The power of unity

Unity in the church is the launchpad that the Holy Spirit uses to depose, dispossess and destroy the schemes of the enemy.

 

Leviticus 26:8 - Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword.

 

We always hear these verse proclaimed by pastors reminding their flock of the power the Lord has given us over the enemy. But what is not emphasised is that these blessing is given to a group of people. I call them believers or the church.  

 

And Jesus emphasised this parameters when he said in Matthew 16:18 - Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

 

Christians need to move from an individualist mental model to one of a cooperate being. As an individual or a small group we can accomplish only little but with the body of Christ the results are exponential. (Lev 26:8)

 

It is through the church God, wants to engage the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm.

• Ephesians 3:9-11-11and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹ according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

God has put all things under Christ for the benefit of the church.

• Ephesians  1:22 - God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.

So when the church comes together and when they work in unity, there is a great synergy that will counter any infiltration of the forces of darkness.

 

What is unity? 

 

Does it mean you agree with everyone else in your church on everything? Does it mean that you all love the same food and drink the same drinks? All watch the same TV shows and listen to the same music?  Of course not. We're all different, our makeup is unique and DNA and chromosomes are uniquely fashioned.

 

So, what does it mean to be unified with people who are different from you?

Unity in the church is about coming together to form something bigger. It's recognizing that we're stronger together than we are individually. It's enjoying fellowship with each other. 

Unity in the church is the launchpad that the Holy Spirit uses to depose, dispossess and destroy the schemes of the enemy. It is through the unity of the church that the work of evangelism can be effectively carried out and the world will know we are Christians by our love.

• Acts 2 - When the church was united in prayer, the Holy Spirit fell upon them and evinced by the speaking in tongues for the first time. 3000 souls were saved on that day

• Acts 2:47 -  When the believers are untied, "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

• Acts 4:12 - When the church was united, "the apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people."

• Acts12 -When the church was united in prayer, Peter was set free from prison.

• In Acts 13:2, when the church was united, missions was birthed- "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Any much more. 

 

The devil is afraid of a united church. he does not care if we attend church regularly, do our usual prayer and reading the Word. But he knows of the church or God is united, he will be paralysed. Matthew 16:8 - I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

 

And unity in the church doesn't necessarily happen automatically. As with any relationship, we have to work continually at building and maintaining this unity. 

• Ephesians 4:3 makes that clear when it commands us to "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

So dear Christian, do all you can to preserve the unity in the church. Don’t be a pawn in the hands of the enemy to do damage to the bride of Christ. Make every effort to see that the bond of unity is intact, maintained and thriving. The devil will literally be shivering in his pants when this happens.