ORIGINALLY POSTED IN THE WINTER 2016 EDITION OF “FOOD FOR THOUGHT” NEWSLETTER
In my article for the fall 2016 edition of “Food For Thought,” entitled “He Is A Thief After All,” I said “The thief’s ultimate target is to steal the unity within God’s family – the Body of Christ.”
Scripture reveals that it is God’s will that His children live in unity;
John 17: 20-23 says, “I do not pray for these alone [His disciples], 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. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just 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.”
All who choose to receive Jesus Christ into their lives, have received the Spirit of Adoption, and therefore, are God’s children. (Rom. 8: 15, Gal. 4:4-5) Together, we are God’s family – the Body of Christ.
There are many differences within God’s family, such as, preferred styles of worship, chosen methodologies in conducting His kingdom’s business, opinions on doctrinal matters, and so on. If the thief, Satan, is able to keep us focused on those differences, instead of the things that Scripture says to base our unity on, he is able to steal the unity that God desires for His family.
In Matthew 22:37-40, we are given these priorities, “Jesus said to him [A Pharisee], “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Our neighbors are everyone we meet, regardless of where they live. God desires for everyone to have a place in His family, as His child, and that everyone live in restored relationship with Him, through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Just as God the Father desires that He and His Son, Jesus Christ, be One, He desires that His children would model that same oneness. His desire is revealed to us in Ephesians 4:1-3, which says, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
The Holy Trinity; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, is whole and complete in every way. The Body of Christ should reflect that unity, which is possible through the Holy Spirit working in and through each one.
1 Cor. 12:12-14 (NIV) confirms that, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”
In Jesus’ prayer in John 17, referring to the importance of unity within the Body of Christ, He says, “…that the world may believe that You sent Me…” The things of this world are so often fractured, that those who have not yet chosen to become part of the Body – want, maybe need, to see something different – something that will give them hope, capture their attention and their hearts, and draw them to life with Jesus.
What an awesome privilege we’ve been given as believers, and followers of Jesus Christ. When we know and experience His love, and are transformed by it, we have something incredible to share with everyone we meet. Through Him, we can be made whole again. As people read the “story of our lives” and see Jesus, they can have hope for their future, instead of settling for the brokenness that this world offers.
Please don’t ever doubt that your life matters; to God, to your friends and loved ones, and even to those with whom you may only associate with as an acquaintance. If you’ve received Jesus Christ into your life, and tell others about Him, those people want to see Him in you, and in your relationships with other people. For His followers, there’s no greater pleasure than making Jesus better known to the world.
When God’s family displays the love and unity as God intends, this world can be transformed. The thief, Satan, wants to prevent that at all cost. If he can accomplish his mission, through creating disunity within God’s family…He is one step closer to achieving his goal.
I suggest that we all come together, despite our differences, to love and adore Him forever! He is worthy of our love and devotion…all the time!
