Oneness
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So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers. Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.
Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.
Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection created, or re-established, the one thing that man lacks…unity, being one. From creation, to the new creation, the one thing that God desires above all things is “oneness”, unity, community, commonality.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
But this command I gave them, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.”
At least 43 times it is recorded in the Scriptures the statment “I will be your God, you will be My people”. The Apostle Paul echoes the same sentiment of “onenness” with God in 2 Corinthians 6:16, when speaks of not aligning one’s affections with the worldly. 2 Cor 6:14
2 Corinthians 6:14 (HCSB)
Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?
What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? And what agreement does God’s sanctuary have with idols? For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said: I will dwell among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty.
Point: The heart of God is that we be one with him, with ourselves, with each other in the world.
How can the chuch be an effective witness towards Christ, when we are not one with Christ, nor each other? How can we be effective disciples when we fail to love God as Christ loves God and us? Do we truly love Jesus? Are we truly friends with Jesus?
If we truly love Jesus, and are His friends, then we will obey His words and commands. When we fail to do so, then we embrace “otherness” instead of embracing and fostering “oneness”.
So then…What speaks love to God?
Oneness
Obedience to Christ’s words and commands.
In the days before Jesus, it was obedience to God’s words and commands through His prophets, priests, and kings. Who were God’s prophets, priests, and kings? Those who loved and sought God’s will, words, and commands.
Why does the Apostle Paul say that out of faith, hope, and love, that love is the greatest gift?
Because love facilitates oneness above all things.
Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.
What facilitates “oneness” better than that which bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things? Nothing.
The Bible says that even while we were still sinners “other-worlders”, Jesus believed in us, beared a cross for us, endured hate, ridicule, persecution, spit, and death for us; placing His own hope in us…the Holy Spirit.
Who created “oneness” in a world of otherness…disconnectedness? Jesus, for the love of His Father, His work, and His will.
The Story of the Bible is about The King, His Kingdom and the redemption of humankind (Eikons) back into the image and “oneness” of God.
Question: What are you able to bear when you are one with God? One with brothers and sisters in Christ? One with family and friends?
When you are one with God, with yourself, with others, with your community, one can bear almost anything because of…faith, hope, and most of all love.
[Story] - Jackie’s Funeral
One of the fascinating things about funerals is the oneness they create among the people gathered and scattered. People attend and remember because of the love they have for the individual being celebrated and remembered. More importantly, they are honoring and remembering the love that they experienced from that individual (most times).
People also attend because of their love for the ones being affected by the individual’s death. They may not know the person being remembered, but they know the person affected and want to show their love for them in a practical way.
Jackie’s funeral was so amazing to me because of the people who came out to remember her and show their love and support to Taylor, Mikayla, and myself. I was stunned. Jackie and I had been away in Regina for Bible school for 3 years, I had just started my internship at Foothills, in Calgary, and been their 5 months, of which I probably worked 1 month total because of Jackie’s cancer.
Total strangers to us, showed up, to show their love and support, their words and hugs. I had never experienced such “oneness” in a church community before. Jackie’s passing made such an impact in our church community with people, specifically young couples with children. They had come face to face with stark reality…death can effect a young family. What would they want their spouse to do if they were to pass, leaving them behind with young children? Remarry? When? How? To whom?
People offered an all expense paid trip to Disneyland for Taylor, Mikayla, and I. People made meals, offered childcare, and even collected a looney from everyone at church for Christmas that year, discplayed on a Christmas Tree for us. It was over $1500. I was blown away by the love, care, and community that we experienced from the people at Foothills Alliance. We felt as “one” with our church family.
Are you and I plugged into being “one” with God? With ourselves? With each other? Are we loving well?
The Shema, the most important prayer in Judaism, quoted by Jesus, to answer which commandment is the most important of all, says,
“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Jesus said,
“This is the most important,” Jesus answered: Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. “The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”
Jesus was affirming that God is to be number one in a disciple’s life, but also more importantly, that God is One in Himself, and to be “one” with God is to love completely, with all one’s being - heart, mind, soul, and body. Our hearts are to be one with our soul, one with our mind, one with our person - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. No otherness! No discrepancies! No allowances other than love! All meaning alignment to “oneness” in and with Christ is to be the most important thing in our lives. Just as a car cannot travel straight if it’s alignment is out of whack, we cannot live and be effective disciples for Christ if we are entertaining “otherness” of the world, instead of the love of oneness in Christ.
To be “one” with God is to love as Jesus loves. One cannot be neighborly unless we are aligned in the oneness of Christ. Real community will not exist without aligning our priorities with Christ’s love…the Father - His work, word, and will.
Jesus disciples understood that there was only one way to build the church, to cloth the Bride, that was by loving one another as Jesus had commanded them and showed by example.
“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
So the small, insignificant, body of believers grew exponentially because they applied the Shema; to be “one” with God, meant they had to be “one” with one another. The community could not be “one”, and was not loving, if someone was suffering, or in need. They shared, sold, and had everything in common in order to be “one”. The church is to share, sell, and have everything in common in order to be “one”. This is what Christ calls his “friends” to, this is what He calls His disciples to, this is what He calls you and me to if we are serious about loving Him well. Sound pretty radical? Jesus was radical…radical in love.
This is what it means to be Jesus’ “friend”. Are we Jesus’ friend? Does He consider us His friend? Do we want to be Jesus’ friend? A person, organization, or governing authority that attempts to divide and destroy “oneness”, is one’s enemy. A church will not flourish where their is no love for one another because there will be no “oneness”, no community, no Christ (Acts 2:44, 47b, 41).
The love we are called to is agapao, a love of will, esteem, and finding our joy in someone else. A love that expresses compassion to the foriegnor and enemy, in order to have them know Christ. Phileo is love of commoness, befriend, to have the same interests. It is the love that Jesus called Peter’s profession about. Peter was saying “Yes, I love you Lord”. What he was saying was, “Yes, Jesus I am your friend”, our interests are common and aligned. Do you know God rarely used the word phileo as a description of humanities love toward himself? Only when we are aligned with Jesus’ interests, His work, word, and will, does Jesus call us friend. Does Jesus consider us His friend? Do we have the same interests as He does, doing the work, word, and will of His Father?
Are we interested in laying down our lives for murders, liars, haters, prostitutes, the homeless, or those we consider of less social standing than our selves? What about our brothers and sisters in the Lord? Is Jesus our common interest?
If we believe and follow Jesus, in His way, we will belong, be united and be/become a blessing to others and this world. The Three B’s of Love are to believe, belong, and bless. These creates “oneness”.
Marriage illustrates the “oneness” of God seen in the union of man and woman to expereince love and mutuality.
“The loving oneness of God finds earthly expression in the loving oneness of Adam and Eve. When Eikons are at one with God, self, others, and the world, the glory of the One God illuminates all life.” -Scot McKnight, The Blue Parakeet, pg.77
The unity of the King and His Kingdom Story is about “oneness” created, destroyed, and re-created through the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ, abiding in and loving His Father in word, work, and will. Amen.
