John 17:
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
1 Corinthians 6:17 – “But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit”
There is that place of blessed union in Christ; In God where we become expressions of His thoughts, words and actions in this world. It’s a blessed awareness of being surrounded by His presence; an awareness of Him fully in control of our inward emotions and thoughts as our will has become subject to His.
True union with one another which leads to God’s manifest presence cannot be achieved in the flesh. It can be lived out only if we have discovered that place of union in God where we are dead and our lives are hidden in Christ; in God. Union with God comes first before union with one another! The more we experience that place of intimacy the more it reflects in our relationships. On one hand, a separation from those that grieve Him (and are closed to HIS promptings) but on the other closer union with those who please Him.
If one harbors anything in their hearts that is against union with their fellow brethren, then they are not in close union with God! For those same things hinder one’s life in God. The blessedness of this union is founded on the sacrificial forgiving love of Christ. It is one that is not just experienced from Christ but one that needs to be lived out. If we don’t have that love to give away, then we have not experienced that union and intimacy or have lost it at some point.
This place of union with God is not sacrilegious in anyway as some may imply. It has nothing to do with equality with the divine. Imagine a small fish in an ocean. It can be said the fish is in the ocean and can be implied that it is one with the ocean. If so, it is understood that the union simply implies the fish acquiring or having the nature of the ocean to some degree and not in anyways matching the ocean in its vastness, diversity and glory.
Similarly, our union is with the eternal, almighty, self-existent God who put the stars in place by His fingers. We are limited and He is limitless. That he even lets us in our frailty to experience His heart and thoughts is a thing of awe and wonder. In our total union with Him we experience Him fully as it relates to us but to an infinitely small degree compared to who He is, in His eternal divine essence!
There is that place of greater glory and manifestation of His presence; a place of greater love and intimacy that cannot be experienced individually otherwise. It is when those in union with Him find ways to express His nature together and express love towards Him together. It causes an explosion in the spirit. It brings in a greater comprehension and a deeper understanding of the divine; an encounter like never before. It can only be experienced corporately and not individually. God seeks to make Himself known and inhabit us in like manner.
It is to this ultimate place of union of the divine with mankind, (where the number of mature believers will be complete) that the Spirit is building towards and leading His church to. It is where God will find His expression amongst us in ways like never before. It will result in eternal transformations in us, that will lead to greater degrees of revelations of His divine nature, and this cycle will continue for all of eternity.
One with God-
There is nothing mystical about this union; neither is it reserved for a select few who are cut off from society. God has revealed His ways in His word on how to know Him in this blessed union.
Romans 12:2, talks about our minds being transformed. The more God’s word and who He is as revealed through scripture replaces our worldly and ‘acquired through life’ mindsets, the more we start thinking like Christ. The more we think like Him, the more we speak and act like Him which leads to Him being manifested through our words and actions.
This comes from a certain level of union but there is a place where He fully controls (fills) our hearts and our deepest desires. His Word finds a place deep in our hearts. It is this place where we start feeling like He would feel. In this place of intimacy, He shares His heart; for us and others and we start to experience Him to greater degrees. His emotions become ours. We are not just thinking like Him, but we have His heart. One expression of His heart through ours is far more powerful than thousands of words without it. How can we expect His governance on the outside if He is not governing on the inside? If He doesn’t fill us on the inside personally first, how can He manifest Himself in a collective setting?
It can only happen if we have learnt how to yield to Him first and then continue living from that place. For that our will needs to be brought in subject to His will. This can be achieved through (deep expressions of) prayer (and fasting sometimes) guided and controlled by the Spirit. If there are worldly inclinations and lusts, we find affinity to, they must be denied or put to death. Anything and everything contrary to His will for our lives must die!
Finally, our will needs to surrender to His. The process is painful but once it is accomplished under the Lordship of the Spirit, He fills all things in us. There is a powerful awareness of God that we walk in after that. As everything we now do is in union with Him, we can see His workings and power manifest in our everyday lives.
Imagine the blessedness of a person with God’s heart and mind, He feels God’s heart for Him and enjoys the gratification thereof. He thinks and feels as God would and therefore relates to God as He expects from him and there is a fulfillment there. He expresses God’s hearts and thoughts to others, and it results in a blessed satisfaction again. Union with God brings a sense of fulfillment like no other!
Pray that, we as His body arise to live and abide in this place of union in God. A union He has intended for each one of us to be part of from before the beginning of times. Pray that we grow to the place that when people see us, they see Christ in us and that it won’t be a rarity, but He will be a constant outward expression of the inward realities of our union with the Father, Son and the Spirit! Grace be with everyone who loves our Lord in truth!
