Understanding unity is priority in the body of Christ but many don't understand the virtue of unity. And so they operate haphazardly. It is not about physical unity but spiritual conformity to the image of Christ. Hear in this service as Apostle Edmonds throws light and details on necessity of the unity in faith and be blessed! Listen to the above audio for the full message. THE UNITY OF FAITH Many unities are there but here we are discussing about “The Unity”. There is political unity, there is emotional unity etc. in faith. There are fake unities where there is no spiritual reality of what God requires. Ephesians 4v11-13; “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Any leader in the church who does not have revelation in these above verses is an unprofitable servant. We are not referring to the local church but the body of Christ. These verses speak about “The Unity”. Unity is a virtue, a gift, a potential, a tool, a weapon. People gather together and what cannot be made law is made law because of the united force. We place government for justice, to ensure everything is in law and order but the same government will grant to a united voice what is not justice. That is the power of unity.
Many believers lack this unity. They don’t understand the virtue of unity. So, they operate haphazardly. Unity is a force. It is power. In Mathew chapter sixteen apostles encountered with the Lord which was stunning. After the Holy Spirit revealed through Peter, who Jesus was, Jesus said He will give keys of the kingdom. And He said whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven and whatever is loosed in earth is loosed in heaven. It is amazing because when the affairs of the earth determine the operation in heaven it’s an awesome privilege to be in that sect of people who bind on earth and it is bound in heaven, who loose on earth and it is loosed in heaven. Unity is one of the keys given to us. Key of Unity is the united force, one voice, one mind etc. Even in corporate sector we need tool of unity to advance our interest and accomplish our targets. You cannot operate in isolation and have much result. You must use the force of unity in every area of your life. Genesis 11v 6; “And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do”. Unity almost cannot be stopped. When we say “almost” we have great respect for the sovereignty of Yahweh otherwise another way to put this statement is “Unity cannot be stopped”. Foolish thing people will unite and get done. For e.g. there are laws in lands where man can marry a man. How did they get the law? It is not prayer but is unity. This illustration is to explain that how paramount is unity to a believer and to explain the efficacy and the power of unity. So, power of unity can be used negatively but God does not intend us to use unity negatively. Many of us including Apostle Edmonds used to think that unity means Christians will be together, there will not be any division or denomination etc. But that is not the unity the scripture is talking about in Ephesians 4v13. This unity of faith is the unity of spirit. It cannot be physical unity because it is almost impossible to unite everyone physically because of the difference in cultures etc. The unity of faith is the spiritual conformity meaning compliance to the standard, rules and laws of the life of Christ. We look alike in the Spirit. When we pray, we pray the same way. When we believe, we believe the same way. Our confidence, our interest etc. is on the same subject and not on some doctrines made by man. Practical commitment is the unity. Whether you feel like or not, you support the ministry. You are committed to the cause of the gospel and that is the spiritual conformity. You unlock the blessings of God to the nations of the world because you are committed to supporting the gospel. You are a partner with God. So, the unity is all about spiritual conformity – compliance of the characteristics of the Son of God. When the Lord met a woman caught in the act of adultery, how did He judge? Your spiritual conformity must be the same. When you meet people who are caught in the act of their situation in sin and bondage of their systems, how do you treat them? If you are spiritually in conformity with the image of Christ you will set them free never to see it again because that is the order of the Son of God. Mercy, forgiveness, second chance etc. are the spiritual conformity. If you are struggling in these areas, then you have not attained that spiritual conformity. Submit to the Lord’s will and you will be able to conquer in these areas. You have to spiritually conform to the image of Christ. In Romans 12:2, the scripture says; “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Understanding unity is a priority in the body of Christ. You become complied with the life of Christ that is given to you. That life is given to you to live and not just to celebrate. And your compliance to that life is the unity of faith. So, in the cell meetings, in the mission of your church etc. understand the mission and stay with it. People who are speaking something else and doing something else are traitors. So, take the gift and tool of unity and use it for the gospel. Don’t say or do something different. You are taught and raised to be conformed to the image of Christ. Always measure yourself up with Christ. Always be in the mindset of Christ. Always carry yourself in the consciousness of Christ. Always put yourself in Christ’s position. How long will you be in “problems (recipients)” position? You are actually prepared to be in “solutions” place! You are a solution to your world. (Message by Apostle Edmonds Owhorode, extracted by PR)
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