The Lord has been speaking to me lately about unity in his church. There are many groups in the world today that are trying to divide the church. There are political issues, economic issues, and even spiritual issues that are trying to divide the church, but today, more than ever, we need to stay united.
In Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, he starts with a greeting and then addresses this. It says in 1 Cor 1:10 (NLT), “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” That chapter continues in verses 12-13 to say, “Some of you are saying, ‘I am a follower of Paul.’ Others are saying, ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Peter,’ or ‘I follow only Christ.’ Has Christ been divided into fractions?”
Paul is letting the church know here that division has no place in the body of Christ and his church. I am reminded of an ancient military tactic that was used around the time of Paul and is still used today by current military groups; the term is “divide et impera” or translated means divide and conquer. It is easier to defeat many small groups than one large group. Satan’s goal is to keep the church divided so that he has small groups to defeat instead of the united church that Jesus will be returning for.
Let’s look at 1 Cor 12:12-13 (NLT)which says, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So, it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”
In those verse, Paul points out to the church in Corinth that we are all one spirit because we all are brought into the Kingdom of God through Jesus, and we should remain united through him. How can we stay united in this crazy world that we live in? There is only one way to God, and there is only one way to stay united, and that is to keep our eyes focused on him. We need to strip away all the distractions of this world and focus on him and speak to him daily in our prayer and meditation time. During the reading of his word, let him speak to you and pour his love into your life. When you are living your life from a place of love, you will always be in line with him, because God is Love.
God has a special place for each of us in his church. We each bring a special gift to the church to make it a complete entity. Paul mentions this, many times, in his letters to the churches of that time. There are many references to the church being one body; for example, in his letter to Ephesus in Eph 4:16 (NLT) it says, “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Let us remember that we are all a part of the body of Christ and if we lose any part, the body is then impaired and can’t function the way it should.
God has been speaking to us through his prophets about division. In fact, here is part of a prophetic word that God spoke through Pastor Hank Kunneman on Aug. 25during the 9am service at Lord of Hosts Church: “’This is not the time to play the middle of the road … for the Lord of the Church reminds you … nor is it a time to be hot or cold, to be lukewarm, but to be on fire … to be sanctified by your God and towards your God. It is not a time to be divided … that you don’t know where I stand upon the issues of your country, United States,’ says the living God. ‘This is not a time for you to be caught between two opinions. For it is my opinion that matters and what I have declared in my commands. Therefore, I am coming … I am coming,’ says the Lord. ‘In the season that I have told you of the great fall … it is upon you now. This is my season; it is my time of the great fall … where I am tearing down kings and raising up others. And pulling off the masquerading and the masks that you have looked at and been deceived. I will show you that there is nothing that has been hidden that will not be revealed, in this time. You think you know the truth, but you do not. You think that you truly understand the level of evil and their intent. For they sacrificed, even in Chicago, at what they called DNC … no it was abortion, so they called, but it was sacrifice, worship, releasing incantations. So, they think it’s their time to steal, kill, and destroy, yet I have … and I am walking to and fro … listening to the sound of my remnant … praying, fasting, worshiping … and yet this shall be greater than anything that the enemy has planned or plotted. This is why I speak to you … do not be afraid in this time. For you will see the might of my hand … the congealing as I did with the waters in the days of the crossing of the Red Sea; I will congeal, I will restrain. And I will bring forth my justice … for a deliverance is in process. This is why do not fear, do not speak wrong.’”
If we stay united, we are stronger. If we keep our eyes on Jesus. and do his will, and if we don’t let Satan come in and divide us, we will win the battle in the end. Be encouraged today and do not be afraid. God is still in control.
Kevin Jones is a staff member of Lord of Hosts Church.
