went to the mountain to pray. However, before he prayed, Elijah said, "...there is the sound of the abundance of rain." Elijah was about to pray for rain, but he believed he already had the answer before he saw it. Jesus taught us to do this in Mark 11:24 when He said, "Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive [or "have received"] them and you will have them." This is precisely what Elijah did, believing that he already had the answer even before he began to pray. Jesus gave the pattern for us today to pray this prayer of faith, with the promise that as we do we will have what we are praying for.
We also read that Elijah prayed seven times, each time sending his servant to look for a cloud. Elijah believed he already had the answer, but he saw a need to keep praying. Elijah had a promise from God and as an act of faith he prayed until he saw it happen. In the "Lord's Prayer" (sometimes called "the Model Prayer" which is actually what it was) Jesus taught us to pray: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) When Jesus made this statement as part of the Lord's Prayer He was telling us that we can pray the Father's will into the earth. Elijah prayed seven times before he saw the rain God promised but he refused to give up. If you have a promise from God that you are praying for that hasn't happened yet, don't give up. God has promised and He cannot lie. I believe Elijah kept praying because he knew God would keep His promise to send rain, and we can have this same confidence in God to keep His promise. Elijah was not some "super saint" who reached a level of faith unattainable by us, but as James says, "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit." (James 5:17-18) Elijah was an ordinary man who was used mightily by God and his actions were recorded to show us how we too can be used mightily by God when we pray the prayer of faith. James wrote these words to show us that, "...the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16) In other words, there is great power in prayer. Prayer does more than we realize because when we pray we are asking God for help, and there is nothing too hard for Him. Whatever promises you may be praying for, be encouraged and keep praying. Remember to focus on God and trust Him as the God who will always keep His promise.
1Kings 17:1- "And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the Lord God of Israel lives before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years except at my word.' "
In this verse we are introduced to the prophet Elijah in this account of how he pronounced judgement on the land because the wicked king Ahab had turned the hearts of the children of Israel away from God (or to be more accurate he led them farther away from God than they already were). Elijah's statement was basically, "It's not going to rain until I say so." It took amazing boldness to make this statement: a boldness that I believe came from an understanding of the power of prayer. As we understand the power of prayer we will see an increase in faith and we will learn how we can work with God to change the world around us.
1Kings 18:11- "And it came to pass after many days that the word of Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, 'Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.' "
Three and a half years had passed since Elijah declared that there was going to be a drought and just as the prophet said, there had been no rain, but now God told him, "I'm going to send rain." In this situation many of us would probably have said to ourselves that if God is going to send rain we should just wait for it to happen, but remember that it was not to rain until Elijah said so. God had told Elijah what He was going to do, and in revealing His will the creator of the universe invited Elijah to work with Him to bring that will into the earth. This same invitation is extended to us today.
1Kings 18:41-46- "Then Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the abundance of rain.' So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of mount Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, 'Go up now, look toward the sea.' So he went up and looked and said, 'There is nothing.' And seven times he said, 'Go again.' Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, 'There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand rising out of the sea.' So he said, 'Go up, say to Ahab, "prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you." ' " Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went up to Jezreel. Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel."
After presenting himself to Ahab and facing the prophets of the idol baal, Elijah went to the mountain to pray. However, before he prayed, Elijah said, "...there is the sound of the abundance of rain." Elijah was about to pray for rain, but he believed he already had the answer before he saw it. Jesus taught us to do this in Mark 11:24 when He said, "Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive [or "have received"] them and you will have them." This is precisely what Elijah did, believing that he already had the answer even before he began to pray. Jesus gave the pattern for us today to pray this prayer of faith, with the promise that as we do we will have what we are praying for.
We also read that Elijah prayed seven times, each time sending his servant to look for a cloud. Elijah believed he already had the answer, but he saw a need to keep praying. Elijah had a promise from God and as an act of faith he prayed until he saw it happen. In the "Lord's Prayer" (sometimes called "the Model Prayer" which is actually what it was) Jesus taught us to pray: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) When Jesus made this statement as part of the Lord's Prayer He was telling us that we can pray the Father's will into the earth. Elijah prayed seven times before he saw the rain God promised but he refused to give up. If you have a promise from God that you are praying for that hasn't happened yet, don't give up. God has promised and He cannot lie. I believe Elijah kept praying because he knew God would keep His promise to send rain, and we can have this same confidence in God to keep His promise. Elijah was not some "super saint" who reached a level of faith unattainable by us, but as James says, "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit." (James 5:17-18) Elijah was an ordinary man who was used mightily by God and his actions were recorded to show us how we too can be used mightily by God when we pray the prayer of faith. James wrote these words to show us that, "...the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16) In other words, there is great power in prayer. Prayer does more than we realize because when we pray we are asking God for help, and there is nothing too hard for Him. Whatever promises you may be praying for, be encouraged and keep praying. Remember to focus on God and trust Him as the God who will always keep His promise.
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