Ephesians 3
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit…
The more we grow in Christ and in union with Him, we also grow in union with one another in Him. At the end of days when our union with Him is complete as will be our union with one another, it will provide a perfect place for God to dwell in His fulness. This is one of God’s ultimate purposes in Christ, to be in perfect harmony with HIS redeemed. It will result in greater measures of His revelation in and amongst us, resulting in greater measures of that blessed union; leading to creative forces that are released for all of eternity.
This is one of the reasons why the word of God emphasizes unity amongst His children; a direct sign of our union with God. A harmony that is blessed with greater measures of His presence and glory. A reflection of our ultimate union with Christ and with one another in Him one day, which God would inhabit in His fulness.
We are living in times where division abounds and the enemy seems to be prevailing with his agenda, sowing in division and discord amongst the brethren leading to hatred. Through it all God is testing and purifying His Son’s bride. He is directly involved in some of the separation as these are the times for the wheat and the tares to be separated. Amidst all of this turmoil and confusion, His bride will arise; in greater union in Christ and with one another in Him than the times before.
Now the important truth to reflect on in this regard is how much have we grown in union with one another in Christ? It is a sign that we are in the right pathway that will eventually lead to the fulfillment of Ephesians 3:22. Growing in unity will be reflected by the increasing measures of the presence of God in our communities and our gatherings.
Throughout scripture we see that how when people came into a place of harmony in God which was reflected by harmony with one another, there was always a release of God’s presence and power.
Psalms 133 :
1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.
In this Psalm we see that just living together in unity causes an overflow of the anointing of the Spirit.
Not by worshiping or praying which are important when it flows out of a right foundation but by just living!!
Today we have so much praying and worshiping which should naturally result in greater measures of His presence, but then we don’t experience it to the degree we should. It is simply because of this fundamental lack; there is no true unity amongst us! Our hearts aren’t knit together in love, and we are divided on the inside and our love, and its expressions are only superficial.
Amy Carmichael had an orphanage of about 1000 kids (towards the end of her life). It has been said that people experienced God’s presence, encountered God even as they entered her campus.
One such instance was of a little girl (around 9) who came along with her Father as he confronted Amy about her older sibling who had runaway from the temple to Amy. The Father was unsuccessful in convincing the child to come back to him. In those brief moments something powerful transpired in the 9-year-old who was with her Dad.
They returned home and the next day when the family sat at the rituals, she refused to participate in them. When asked why, she replied “Amy amma’s God is the true God”. She was tortured, beaten and even scorched with heated iron rods but refused to recant.
She was then married to an older man at that young age. He died in a few years and so she was blamed by society for that, saying it was because she had renounced her earlier faith. Despite all the humiliation and accusation, she stood firm and would always say “Amy amma’s God is the true God”.
Finally, after more than 20 years she met Amy again, this time alone. Amy told her that the God she was unknowingly pledging allegiance to was Jesus and then baptized her. She then joined Amy in helping in the orphanage and served there the rest of her life even after Amy’s passing.
What a powerful testimony. Just a brief encounter with God’s presence in Amy’s compound; not even a word of the gospel shared, no human intervention. However, a life transforming encounter with God in those brief moments that withstood all and any test. It was simply because of the manifest presence of the Spirit there. Amy built her life and those around hers in God’s love and there was a harmony between God and her and those with het. A harmony that resulted in Him being manifest powerfully there.
Dearly beloved, today, we strive so much to see God manifest Himself powerfully. It cannot be achieved only by all these outward expressions that we focus so much on. It is in the inward union with Him and with one another. It’s not complicated, He is manifest in a place where His people are in harmony with each other.
In Acts chapter 2, we see how when people were in one accord (in harmony) the Spirit came down in power. It resulted in a great harvest, an ingathering of many souls and the church being established.
If there was a release of such power when the church was established, how much more of His glory should we expect when His body reaches maturity and when we would be complete in Him? Even if we believe that ‘the perfection’ will happen only after we are glorified, we should be an expression of that maturity to some extent before that if we are on that pathway.
Now trying to achieve unity must come from seeing the union in the God head. Any other basis for those efforts is incomplete or even futile. Generally, any requirement that God expects from us can only be fully and properly fulfilled only if we get to have a revelation of His nature in that area.
Today, there is so much emphasis on the dos and don’ts, even to be Christ like. Though well-meaning but since it doesn’t come from a revelation of God’s/Christ’s nature which provides the empowerment, it has left people struggling and condemned without God’s life. God does not expect us to fulfill a requirement without a revelation of His nature in that area first. We will do well if we understand this basic principle and seek Him accordingly.
Even so true unity and harmony amongst us comes from a revelation of the harmony amongst the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. The harmony of their coexistence and subsequent working which led to all that was created and the perfect submission of the Son to the Father which resulted in their separation leading to our great redemption.
That is why in John17:
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one
Jesus prayed that we be one even as He and the Father are. If we don’t have that revelation first, then we cannot be ONE as Christ intends us to be. This is one of the greatest prayers ever prayed as this is the ultimate purpose of our creation, to be ONE with God through Christ and in Him ONE with one another!
Dearly Beloved, in that revelation of God’s nature is His pure love revealed. It is the essence of all His attributes! As we comprehend it to a degree, we are transformed to the same degree to be like Him. When we invite others into that blessed union through the expression of that pure selfless love, the work of His Spirit abounds!
