17/05/11

Stand together

Acts 2:14 - But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:


When we were small we all have heard the parable of how easy it is to break a single twig or even a few together but when more and more are put together it just becomes impossible to break them.

In today's message we read when the disciples of Jesus got into action after Pentecost the first thing they did was stand together. When Peter spoke he was 'with the eleven' it did not mean physically for other were also there but meant in one mind, understanding and purpose.

When we see other religions, other than Christianity we see more unity among them than us who are supposed to be in the light and not in darkness.

The Bible tells us the first congregation (Church) came together in the Name of the Lord through the hands of Abraham and they lived together as a tribe. Although the difference between them and the others were not visible (for they were circumcised) yet they were easily differentiated from the other people by their ways of life and the God they served.

Later even the twelve tribes under Moses too were a united army whom the other armies of the world feared, they too were just ordinary people but with them was something unique which no other army had and that was the glory of God which led them. They too were bonded together with things of the physical of the flesh.

The other religions of the world are based of acts of the flesh; the things that hold them together are traditions and human leadership. They have a human figurehead who leads them.

Before Jesus the people of God were walking in the flesh. The law of God was done in the flesh yet we see that there was great unity among them.

The new Church or Church of Christ is founded on Someone Who is not of flesh but of Spirit. He is the Rock on Whom the Church stands. He is the Spirit of God.

Jesus the Corner Stone knew and showed us the things of the flesh are temporary and the real world is the spirit world. So when He came as man He paid the price for us so that we could have a firm foundation which no human or any other being can shake.

Although we have a far great foundation and force to hold us together yet we are more disunited than those of this world and the main reason behind this is the lack of discernment. It is the lack of discernment which has caused cracks in the Body of Christ and we see so many Churches which compete with each other and even try to eliminate each other. It is not that they do not have the Truth with them, knowing Jesus Christ they do have the basic foundational Truth with them yet we find the Church divided.

Even though we are many churches, ministries etc. yet we are all supposed to stand together united as one for our foundation is one. The problem is not the difference among us in understanding but because of the lack of discernment. We have given the unimportant things more importance; we have allowed a fusion of the flesh with the things of the spirit.

Discernment comes from the One Who is the foundation of the Church - the Holy Spirit. The Word of God tells us if we ask of Him things which are good He gives them to us. So let us all together ask of the Holy Spirit a shower of the Spirit of discernment so that we come together as a united Church becoming one in Christ. That the world may see the glory of God among us and we stand apart from the people of this world and thus the Name of Jesus be lifted up.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, we are your people representing You and your Kingdom in this world. Although we are to be rooted in Spirit yet many among us are still holding on to the things of the flesh and making them their foundation. Lord, fill your people with your Spirit of discernment so that they may distinguish the important from the unimportant, the necessary from unnecessary and the good from the bad. May we be united in the Rock and give glory unto You...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scripturesr ]
Genesis 17:10-14,23
10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham痴 house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.

Romans 12:16
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

John 16:13-15
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Romans 8:1-6, 10-14
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

1 Corinthians 2:10-16
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 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.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man痴 wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Ephesians 4:17-24
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)