Romans 15:5-6 “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
What is your motivation in life? What is it you hope to accomplish with the limited time you have on earth?
If our motivation is unity of the Spirit then our focus is honoring the Lord and not ourselves.
1 Corinthians 2:16 “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
To know the mind of Christ is to be in tune with His will. If God instructed us how to walk in wisdom and imparted to us the knowledge of His will, it must be important to Him. Many characteristics of godliness may seem simple, but the profound depth of knowledge is discovered by learning how to walk in them.
Walking in Unity
Romans 12:16 “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be conceited.”
What we often fail to understand is that by walking in accordance with God’s commands, we walk in faithfulness with one another. It is the Spirit of God who leads and directs His people, if our common goal is to be moved and instructed by the Lord, we will witness this among one another.
When someone acts contrary to the body of Christ we have to conclude that either the body has been deceived, or the individual has strayed from God’s plan.
1 Corinthians 2:10-11 “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”
Oneness with God brings revelation.
God’s heart is revealed by His Spirit, the very same Spirit that dwells in us. We have a direct link to the heart of God. Think about that for a minute, how many people have tried different methods of connecting with God and yet they’ve missed the single most effect means of talking with Him.
Catholics think that praying to Mary or a saint will somehow sway God in their direction. Buddhists try meditation or mantras, Hindus will beat their bodies or subject themselves to misery to be in touch with God. There have been so many false hopes and yet the Word of God lays it out so very simply; His Spirit was given to His people to become our resource for revelation.
Oneness with God is accomplished in prayer.
John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.“
What is it you desire? The life of a believer who has experienced the goodness of God has a different mindset than someone who only calls themselves christian by name. I was once talking with a young man I’ve known for years, he had spent some time in the southern region of the United States with the military. The area, known as the “Bible Belt”, is inundated with conservative minded people. The expectation is church on Sunday’s, voting conservative, and then the rest of the week was oftentimes a different story. He was so disappointed in meeting many professing christians who played it on Sunday and yet lived like a heathen the rest of the week. Believe it or not, he was looking forward to working around unbelievers here in the northwest, one of the least churched regions of the country.
Our politics reveal the predominate mindset here and the way people treat each other. Walk down the sidewalk in Seattle and say hello to everyone you see and see how they respond…it’s sad how indifferent people are to each other. The people in the South may be hypocrites but at least they’re nice.
Separation from God causes apathy.
Hosea 5:4 “They do not direct their deeds Toward turning to their God, For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, And they do not know the LORD.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the Supreme Court Justices of the United States died a couple years ago. She was a strong advocate for women’s rights, social justice, and many other causes while she was a lower court judge. She was also a big advocate for infanticide, abortion, and homosexual marriage. Because of the legislation she helped introduce, we now have over 64 million dead children, transvestites involved in library readings to children, transgender bathrooms in schools and a suicide rate among children at one of the highest in the nation.
For those who advocated her as a champion in American history, they seem to overlook the effect of hyper-liberalism in a society that once honored the Bible. Why would a professing christian lift her up as a great woman when her legacy is one of destruction? There is a prevalent passivity toward evil that has invaded the church.
Passivity toward evil is a denial of God’s Holiness.
James 4:4 “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
If you had a best friend who you grew up with and shared childhood memories with together, then you know the value of a good friend. A friend can be closer than family, someone you might even die for. If someone else comes along and bad mouths your friend, puts them down and generally acts like they despise them, what would you do? More than likely you would defend them, dissociate from those who dislike them and probably be very upset.
Being passive towards evil as a professing Christian is like saying you are sold out for Jesus and yet agree with people who act hateful toward Him. They profane His name, His creation, and deny His godhead with their lives and yet we hail them as hero’s because of social causes.
Complacency with darkness is a door for compromise. Compromise with the tenets of godliness and we leave room for all forms of evil.
We need an awakening in the body of Christ. A movement from a position of compromise that dims the light of Christ toward holiness.
Glorifying God
A by-product of walking in oneness with Jesus is a natural affinity for fellowship with other believers. For those of you who know, there is a bond of unity among those who are filled with the Spirit, who share in the journey the Lord leads each of us on and rejoicing with each victory.
Romans 15:5-6 “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The brotherhood of believers spans all nationalities, colors, languages, and nations. The fellowship remains the same, regardless of culture or community. I can connect with a brother in Pakistan and relate to him the goodness of the Lord and he can joyfully relate the same experience in his own land and among his own family of believers. The Lord has an expression of goodness that is consistent among His people that draws us together in love for one another.
The love of God among His church is a testimony of His goodness.
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
The love that is shared within the community of believers is a reflection of the love we have for Jesus, the love is sincere, it is genuine, and draws us closer than a brother.
1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.”
The very life of Christ is made manifest among His people. The life of the Spirit in us is what brings this life alive and makes it real. The Spirit of grace pours out of the hearts of His people like a well of water on thirsty ground.
Do you want to know this bond of the Spirit? Have you ever wondered why someone you may know who walks with Christ is so joyful?
The fellowship of Oneness begins in prayer. Spending time with the Lord by listening, growing, and dwelling in His presence is time that becomes the lifeblood of a believer.
Walking in a personal relationship with Jesus starts in prayer but to be successful, must continue throughout the day——everyday.
If we don’t keep our minds on that which is above, we can quickly lose sight of the vision God gave us in our times of prayer.
If you lead this life, you will never lack all that you need. The Lord supplies His people with good things, He simply is waiting for you to respond.
U.T. 