Unity
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” (Psalm 133)
The word unity as used in this scripture comes from a Hebrew root word which means to be or become one. Jesus said in Mark 3:24-25, “if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand”. Our Lord did not come to this earth and offer Himself on the cross to build a church that was divided, weak, and would fail to accomplish the task set before it. He told Peter in Matthew 16:18 that “upon this rock (the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. That sounds like a victorious church, a prevailing church, a unified church; and that is precisely what the Lord is building. And the key to unleashing the power that is resident in the church is….unity.
John, chapter 17, is a powerful prayer that Jesus prayed before He was taken away to be crucified. In verses 18-23, He prays; “As you have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on 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 have sent me. And the glory which you gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even 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.” Three times Jesus prays that we would be one that we would be made perfect in one and that the world would know that God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son. God wants to showcase His love for His creation through His people that have been perfected by Him in love, are unified by Him in love, and have dominion in this earth by the power of God’s love. In so doing He will expose the works of darkness and defeat them; and all the world shall see His glory revealed through the works of His glorious church.
This prayer uttered by Jesus in John 17 is something that has yet to be fulfilled. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:11-13: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ”. Jesus has given giftings and callings to His church for the work of the ministry and for our edifying, but also for our perfecting. He mentions four things that must come to pass as a result of this work. 1) We will come into unity of faith. He doesn’t say we will all agree on doctrine, administration, or any other thing that we have been allowing to cause division among us. We will come into unity based on our faith - the truth of who we are in Christ, and that we are one in Him, and that we love one another with the same love He has for each of us. Another word for faith, according to the Greek definition, is reliance. We are to be or become solely reliant upon our Lord and not upon anyone or anything else. 2) We will come into unity of the knowledge of the Son of God. Hebrews 8:10-11 says: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest”. During this time of great outpouring of the Spirit of God, Jesus will make his presence manifest in a greater measure than ever before, and we will thereby be unified in our knowledge of Him. 3) We will become a perfect man. What a tremendous description of a unified church, in love with one another because of our love for our Lord and for those who wholly follow the Lord. 4) We will reach unto the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ. The word “stature” as used here means (in Greek) as big as. We, the church, are called to become Christlike (His image) doing greater works than Jesus did on this earth as He said in John 14:12, “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father”
Continuing in Ephesians 4, verses 14-16, we read “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; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love”. Here Paul continues to describe the unified church that has matured and is now discerning about truth and speaks the truth in love. A church that is now fitly joined together so that every part works together to supply the needs of the whole body. With the body working together; the body will increase, now being fruitful and multiplying as we have been called to do. This increase of the body will work to the edifying, or building of the church in love - resulting in our subduing the earth and having dominion in it.
We, as one body, need to come into the revelation that just as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one - so are we to be one. “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ”. (Ephesians 4:1-7) We each are baptized the same way - into His death (Romans 6:3). The same Holy Spirit works in each of us to lead and guide us into all the truth. The same Lord Jesus Christ is head over all, working in concert with the Holy Spirit to bring His church into a place of blessing and of the fullness of His presence. The same heavenly Father is overseeing all, and yearns for the body of Christ to have the same intimacy of fellowship with Him that He enjoys with His Son and His Spirit. God the Father gave His most precious gift to us in order for this to happen.
So what is hindering us from entering in? It is our carnal thinking. “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death: but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.“ (Romans 8:5-6) Most of the body is still without revelation of the process of God to bring us into a place of intimacy with Him. We have discussed dying to self, but this subject bears further examination. James writes: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into different temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect, and entire, and wanting nothing” (James 1:2-4). God purposely allows us to enter into situations and circumstances that are beyond our control, so that we may learn to trust Him and no longer trust our own thinking to figure a way out. This is a difficult task, but only difficult for our carnal nature, our flesh, which must be subdued by our spirit man. The end result, if we yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit, is that we learn to no longer look at the outward circumstances according to the seeming impossibility, but trust in the Lord to bring us through because all things are possible to those who believe. We become patient in the midst of trials and “light afflictions which are but for a moment” and we become perfected as we learn to be led of the Holy Spirit. The flesh no longer has impact on our thinking for we have learned to put down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) In other words, we walk in accord with the mind of Christ, for we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). We have always had access to the mind of Christ since we were born again, but by use and exercise of our carnal mind we have been double minded, making us unstable in all our ways (James 1:8). But now, by letting patience have her perfect work - we in turn become perfect, and entire, and wanting nothing. Why would we want for nothing? Because in this place of overcoming the flesh, our hearts desire is to do the will of God - just as Jesus said, when He was here on earth, that His meat, or sustenance, was to do the will of His Father. Consequently, He never lacked anything and walked in perfect peace. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3). Many in the body have come into this revelation and walk in it, showing forth the glory of God being revealed in them. It is time for the body as a whole to come into this revelation and walk together in a manner worthy of His calling.
As the body of Christ begins to manifest the glory of God, His power and glory will be amplified in His church through the power of agreement. A tremendous example of the power of agreement is given to us in Genesis 11:1-9. “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And the said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime they had for mortar. And they said, go to, let us build a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. And the Lord said, Behold, the people are one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off the building of the city.”
Notice that the people were of one mindset and in one accord to accomplish this goal of building a tower to reach to heaven. And they were of one language - which combined with their agreement allowed them to speak in unison - releasing the power of the authority that God had given man in the earth to have dominion in the earth. Because of this, the Lord said that nothing would be restrained from them which they had imagined to do. As impossible as it seems to our minds that man could build a tower that would reach to heaven, the Lord said it was not only possible, but would happen if man continued to pursue this goal through a unified effort. The only way the Lord could stop this without compromising His word given to man, was to confuse the language and scatter men so that they could no longer walk together in agreement on this project which was contrary to the will of God.
Now look at this from another perspective. What would be the result of the body of Christ coming into unity and agreement regarding the building of the kingdom of God here on this earth, being led of the Holy Spirit and therefore doing all things according to the will of God? If man could accomplish such an impossible task of building a tower to heaven through agreement and unity, then there is no doubt that the church walking in unity, led of the Spirit, being of one accord, walking in love for one another, and wielding the weapons of our warfare to pull down all demonic strongholds here on earth, would accomplish the task of subduing the earth and having dominion in it. This is why the enemy has worked so hard to get us to criticize each other, walk in doubt, fear, and depression, make us trust our own understanding of things instead of seeking the wisdom and understanding that comes from the Lord, and focus on the building of churches instead of the church; because he knows very well that if he does not prevent the church from coming into the unity of the faith, then we will realize the power that is available to us, and will overpower him.
Matthew 18:18-19: “Verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” It should be obvious from this scripture that great power exists in agreement. If two shall agree on anything that is asked it will be done for them. What about four, twelve, two hundred, five thousand…..the whole church? The power that can be released into the earth through agreement is exponential. But we must understand how this really works.
I have been asked, and have heard many ask others to agree with them that a certain thing shall come to pass. The meaning of this scripture is not so simple as to mean; “ok, I’ll agree with you, and then it will be done”. How many times have you experienced this; only to see the prayer not fulfilled the way you hoped it would, and worse yet, wondering if agreement really works? The truth is that agreement does work - every time - but we have not understood what the Lord means by saying “agreement”. The key to understanding scripture is to allow the Holy Spirit to “knit” the word together by bringing several scriptures together to present a greater truth than is presented in one scripture by itself. For example, let’s combine Matthew 18:18-19 with Mark 11:24. “Therefore I say unto you, Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.” Now we see that belief has everything to do with receiving. And faith has everything to do with belief. And true agreement can only come from true faith - or knowledge of the truth. “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” (James 1:6-7) So to receive, or to be in true agreement, we must not have doubt. So how do we ask something of the Lord and not have doubt? There is only one way. To ask that which is of the will of God. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us; and if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him”. (I John 1:14-15)
Therefore, to come into true agreement in prayer, we must be in agreement with the Lord and what His will is for any particular situation. Many of these things we will know because they are written in the word of God; therefore His will is made obvious. But what if we are unsure what the will of the Lord is? “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7) and “now we see through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12). We will not know the answers to every situation because our confidence is in Him, not our understanding. Our expectation is for Him to do what is in our best interest or the best interest of those for whom we pray, while being thankful for however He chooses to answer. Therefore, we can pray with specific purpose and belief that we are praying according to His will, being confident His will shall be done - for “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). We are called to follow Him and trust Him with all that is within us. We are to hear His voice and move as we sense He is leading us. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up another way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” (John 10:1-5)
The keys to all we need are found in obeying Jesus, following Jesus, and abiding in Jesus; which all combined is true faith in Jesus. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. (Romans 10:17) We grow in faith as we learn to hear the voice of the good shepherd, and we learn to hear His voice as we abide in Him. Many believe that this scripture says that faith and hearing come from knowing the written word of God. This is only partially true. When Paul wrote this, the written word was not abundant and that which was written was old testament. What he was speaking of referred to the living Word of God who is Jesus. The written word is a revelation of the living Word. So as we grow and mature in Jesus by spending time seeking Him and fellowshipping with Him, then we will grow in our ability to hear Him and follow Him, and we will grow in our faith in Him.
As the body of Christ comes into the unity of the faith, into a greater revelation of the power of agreement, being sanctified in Him, and, as a body, walking in holiness and righteousness, then we will overcome the world. “Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loves him that begat loves him that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith”. (1 John 5:1-4)
