The Power of Unity
Hi Friends,
I am writing today about a topic that is so important for the Church and for all believers. It is the topic of unity in the body of Christ. The Lord gave me a vision about two weeks ago, and I am finally able to write about it.
The Vision
I saw a large flat plane, about 40’ square. The plane was green with about 10-12 holes placed very randomly across its surface. These holes were about 30-36” in diameter, and seated inside each of these holes was a person. Some were men, and some were women. But only one person per hole, each looking forward in one direction. The scene made me think that each hole was actually a cockpit of an airplane, and each person was in control of this green flat plane (both a geometric plane and an aircraft plane). The heads of the people were above the plane, but from the shoulders down, the bodies were in the holes or pockets.
As I looked at this vision, I thought, how can 10-12 people coordinate their controls in such a way as to be able to direct the plane through the air effectively? Can you imagine if even one person did not cooperate, the plane could stall, turn, or go into a nose dive. Who controls the plane? These operators must be in synch and well trained, otherwise, the plane might not even lift off.
What does the vision mean?
I the large flat square or plane was green, like the color of grass. The people could have easily been gophers in holes in the grass. But, I see it more as a green flat plane that can move as an airplane does through the air. The idea that each of these people were acting as pilots, showed right away the necessity of coordinated direction and implementation for movement. I believe that the Lord is showing us the necessity of unity in the body of Christ.
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.” Psalm 133
The Lord appreciates unity within the church. “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:18
There are many reasons why we as the church should strive for unity. First of all, it is the Lord’s will that we live in harmony. Jesus said,
“…that all of them may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that you sent me and have loved them just as you have loved me.” John 17:21-23
Our unity brings the Lord glory. When we fight, complain, and argue with one another, we behave just as the world does. The church has the Holy Spirit, shouldn’t we be different from the rest of the world? But I understand that the statistics reveal that there is no significant difference between the church and everyone else. Where have we gone wrong?
Is the church worldly, like the church in Corinth in Paul’s day? In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses the fact that their behavior would bring dishonor to the Lord and his gospel.
“The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, even against your own brothers!” 1 Corinthians 6:7-8
And in his letter to the Romans, Paul writes, referring to Isaiah 52:5
“As it is written: ‘God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” Romans 2:24
So we ask ourselves, is there anyone with whom I am holding an offense? Can I forgive them and live at peace with them for the sake of the Gospel and to have a testimony that brings glory and honor to God?
In addition to worldliness, our attitudes and behaviors can cause problems within the church. Complaining and grumbling can be a cause of discontent that can potentially spread to others. I remember more than once the Lord told me to stop complaining.
I was at the altar after service one day, when I heard the Lord say, “Stop complaining!” I was taken aback. Then, I heard him say, “Do you want to wander in the wilderness for forty years like the Israelites?” I said, “Oh, No, Lord!” I asked him to forgive me and then I promised not to complain. But after leaving the altar, within ten minutes I found myself complaining again! Oh my goodness!
Grumbling and complaining never pleases God. When the Israelites complained in the wilderness, God’s anger was aroused. Grumbling and complaining shows that they were not thankful to the Lord for bringing them out of Egypt, and out of the bonds of slavery. It shows how fickle their hearts had become. They did not trust in God’s goodness or in his provision. They were constantly testing him. At one point, they complained that they were better off in Egypt. Some were talking about returning to Egypt because there, they had leeks and onions!
Their grumbling and complaining led to discontent and rebellion towards God. When Moses went up the mountain to speak to God, he stayed there 40 days. The Israelites got bored and decided that they no longer needed Moses or God.
“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” Exodus 32:1
So Aaron, Moses’ brother, took the gold jewelry that the people had given him and cast an idol in the shape of a calf, then built an altar in front of it. The people said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” Exodus 32:4
Can you imagine, attributing their deliverance from slavery to something they had just made? It seems ludicrous!
Then Aaron announced: “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” Exodus 32:5
Wow! Now they are calling the golden calf “the Lord!” How unbelievable! They worship a thing, an object that has no breath, rather than the Lord himself. And they all agreed! This is unity going wrong.
The Lord would have destroyed them in the desert, had it not been for Moses interceding for them.
When the Church is in unity with the Spirit of God, and with each other, it is truly a blessing. This honors the Lord and we are blessed to be in his presence. But when we are complaining, finding fault with one another, and are not moving the Spirit, our actions, our words and our thoughts grieve him. If we do not repent, and ask for forgiveness, our hearts can grow cold. This leads to a hard heart and we lose our joy. Spiritual dryness, complacency, and apathy begin to grow, replacing true faith in God and in his unfailing love and provision.
There is another example of unity gone wrong in the Bible. It was after the great flood, when the population had increased. The whole world at the time spoke a single language, and a certain group of them decided to settle on the plain in Shinar. They all agreed, saying:
“Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” Genesis 11:4
God objected to their plans for three reasons that I can see. First, God’s mandate to Adam and Eve in the very beginning was to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. (Genesis 1:28) But by refusing to be scattered over the earth, they were opposing God’s mandate.
Secondly, they said that they wanted to make a name for themselves. Building a city and a high tower exalts themselves. They wanted to be envied in the eyes of others. They wanted to be “VIP’s.” This is the pride of life, it is ambition for self glory. It is a sin.
“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
And the third reason for God’s displeasure in their decision to build a city and a tower was the desire to reach the heavens. This is the very sin that the devil, Satan, committed against God. Isaiah writes regarding Satan:
“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14:13-14
So the people on the plain of Shinar, attempting to make a name for themselves, refusing to be scattered over the face of the earth, and having the desire to be like God, following the devil’s lead, they started to build a tower to reach the heavens where God places his throne. This is rebellion.
God saw this. Notice what he said about it:
“If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” Genesis 11:6-7
The Lord knows that there is power in unity. This is unity, but with wrong motives. The Lord desires the church to have unity among its members, but with the right motives. We are to build God’s kingdom and to bring honor and glory to his name.
If the Lord’s desire for us is to dwell in unity, and to walk in the Spirit, to prefer one another over ourselves, then it must be that the devil wants to disrupt unity, to cause discord, and dysfunction in the church.
Jesus said of the devil: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” John 10:10
The devil hates unity. There is an expression: “divide and conquer,” which has its basis in scripture:
“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!” Mark 3:24-26
Therefore, Satan will oppose everything that brings unity to the Church. He will interfere with anyone or anything that promotes friendship and the bonds of peace within the body of believers, especially where unity is paramount.
Unity is essential for prayer to be effective. Jesus speaks of unity in regards to prayer:
“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. For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:19-20
And prayer without unity can be very ineffective. I want to share a vision that the Lord gave me regarding prayer many years ago:
A Vision of Horses
I saw a group of white horses with their bridles in their mouths. They were all on their hinds feet, raised up with their hooves in the air. All the reins were entangled with each other for they were not orderly. They were apparently fighting with each other. The reins were held from above, but the horses were not able to work together to pull a load or go in the same direction.
The Lord was showing me that these horses represented the intercessors in our church. The white horses represent these intercessors who like all believers have a relationship with the Lord as his “pure spotless bride.” The reins were held from above, showing that God was the one holding the reins. However, the horses were not in order, walking side by side, and row by row. The horses reared up. Their hooves were raised against each other. The reins were all entangled, knotted up.
The scene represented discord and disunity among the intercessors. They were not working together in unity, so their prayers were in chaos, and totally unproductive. God hates discord, and dysfunction in the church.
I remember the day that I shared this vision with the intercessors. It went over like a lead balloon. They did not receive it. They held to their own loyalties, and eventually the pastor disbanded the group.
Unity in the Spirit is essential for anything to be done in the Spirit. That is one reason we say “Amen.” “So be it.” We give our approval to that which has been spoken, declaring our agreement with the prayer. “So be it.”
So I will repeat the Lord’s promise to us:
"Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:19
Hallelujah! What good news! A prayer of agreement. A prayer honoring God and honoring unity in the body of Christ!
Where is there also a need for unity? In worship, in service to others, and to God, and in teaching sound doctrine, unity is important. Everything must be in agreement with the Holy Word of God. Everything should be in unity with the Holy Spirit. And we, as the body of Christ, are to be in unity with each other.
But if something does not sound right about a prophetic message, or something is not right in worship, or if something is not right in service to others and to God, then we must say something. There is a time to come out of agreement with things, teachings, and people that the Holy Spirit may show us that are not from God or of God.
“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17
We cannot agree with doctrine that is wrong. We cannot agree with others with whom we minister, when there is hypocrisy, and wrong motives. The Church can go astray especially in the last days. It says in the word that there will be false teachers and false prophets which will “sneak in among you.” They will do their best to lead people astray like themselves, causing division and conflict. We are to expose lies and teachings that are in error. These can be like cancers in the body.
“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.” Titus 3:10-11
Those that are false teachers and false prophets need to be removed from the body. Their teachings will undermine the true faith of believers.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?” Matthew 7:15-16
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
So we must test the spirits and the teachings that are presented. Do they align with scripture? Is the teacher/pastor/prophet a genuine man of God in every area of his life? Can you see the fruit that he bears coming from the Spirit of God? Some people start on the path in sincerity and truth, but because of pride, or greed or compromise, they begin to depart from true devotion to the Lord. Often they begin to please people instead of God. They may begin to build their own kingdoms rather than the kingdom of God.
Not only are we to test the spirits, but we also need to examine our own hearts: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9
If we are not walking in the Spirit, and reading the word of God, applying it to our own lives, we can be led astray by whatever maybe our weakness. Be it pride, greed or lust… And wherever there was once an open door, we can be sure that the enemy will try that door again. It is our job to keep the door closed.
We must flee temptation, and keep a close watch on our own motives. “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5
In Summary
Unity is important to God. We must forgive others, walk in love, and choose to not hold offense, or be critical of others. We want the Lord and others to give us the benefit of the doubt, so we need to extend that same mercy and consideration towards others.
It is important to be careful of the company we keep. We should not be aligned with those whose doctrine is questionable. We need to not be in agreement with people and ideas that are contrary to the will of God, for we may compromise our faith, and or fall away all together.
We need to prefer one another over ourselves, choosing to live in peace. We need to check our own motives that we are sincere in our faith and not conceited. We need to make sure that the things in our lives do not take us from God. “What does it profit a man to gain the world but lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36
We can ask ourselves:
Are we looking for approval from others or from God himself?
Are we critical of others and believe that we are better than them?
Do we do everything for the glory of God or to be seen by others?
Do we love everyone, or just those who love us?
It is time to examine our own walk with God. Do we give him our devotion and our time, and the honor due his name? Or, do we give him lip service:
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.” Matthew 15:8-9
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24
Let’s choose to walk in love and walk in the unity of the Holy Spirit! God bless you and keep you!
Please share this message with others! Blessings and peace to you and your family!
