Tag: unity

Unity, the key to success: Prayer without unity is nothing but ceiling high words

Ephesians 4:11-16 –  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

I Corinthians 12:12-26 – For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.14  For the body is not one member, but many.15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?17  If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.19  And if they were all one member, where were the body?

20  But now are they many members, yet but one body.21  And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.22  Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:23  And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.24  For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:25  That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

  • Structure matters. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers
  • It is important that all members do their part. Only one body.
  • Everyone no matter how insignificant they may seem, are of utmost importance. God places each part of the body in place.
  • Unity is of primary importance. Body cannot function with division.
  • If just one member suffers, the whole body suffers. We need to learn to feel the pain and hurt of others.
  • For those who do not belong to the local church, they are cheating themselves and other believers of the gift God has given them. Accountability is part of being in the body.
  • There are many believers who have walked away because they felt they did not fit in. It is sad when believers do not feel they fit in. Let us work to be sure people feel they belong.
  • Let us be vigilant to bring those home who have wandered away. Let us reach out to those who have been hurt or rejected because of their inability to belong.
  • Together, lets move forward for the cause of Christ remembering that it takes everyone of us. – We are all of equal importance in the family of God.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Acts 2:1

Praying in unity produced the miracle of the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit  

Acts 1:8 - But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Joyfully unto the Lord

Psalms 35:9-10

And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation. All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?

True joy come from having your hope in the right person

We find hope in having His spirit in us –

We find true hope in looking to Jesus  

Hebrews 12:2 

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy t+ hat was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Revelation 1:5-8

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

We have joy that is indescribable

1 Peter 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Isaiah 55:7-12 –

7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.12  For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Our greatest joy is yet to come

1 Peter 4:13

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

I Thessalonians 4:16-18:

16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Joy comes when the body unifies.

We need to learn to love each other

Unity will lead to power, spiritual growth and numerical growth 
Acts 1:8   But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 
Acts 1:12-15 -   Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.  And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.  These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.  And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
 Acts 2:1 - And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
We need to be of one mind

Joy comes from seeing others come to Christ –

I Thessalonians 1:6

And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.

As a pastor, joy comes in watching your faith grow

Pastors are given to you to teach you truth 
Hebrews 13:17  Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Even in persecution, we find joy in your faith

II Corinthians 7:4  Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

2 John 1:12  Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.

3 John 1:4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Joy comes from realizing who it is that keeps us

Jude 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

John 10:27-30 –  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one.

  • We are kept by God – we cannot keep ourselves – we do not have to
  • Real believers follow Jesus and turn from the world
  • No one, not even you, can take you away from Jesus

Joyfully unto the Lord

Psalms 35:9-10

And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.  All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?

In this day of covid-19 pandemic, do we still have reason to be Joyful? Has our God given up blessing His kids, those who are born again? Can we still be a blessing to others? Is Jesus the reason for our happiness or have we placed it in things, government, jobs, etc.?  Many “believers” are living fearful lives during this time and I want you to know, that is not how God wants His kids to live.  No, instead He wants us to live joyous victorious lives.  How are you living in these troubling times?

We need to let God know we are a joyful people

Psalms 66:1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

  • We are to rejoice when we are in His presence Psalms 95:2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms
  • We need to rejoice in our salvation   
Isaiah 61:10 

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

  • We need to rejoice that we have been given His righteousness
  • We need to rejoice that He took all our sin and shame and turned it into jewels before Him

We find peace in the midst of trials 

Psalms 27:4-6 – 4  One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.5  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.6  And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord

We have joy even in the midst of life’s greatest trials

  • Joy comes as we gather with other believers
  • God designed fellowship as a source of great joy
  • During great trials we need to run toward God’s house not away from it. – Hebrews 10:24-25 – 24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching Philippians 1:25  And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

Joy always follows darkness

Psalms 30:5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Joy comes with a pure heart

Psalms 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart

Psalm 51:10-12 – 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

True joy come from having your hope in the right person

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Hebrews 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1 Peter 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1 Peter 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Joy comes when the body unifies.

Philippians 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

  • We need to learn to love each other
  • We need to be on one mind – Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Joy comes from seeing others come to Christ

– I Thessalonians 1:6  And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20   For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?  For ye are our glory and joy.

As a pastor, joy comes in watching your faith grow

Pastors are given to you to teach you truth

Hebrews 13:17  Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Even in persecution, we find joy in your faith

II Corinthians 7:4  Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

1 John 1:4  And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

2 John 1:12  Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.

3 John 1:4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Joy comes from realizing who it is that keeps us

Jude 1:24

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

John 10:27-30

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30  I and my Father are one.