Pillars (2)

Unity

I want you to, for a moment, to take a look around and ask yourself:

In our nation what is Satan’s biggest goal?

I believe Satan’s biggest goal is division.

The battle between races

The battle between Vaccinated Vs Unvaccinated

The battle between Homosexual and heterosexual

The battle between Feminists and those who aren’t

In the church: The battle between denomination

Rich and poor

Republican and democrat.

Who gave who Covid

And the list Goes on.

Satan is working overtime to divide us.

Satan is afraid of a unified church, but God’s greatest goal is unity.

Jesus talking about true believers-We can tell this because in the prior verses from where we will start Jesus says that he is praying for those who recieved His words.

John 17:9–11 ESV

9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

Jesus’ greatest desire is that the church is united even as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united. This is scripture: If it weren’t possible it wouldn’t be written.

John 17:20–23 ESV

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

In v23 Jesus gives us the reason unity is important.

So that the world may know that you sent me (Jesus) and that you love them (the world) as you love Me (Jesus)

Our unity testifies the truthfulness of the gospel to those around us.

God is calling the church to be one as the trinity is one. Imagine that kind of unity.

So

Point 1) God desires unity to Spread the Gospel

Point 2) Satan wants to destory unity to kill the spread of the Gopel

Mark 3:25 ESV

25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

Why is a house standing. Simply put everything that is God’s stands to point to God. Creation, the bible tells us, points to God. We, the church, Point to God. Our unity As we just read points to God.

So if Satan can get us divided than our division points away from God.

Listen Satan knows what happens when a church unifies.

He was there in Acts 2

They bible tells us prior to the giving of the Holy Spirit the Believers who remained after the crucifixion

Worship and prayed together

They had one mind

Everything they owned belonged to the whole-not the individual. (no one was without)

When those three things came together in perfect harmony the holy Spirit fell and multitudes were saved.

Asuza Street revival-The birth of the Assemblies; several men went into a room and prayed in a unified Spirit.Again the Spirit Showed up And again multitudes were saved.

Brownsville Revival-Same thing.

Every time a body of beleivers showed up and unified their prayers. God showed up and multitudes were saved. Demons fled. The sick were healed. And people gave themselves to christ. The dead were raised.

Colossians 3:11–14 ESV

11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

And this is one of our main pillars.

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

How do we achieve unconditional love: Through unity. There is no race under Christ. We are all in Christ Jesus. One and unified. Chosen. Loved. and unified.

Here’s a secret That Satan doesn’t want you to know:

1) Unity Gets answers

Matthew 18:19 ESV

19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

2) Unity Defeats enemies

Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 ESV

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

Ecclesiastes 4:12 ESV

12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

The promise: Two will withstand the enemy. Two will prevail. It only takes two, but imagine what a church can do. Imagine what an army of 30 who are unified and filled with the Spirit can do.

God puts such stock in unity that he states this:

Matthew 5:24 ESV

24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

God says before you come to me. Unify. Before you bring praises, offerings, gifts, and such. Unify. Unify with your wife. Unify with your kids. Unify with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

First unify and then come.