* Unity in the Body

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye 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.  Ephesians 4:1-6

It is clear through these passages of scripture that God is calling for unity among His people.

  

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast 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;21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, John 17:15-21

Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:   That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.   (Romans 15:5-7)

It is clear that God wants His body to be united as one and so I just want to encourage you with a few words and a prayer for unity and harmony:

Apostle Paul tells us to 

walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye 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.  Ephesians 4:1-6

I want to encourage you to walk worthy in your vocation or gifting of God; to work your gift and not be concerned with the vocation or gifting that someone else may have that you don’t.  God distributes or places the gifts in us; not man.  So we can’t be jealous or envious of anyone else’s gift!  Although we are all created to be in the image of God we are also each uniquely made by God.  I'm not supposed to be like you no more than you're supposed to be like me.  So, if we do have a problem, we need to take it to God and not take it out on that person.   Disdain, jealously and envy causes dissension, discord and disunity among God’s people.  But we, the body of Christ, should be more united than any other organization or institution in the world.  

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Philippians 2:1-5

We should always be on one accord.  We should be a powerful force against the kingdom of darkness.  Ask your self sometime how is it that the forces of evil can unite to accomplish something, but we can’t.  An illustration of this is found in Genesis were Israel’s sons got together to plot against their brother Joseph.  There was no arguing, no vying for power, they reasoned together and came up with a plan to get rid of their brother.  If we could come together like that; unite in the name of Jesus against the wickedness of this world; we would be a powerful force to be reckoned with.  With the authority of Jesus name, the power of the Holy Ghost inside of us, the covering of the blood and with God backing us,  – What a wonderful manifestation of God’s glory!  We don’t want to do it for our sake alone, we do it because it is the will of God and because we love Him and want to be pleasing in His sight.  

Apostle Paul goes on to tell us that the same one that descended also ascended and:

filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist,  pastor and teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the  church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.  Ephesians 4:11-13 

Let’s start activating the fruit of the spirit so that we can be fully united without any disharmony!

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  Galatians 5:22-23

Dear heavenly Father, 

We thank You this day for allowing us to wake up and give You praise, to glorify You, to acknowledge You for who You are; the one true living God.  Lord, we look to You for all things for truly we know that power belongs to You  

God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.  (Psalms 62:11)!  

You are the sovereign one and there is no one greater; no one beside You.  It is because of You that we live, move and have our being 

For in him we live, and move, and have our being;  (Acts 17:28).  

We thank You Lord for this opportunity to come before You again; it’s with grateful hearts that we seek You this morning.  Lord we thank you for Your love, for Your patience and kindness, Lord, for Your mercy; for new mercies every day!  Lord we owe You our all for the price that was paid for our salvation.   The psalmist asked how can we repay You for all of the many benefits that come with being a child of the King?  We know that we can never repay You, but we submit our life to You; to honor and obey Your will; to live a life that is pleasing unto You.  Lord we thank You for the precious gift of Your Holy Spirit to help us lead a life that is in right-standing with You.  Lord we thank You for the blood that was shed; for the power of the blood.  Through the blood, we are washed and cleansed from our sins.  We thank You Lord for salvation in the name of Jesus.

And even now Lord as we come before You, we pray that You be with us this day, Lord that You lead and guide us, Lord that You direct our path, that You give us the words to say.  Help us to keep You in the forefront of our minds that our words and actions represent You.  Lord we pray for faithful men and women to govern and lead us with integrity and godly qualities to serve our country with good intentions and not selfish motives.  Lord watch over our children; keep them and protect them; lend them to those with godly intentions who will watch over them and teach them Your ways.  

Lord in our spiritual gathering places, touch the hearts of Your servants; the bishops, pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets and apostles, and give them a mind to do that which is right and pleasing in Your sight.  Give them the strength to endure, the humility to serve and not rule.  Lord, I pray that You touch Your bride, the body of Christ, that we rise up and serve You according to Your word and that we do that which You have commissioned us to do which is spread the gospel; the good news of Jesus, to let people know that we do have a hope and that hope is in Christ Jesus.

Lord, for every prayer request and petition that has gone up before You, Lord we pray that Your grace prevails and that you move in each and every situation to Your glory.  Lord give us increased faith to believe that nothing is impossible for You; there is nothing too big or too small for Your involvement.  Lord You said in Your word that if we have just the faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains .

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.  (Matthew 17:20) 

Help us Lord to realize that with faith comes patience and so we can wait with earnest expectation for You to move in Your timing.   Lord we pray for healing in the name of Jesus, we pray for peace and comfort for those who have lost loved ones.  Lord we pray for deliverance of those in mental and emotional distress.  Lord we pray in accordance to Your will and in the precious name of Jesus.  We thank you even now Lord because we know that You are able! 

Lord we thank You for every time we slipped and You caught us, for every time we doubted and You showed up anyway.  Lord we thank You for each and every time we needed forgiveness and You forgave us.  That’s just the kind of awesome God you are! 

The psalmist said to worship You in the beauty of holiness.

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.  (Psalms 29:2) 

We take this time to honer and thank You Lord for who you are; all powerful, every where, all knowing.  You are the creator of heaven and earth 

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.  (Isaiah 40:28) 

Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:  (Isaiah 42:5)

You tell us in Your word to worship the creator and not the created and so we acknowledge Your creation and You as the creator.  Without You, where would we be?  We need You Lord like never before.   As the world continues in its downward spiral, You are our hope, our redeemer.  The world is lost, but we have a hope and that hope is in You!

As ambassadors and representatives of Your kingdom, Lord we ask for Godly wisdom.  You said in all of our ways we are to trust You and not lean to our own understanding.  We are to acknowledge You and allow You to direct our path. 

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.   (Proverbs 3:5-6).  

Help us Lord to look to You in all of our ways, in our dealings with one another.  Help us to esteem our brothers and sisters above ourselves; to treat each other with Godly love and concern; to show compassion and kindness; help us to be united in love and committed to Your ways; help us to be the light of the world!  Lord I pray in the name of Jesus that the spirit of animosity, jealously, strife, division, envy, low self-esteem and any other negative spirits not of You be bound up and cast out in the name of Jesus.  Lord I pray for pure hearts with minds to serve You in unity and love.  Give us an appetite for the meat; not the milk of Your word.  I pray for increased strength in You so that we can do Your will; so that we can go out and evangelize a dying world.  The world needs You more than ever before; help us to be good laborers in Your field.

And now unto the only One that is able to keep us from falling, and present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God, our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power (Jude 1:24-25)

In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.  It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing-- Life forevermore.  

Psalm 133:1-3

Peace, joy and blessings to you all,

Elder C. L. Henry

05/08/14
06/25/15