Unity Part 2.
Summary.
1. It is the will of God that all the believers be united into one family of His: John 11:51-52; 1 Cor.1:10; Eph. 4:3; Phil. 4:2; Col. 2:2; 2 Cor. 13:11; 1 Pet. 3:8.
2. All the saved are inducted together into one body : Rom. 15: 5-6; 1 Cor. 12: 13-14; Gal. 3:28.
3. All the saved are the children of one Father as Jesus made them such: Eph. 3:14-15; Eph. 2:19; Gal. 6:10; John 1:12-13; 1 John 3:9-10; 1John 3:1-2. Therefore they use the name of the Father which Jesus gave them (John 17: 17:11-12; Eph.3:14-15; Acts 20:28; Gal.1:13; 1 Cor. 9:15, etc, etc).
4. All the saved people must humble themselves to accept to be kept into the only one body they were born into, the only One Church of God (1 Cor.12:13-23; Rom. 12:4-5).
5. All the saved people must humble themselves to work together without sinning at all to promote God’s cause, dropping all the divisive teachings and traditions made by men and passed to the younger generations, or copied by them from men (Phil.1:27; 1 Cor. 1:10; Rom. 15:6).
6. Unity of the believers is through Jesus Christ by one Spirit: Phil. 1:27; Eph. 4:4- 5,11-16; 1 Cor. 12:13-20; Romans 12:4-5.
7. Unity of the Saints causes the world to believe in Jesus: John 17:21-23.
8. Unity of the Saints results to God’s working wonderfully among his people: Acts 4:31-33; Acts 5:12-20; Acts 12:5-17; Mat. 18:20.
9. God requires the unity of His children in one faith through the doctrine preached by the Ministry and also through what each member supplies to the whole Church as an integral part : Eph.4:11-13; 1Cor.12:11-14.
10. It is the requirement of God that all the saved be united in one name at birth just as the earthly children get their father’s name at birth: Eph.3:14-15; Eph.4:6; Rev. 3:12.
11. It is sin to be divided: Romans 16:17-18; 1 Cor.12:25-26.
12. Proposed solution to the present divisions of the church of God: That all repent of this sin of division and all other sins, humble themselves to God to be indwelt by Him and to work in and through them to unite them and glorify Himself in His only temple, the church of God (Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet.2:5; Eph. 4:15-16).
Work sheet.
1. In John 17:20-21 Jesus prayed that all believers may be________________
2. The unity of the church in Jerusalem was so great that they were of one ____________ and of one _______________ . It was never Christ’s intention that there should be many church of God(s). Indeed, the New Testament recognizes only ONE. “I will build my church,” Jesus said. Years later, as the church spread all over the world, Paul wrote to the Ephesians and exhorted them to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” because there is only “one body, one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:3-6). Paul told the Corinthians that there is “but one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12,13,20).
3. How many churches did Jesus build?__________________
4. How many bodies does Jesus have?__________________
Possibly the closest we can come to finding denominationalism- (or division into many church of God(s)- in the Bible is 1 Cor. 1:10-13, where religious division is scathingly rebuked. “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
To the parties within the Corinthian church Paul asked: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” As the answer to all these questions is clearly “No!” it must follow that: Christ’s disciples ought not to be divided; Christ’s disciples ought not to wear men’s names; Christ’s disciples ought not to follow men (even great ones like Paul or Peter).
If people would keep these things in mind there could be no divisions, no denominations! Not many church of God(s).
(Please, read 1 Cor. 1 :1-13 then answer the following questions).
5. TRUE FALSE? Verse 10 shows that Christians must have no divisions among them._______.
6. TRUE FALSE? The division in the church at Corinth was because they were all following Christ. ________.
7. TRUE FALSE? The answer to the three questions in verse 13 is “no.”_____.
The amazing unity of the early church came about because they “continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers”. The creeds and doctrines of men always produce strife and division, but God’s word provides a basis of true fellowship: “But, if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
8. Do the creeds written by men produce unity?_____________.
9. What provides a basis of true fellowship? ________________.
10. If Jesus came back to-day, what version of the “church of God (s)” existing now would He approve as His body?____________. Yes, It is meant that these present divisions are not part of His body. His body is undivided, spotless and without a wrinkle. It has only One Spirit—the Holy Ghost, who fills and leads each and every individual member of the body placing each in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph.2:6, Col.3:3). All the truly saved make up His body, “the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:23). Would you agree to forsake all divisions, or that part of the division (sect) you are a member of, to be inducted into His body? ________________.
Unity (Bible Unity) (John 17:21-23).
Part 1.
Here is the Word, and not human notions, for if there is such a thing in the Church as visible unity, it must have its foundations in Bible truth.
Accordingly ‘we read, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah” nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh” (rest giver) “come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Gen. 49:10). “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign” (a standard) “of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest shall be glorious. It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord (not man) “shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria. and ‘from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea” (Isa. 11:10, 11). “And it shall come to pass in the last days” (in the gospel dispensation), “that the mountain of the Lord’s house” (church of God, not some sect) “shall be established in the top of the mountains” (high above all carnal church division), “and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations” (not just one race alone) “shall flow unto it” (Isa, 2:2). “I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation” (not the religion of one nation) “unto the end of the earth” (Isa. 49:6). “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together” (they don’t divide up in different congregations because of race or color), “they come to ‘thee: thy sons shall come from far” (from other nations), “and thy daughters shall be nursed at ‘thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together” (not apart) (Isa. 60:3-5). “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-82). “And other sheep I have” (Gentiles), “which are not of this fold” (Jews): “them also I must bring, ‘and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd” (John 10:16). “And one of them named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us; that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And he spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad” (John 11:49-52).
We see by the foregoing scriptures, that the mission of Christ when He came to this world in the flesh was to bring salvation to the whole human family, and that he would call his converts from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, regardless of their race or color, customs, traditions, habits, tastes, prejudices:, vast difference in education, etc. Although they were formerly broken by sin into fragments, castes, and hostile camps, the one against the other, they were, —thank God— to make peace both with God and each other through the blood of his cross, as it is written, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both” (Jew and Gentile) ‘One, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both” (Jew and Gentile) “unto God in one body” (not two) “by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom” (Christ) “all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (1 Th 2:18-22).
Here we see that the Gentile does not come to the Jew, neither the Jew to the Gentile, but both come unto God by Jesus Christ, and at the cross are washed from their sins in his own precious blood, losing their race preference, and are made “one new man, so making peace,” and are from henceforth builded together for God’s dwelling place on earth. Neither does one have to leave his church group and be saved into another group or congregation. One is saved into the heavenly family. And we read in the Acts, second chapter, where on the day of Pentecost about three thousand souls out of every nation under heaven, which most assuredly included the African races, such as the Egyptian, the Ethiopian, and Libyan, were saved together and became associated together in the church at Jerusalem, and continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with the people. And the Lord added to the church, daily such as should be saved.
There was the fulfilment of all the scriptures concerning Christ’s coming to earth to bring salvation ‘to all men, and to establish his church in unity and oneness; no division of any kind or character, but perfect unity, both visible and in the Spirit, and indeed this visible unity continued throughout the history of the early church, as witnessed by the labors of the apostles.
Peter had to learn this wonderful truth before he went to the household of Cornelius, and arriving there, he declared that God had shown him not to call any man common or unclean; for in every nation, he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. However, once, through fear of the Jewish converts coming from Jerusalem to Antioch, he withdrew from eating with the Gentile saints; but he was rebuked by Paul for such conduct, and was told that he had walked in this not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel. Therefore, to divide the people of God into different congregations because of whatever reason is to raise again the wall of partition, which Christ died to destroy. And having more than one congregation in any one city because of flimsy reasons is simply division, and destroys the visible unity that Christ most earnestly prayed unto God for, and died that it might be realized among his people on earth. If we do not preach it and practice it we are no better than sect Babylon, and God will disown us as His people.
Now, dear reader, we have given you the truth on the subject of the visible unity of the Church of God, and we want to say right here, we stand today on the Word of God and preach and practice the truth of this teaching also. We believe the words of Christ, “Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring that there may be one fold and one shepherd.”
The basis of unity:
Filled with the Holy Spirit: The saint’s desire is for all to seek to learn from God those precious lessons that draw us closer to him, and to God’s people, and that preserve us from many of the deceptions of the devil. Everything concerning spirits is sometimes confusion to many and seems bordering upon Spiritualism. But the eyes of understanding are opened, and we see the different spirits that move the people of the world. Some are controlled by a proud spirit; others by one of contention, while many religious people are governed by the Antichrist spirit of error instead of the Holy Spirit of truth. May including those calling themselves church of God, are ruled by the spirits of avarice, prestige, superiority, hunger for power and so on. Let us think of the Holy Spirit as one of love, purity, mercy, justice, power to live Godly, life, light, and truth, and of the church of God as his habitation through this Spirit; and then we will see the need of each of God’s children being “filled with the Spirit”—yes, the one Spirit that is to control, comfort, teach, reprove, bind together, and defend those who are saved of God, that his temple may be “glorious”. This one Spirit is the only one God sanctions within his house.
A great many, having received the head knowledge of the doctrine of Christ, conclude they have the Spirit of truth, when in reality they have only an intellectual understanding without an actual experience in the soul. They put on some of the fruits of the Spirit and are often received as the children of God by those who do not discern between the fellowship of the doctrine and that of the spirit. Doctrine would only have a meaning in the life of a saint when the Holy Spirit of truth writes that doctrine in the heart of a saint and makes that truth alive in the saint. If the word of God is not made alive in the saint, it is no longer the living Word in the life of a saint. The word gives us the life we live when we obey the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost makes the Word alive, which shows as the life of Christ through a saint. That is why saints are called Christians. They have the character, or life, of Christ.
We must bear the name given by Jesus: Also, when a people go by one name as we do: “The Church of God”, but refuse the Holy Spirit who should go with that name, they are nothing but a mere dead denomination. To have just the name without the Spirit is equivalent to being dead whereby the soul has departed. The dead body is useless because it has no life. So is a Church of God that has no Holy Ghost. It is a dead body of religious people. We know them when they have a hatred for others and will unchristianize all who do not attend services in their group meetings or congregation. They speak evil of such people and will always talk of them as unsaved. They totally disregard the spiritual work that God has done in any soul outside their church group (sect). They have all or just a few of the evil traits described in Mark 7:21-23 and Gal.5:19-21, and when it is pointed out to them they would not humble themselves and repent of it. We know them by this—they lack the fruit or bear false fruits (Mat. 7:15-20). Therefore to be called “church of God” but to lack the character of the One true God, which is imparted to the saint by the Holy Ghost, who loves all His children, is to be a dead church, which of course is to be a denomination.
The name “church of God” is acquired through the new birth, just as a family name is acquired by birth in the household. Once we are born into God’s family (John 1:12-13), we have His name imprinted on our soul. All those born again are the church that Jesus builds through salvation. When born again, it means the death of the old sinful life and the planting of the new life of Jesus Christ. Our character from the moment we are born again should be that of Jesus Christ both individually and congregationally. Our life as a congregation or church should be resplendent with God’s glory. This is what the church should be doing—shining forth the glory of God on the earth. “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Math. 5:14-16). Any congregation going by the name “church of God” should be just that: “Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Rev.21:11).
When a company of people believe about the same things, and go by a commonly selected name, there is an agreement, union, and fellowship that has resemblance to the true fellowship which is of God through the Spirit. Each denomination has its denominational fellowship, and there is great danger of God’s people in the local churches drifting into the same error — receiving those who sanction or assent to the truth, but have not humbled themselves to obtain a precious soul-experience of saving grace; and these with their spiritual lack exert a depressing, unwholesome influence that hinders the work of God.
We must have Spiritual life: In this time of great deception, God’s children are so rejoiced over those who do acknowledge truth that they may overlook the great necessity of spiritual life and truth in the inward parts. If we do this, we are consenting to the same thing as the denominations — doctrinal fellowship—with this difference: the doctrine of Christ instead of men.
We need to look for spiritual life in an individual before we give him or her the right hand of fellowship. This is the life of Christ that has come to our soul. If the individual is not exuberant with Godliness in his words, his actions and even in his thoughts, he does not have the life of Christ. If the life of Christ is lacking in us too, we might accept the individual and have fellowship of whatever is common to us. But if we go by the uniting life of Christ, we cannot have fellowship with any one who does not have the life.
The fellowship of the outward doctrine of truth is but the shell compared to the kernel — the fellowship of the Spirit. God wants us to discern the difference and be able to judge righteous judgment –to discern between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. If each one in a local assembly is filled with the Spirit of God and retains his experience, there can be nothing but love, peace, unity, and harmony existing. But let some not saved and filled with the Spirit be in the midst, and sooner or later something contrary to the will of God will be manifested. Sometimes people pass for years as true children of God and then manifest the spirit they are of in strife, contention, and opposition to the people of God on some line, and then go out from among them because they were not of them.
We need quickness of spiritual perception to detect the counterfeits; and while some cry, “Correct them by the Word,” we say, ‘Yes’: for the Word says, “They who have not the Spirit of Christ are none of his.” The apostles detected by the Holy Spirit the lying spirit in Ananias and Sapphira, and openly rebuked it; so “fear fell upon all.” When those who have received and advocated wrong doctrine were reproved, they took exception to the reproof because they deemed it improperly given, and thus fell under the accusing spirit against God’s children. The effect thereof is to make what the church does dark and repulsive, and unworthy of attention, or else censure falls upon a few individuals or upon certain methods of reproof or correction and all the workers who use them. We know from experience the oppressive power of the accusing spirit, and pity those under its power or influence in any way. But love, mercy, justice, life, and truth call us to warn, reprove, and openly rebuke those who yield to and are controlled by it.
Often dear souls complain of God’s people not being loving, warm-hearted, tender, and merciful because they realize the lack of fellowship, but do not comprehend that it is because of their own lack of saving grace. Dear ones, there is too much at stake to contend for ourselves. God has a people, and if we are not in harmony with them, it is because of our lack of the spirit of unity; and we should yield the contending point and humble ourselves before God and to those with whom we have contended. Sometimes that which hinders the return of souls to the truth and salvation is what they consider a “little thing”—a brother’s “lack of love,” “lack of wisdom, or of spiritual discernment, or of anointing for teaching,” etc.; yet there is just enough of the contending spirit to hinder the reception of the Spirit of Christ, and it manifests lack of humility for repentance. How sorrowful that any should cling to the spirit of contention rather than yield to God and obtain “the Holy Spirit of promise,” and enjoy his fellowship with the saints of God. Did you ever see true repentance before God and man from a person who was not willing to take the blame for all the evil? If any one tries to throw the blame of his spiritual loss upon others and tries to get them down to confession, it is a sure proof that the heart is not broken and contrite before God, and any experience built up in this way will not endure. How our hearts yearn after dear ones for whom we would gladly humble ourselves in the very dust at their feet if in this way we could reach them; but God requires the humility of their own hearts.
The heavenly glory: This is one of the characteristics of unity that many people have ignored. Perhaps it is because they have never individually reached a level in their consecrated experience, whereby they walk in this heavenly glory. We see this glory mentioned in the bible so often. When some of the disciples walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, their hearts burned within them as Jesus expounded the truth of the scriptures to them. Here is their testimony : “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32). A man of God should have such contact with God that God’s glory would be experienced wherever he goes. This same Jesus is the one still working among the saints to-day. His glory is what the early church had as we read in Acts 5. It was such glory as would go with them and be felt. The same glory was so much interred in Elisha that even after he was dead for some time, the contact of a dead body with his bones brought the dead man back to life (2 Kings 13:21). It was God’s glory and power working. When handkerchiefs and aprons were taken from Paul’s body and placed on sick people they were healed (Acts 19:12). It was the power of God working this glory. Close contact with God keeps His glory and power with us and it will go with us always if we are humble and docile to Him always. Jesus prayed: “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:22). We believe Jesus did not lie when he said that He has given His believers His glory. It is this glory that the world sees in the church where Jesus presence is. It is a unifying heavenly glory that binds all the saved together and also offers invitation to the unsaved to come seeking for it. It so unifies the church that it is impossible for the world to mistake the church for a worldly organization. It is necessary for the saints to have the glory to be in unity.
In conclusion:
God commands unity, and we must obey. Refusal to obey this command of God results to us being cast away(1 Cor. 9:27). So many of our modern day preachers have been cast away by the Lord. They are spud out. All we see is preachers building their own organizations which they control with money and such like. Whether they call themselves church of God or not, until they obey the command of unity, they will just be church of God Babylon.
As the Jerusalem church is a model to be followed in worship, so it is also in its display of unity: “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common” (Acts 4:32). Such harmony was not an accident, but rather an answer to Christ’s prayer that all His disciples might “be one” (John 17:21-23).
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The Pure Church of God in Kenya 