IF We ARE ONE IN THE SPIRIT #2

SF, Stagecoach, NV

IF We ARE ONE IN THE SPIRIT

Why Aren’t The Churches,

ONE IN Unity With Him?

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

     Did you know that Paul was considered the Apostle to the Churches?  Romans 11:13 says, “For I speak to you Gentiles;[any unsaved, non Jew] inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,”

     Paul wrote from Rome, Ephesians 4:1-6,   

1 “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

2 ¶ with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

3  endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

6  one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

     Paul beseeches us to walk worthy in our calling to the Lord.  What does he mean when he says in verse 3, to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?

     Was it to let a county turn into Sodom or Gomorrah?  Or was it to stay together in peace as ONE in the body of CHRIST?  The book of Acts shows they had one Church that believed in Christ and one Synagogue that the “religious men” ran, but didn’t follow their own rules.  As I said on the first part of this topic the twerp [satan] has done his job well – WE ARE NOT IN UNITY, he has divided the truth with different man made laws, based on what they could believe and/or what they were willing to do.  Jesus said, in Philippians 4:3  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Yet this is a stumbling block for many, because they were unable to do ALL things, so they just say “the gifts are dead” or skip over those passages they disagree with, like they are not there.

     Verse 4-5 says there is only ONE body; Spirit, Lord, faith and baptism.  Yet there are so many different religions in America, I believe it’s over 100, I’m not sure about different countries throughout the world.  Yet we treat the Body of Christ as if each denomination were a different part of His Body.  The Bible says nothing about Jesus falling apart on the cross, that I know of.  Yet each denomination has separated from another over the simplest things, i.e., the baptism, some want full emersion and only when a person is old enough to decide to follow Jesus.  Others just want to sprinkle the water on a child, to make sure they will go to Jesus should anything happen, it’s a shame they both want the same thing, but argue over how it should be done. 

     This reminds me of the Sadducees in Acts 23:8, Luke 12:18-38 Versus the Pharisees in Matt 3:7, Luke 11:39. The Sadducees ridiculed the doctrine of the resurrection and denied the angels or spirits.  The Pharisees would NOT associate with sinners for they were more concerned about rules and total obedience to the laws of Moses.  Yet in these verses John the Baptist called them "Brood of vipers!” and Jesus in Luke, told them, “your inward part is full of greed and wickedness”.  They might have been in the same synagogue, but they never agreed on Adoni, the Father’s ways.  Let alone ever forgave each other for what they believed.  

     I must say, one of my favorite sayings today is “We’ll have to agree to disagree.”  Then I would pray, blessing them and ask the Holy Spirit to give one of us the wisdom to change if necessary.

     Many times, our differences come from our different callings.  An Apostle has knowledge in all the gifts, to raise up others and plant churches.  A Prophet will give us a word of prophecy, of what the Lord has to say to us.  A Pastor is a shepherd, who will guide the flock in the Word and Life, equipping the saints. A Evangelist is much like a pastor, but goes from church to church to uplift or exhort different congregations as lead by the Holy Spirit. A Teacher although we're listed last, doesn't mean we're less important.  We teach the Word of God, and if you're teacher is good, they will also help you understand "how to" use/apply the Word in your life/situation.  

     These positions vary in understanding, knowledge and wisdom - and that's OK, because God created them to complete whatever He's called them to do on this earth.  So don't argue or ba-hum-bug them, check out what they said.  IF it agrees with the Word of God, bless them to complete their assignment.

     Vs 6, somewhat settles it all; one God and Father, who is above, through and in ALL!  I don’t think any Christian or religious leader can disagree with that.    Think about it....IF we were all the same, we'd be boring!

Blessings Your Sister In Christ,

The Lord’s Servant – Sandy F.