Better Together: United in the Bonds of Peace

Joel 2:27-32 TPT

27 Then, Israel, you will know without question that I am dwelling among you. I am YAHWEH your God, and no one else. I say again: no more will I surrender my people to shame” 28 “Then afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and your daughters will boldly prophesy, your elderly will have supernatural dreams, and your youth will experience ecstatic visions. 29 And I will even pour out my Spirit in those days upon every servant, both male and female. 30 “And I will display amazing wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will be darkened, and the moon will appear as red as blood. These events will occur before the great and awesome day of YAHWEH comes. 32 And everyone who sincerely worships YAHWEH will be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be a remnant who are spared, as I, YAHWEH, have promised. They will be the chosen survivors whom I, YAHWEH, will call.” 

Despite what many may think, unity is not everyone thinking the same. Unity is the commitment to love and honor despite our differences. God made us different on purpose. He did not create us to be robots, to all think and act the same way. He made each one of us unique—with special gifts and talents that, when partnered with His Spirit, are meant to bring people into His Kingdom. It is so true that when we work together, our efforts grow exponentially. We are better together, because our efforts are multiplied. 

How do we accomplish the call that God has put on our lives, and on our church? Each church has their own DNA, so to speak. Refuge Church has an apostolic calling, which means we are “sent with a message”. We may know the “what”, but do we know the “how”? Today, we’ll be digging into the concepts surrounding this very big question. 

1 Corinthians 12:12 TPT

12 Just as the human body is one, though it has many parts that together form one body, so too is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we all were immersed and mingled into one single body. And no matter our status—whether we are Jews or non-Jews, oppressed or free—we are all privileged to drink deeply of the same Holy Spirit. 

We Have to be Willing to Embrace Change

In a world where the ever-shifting opinions, political propaganda, and disjointedness that prevails, even in the Church, we must guard our unity like never before. We are living in a day when unrest abounds, and people spout ideals like “my truth is not your truth.” 

Unity is not something we get to choose one day and lay aside another. It is a command from God. As stated before, unity does not mean we all have to think alike on every subject. Even through differing opinions and ways of thinking, we choose to love each other, remain humble and teachable, and commit to honoring others through it all. Love does not equal agreement. You can still love someone without having to agree with everything they say or think. 

If we are to be an effective influence in our cities and in the world, we must be united. Why? Because He is positioning us for a great harvest—the greatest harvest of souls the world has ever seen. Jesus said that people would know us by our love. 

John 15:16-19 TPT

16 You didn’t choose me, but I’ve chosen and commissioned you to go into the world to bear fruit. And your fruit will last, because whatever you ask of my Father, for my sake, he will give it to you! 17 So this is my parting command: Love one another deeply!” 18 “Just remember, when the unbelieving world hates you, they first hated me. 19 If you were to give your allegiance to the world, they would love and welcome you as one of their own. But because you won’t align yourself with the values of this world, they will hate you. I have chosen you and taken you out of the world to be mine.

You didn’t choose Jesus. He chose you! He chose each one of us so that we could bear the fruit of righteousness, so that others could “taste and see that the Lord is good” through the example of our lives. 

Our world is ever-changing. The way we talk, sleep, walk, and work has changed so drastically in the last few decades that it stands to reason that the workings of the church will also have to change. We have to remain relevant to people, in the way they hear and receive the Gospel. That doesn’t mean the power or message of Jesus Christ changes. However, change is inevitable in the way we do things. The “what” has not changed, but the “how” must if we are to remain a leading influence in people’s lives. 

Change is uncomfortable. No one likes to go through seasons of change. How do we guard our unity through these times of shift? 

Love. 

Love is the way we keep our unity intact. Love is how we ensure that the body of Christ is thriving as we go about the Father’s business. 

We all have different gifts, even though we are of the same body, united in Christ. What are the gifts and talents God is asking you to use for his glory this year? What can you do to share the love of God with your fellow-believers, and with a lost and hurting world?

We Have to be Willing to Broaden our Influence

It is true that the power and the message of the Gospel never changes. However, the vehicle in which the Gospel is presented and goes out may change throughout different generations. We have to be willing to broaden our influence, to speak the language that people will understand. The current generation we are pastoring has been brought up in the technological age, they lived through COVID and distance learning, which has changed education forever. The verbiage and strategies for reaching the children and teens of this age have to change if we want to reach them, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ will never lose its power! 

Will we be ready, willing, and able to step through the doors of opportunity when the Lord opens them to us? Will you say, “Yes, Lord, send me.”? 

We Have to be Willing to Pray

I once heard someone say this about prayer: “If I knew Jesus was coming back in six weeks, I’d spend 5 of them praying, and 1 week preaching.” I’m not sure who said it, but it drove home a very powerful truth to me. We have to be a people of prayer. We cannot save the world in our own power. It is the power of the Holy Spirit who draws people to repentance. We are merely the vehicle that the Gospel is preached through. He chooses to use ordinary people like you and me to be His hands and feet in the earth—for this time and season. 

I have often heard people say, “I think I was born in the wrong era.” I’ve said it myself a time or two. But I am always reminded of Mordecai’s words to Esther, when she was about to go before the king to plead for the lives of her people, “You were born for such a time as this.” 

You are right where you are supposed to be. God looked through time and had you born in this time for a purpose. Do not look back, like Lot’s wife, and long for “better times”. The “good old days” cannot compare to the days of God’s glory and presence that lie ahead! 

The Lord says that if we seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him. He is not far away. He is not hard to find, and His voice is not difficult to discern. He will give you the wisdom and strength to do what He has called you to do. He will finish the good work He started in your life. 

Philippians 1:6 NLT

​​6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.