Unity of the Church - Time Out Ministries

In this week’s ‘Word for the Week’ I want to share three things
that are central to T.O.M’s core teaching but more so are central to the
heart cry of Jesus for His Church/Bride.  They are all about Unity of
the Body of Christ.

Jesus prayed…“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who
will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You,
Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the
world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have
given them, that they may be one just as We are one”... John 17:20-22

I don't know about you, but I am completely blown away that the One who
put death in its place by rising from the grave, reversed the curse through
His atonement, and is ever living to make intercession for the saints is
praying for unity amongst His people! Wow, talking about praying, "Thy
Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." Is there a
secret we are missing here? Is thud key to effective mission?.....Of course
it is! Jesus says that if we were able to experience this Oneness with the
Godhead….”then the World would believe that you sent Me”.

We don't have to guess what God's will is on this matter because Jesus
spells it out for us. His will is that His Body, His Church, would be one.
This is literally a prayer that we can agree with and experience God's will
being done on earth just as it is in Heaven. However, I believe it's going to
take more than just prayer. Let me explain.

If you study the Greek New Testament you will discover that the word used
in our key text above for "one" is ‘heis’ (Strong's #1520). ‘Heis’
stands for the cardinal number 1, yet it is also used metaphorically to mean
union and accord. The unity between Jesus and His Father was revealed to us
as a singleness of purpose that was mixed with determination, which
ultimately led Jesus to the Cross. His unity with the Father and the Spirit
was beyond unity. It was Oneness

Spiritually speaking, the equivalent Hebrew word reveals that sacrifice is
necessary to have the oneness that Jesus is praying for and the blessing it
will bring. This is because every Hebrew letter has a pictograph; therefore,
these letters paint a type of spiritual picture of the word they spell.

Further study showed me that the Hebrew counterpart to the Greek word used
for "one" is echad (Strong's #259). Echad is spelled with the three Hebrew
letters: aleph – chet – dalet.

Aleph – is the picture of a strong ox and represents a sacrifice. You
can't have unity of purpose and oneness of heart without sacrificing your
will for His will. To walk in tandem for the glory of God, there can be no
pulling or struggling against the other.

Chet – is a symbol of a fence, something which separates and protects.
Unity is destined to surround and protect us. It visually separates us from
the world. We should look different, after all; then others will know we are
His because of our love for one another.

Dalet – is a symbol of a door, a passage way. Yes unity comes with a
cost, but it will give us access to God's commanded blessing.

The second point I want to share is about the blessing of Unity

Jesus said…..“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running
down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his
garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of
Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing – life forevermore.”
Psalm 133

I always thought it was odd to say it that way. Commanded blessing is not
very poetic. Why not say something like "the blessings of God will fall down
like dew upon you." "They will saturate and satisfy you forever." Now that's
poetic! Yet as I meditated on this psalm, I saw something stunning. I saw the
God who created calm out of chaos with just the utterance of His voice
commanding a blessing in the lives of those who are in unity. Not only
speaking a blessing – commanding it! Imagine God commanding a blessing over
you, pronouncing peace and prosperity as a result of unity. What can stand
against God's command? Nothing.

To be clear, the Hebrew word used for "unity," here in Psalm 133, and the
word we just looked at for "one" are different words; nevertheless, they
share the same goal. In fact, it's interesting to note that there is only one
letter that differentiates between the two words. The letter is the yud. The
Hebrew letter yud is a picture of a hand, symbolizing power and strength.
There are many times that sacrificing your will for the sake of unity will
take all the strength you possess, but it will bring the oneness Jesus
passionately prays for.

The third point is about the power of Unity

Jesus said….“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth
concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in
Heaven”. Matthew 18:19

We see this fulfilled over and over again in the Book of Acts as the new
Church was in "one accord." The phrase one accord is a unique Greek phrase
found 10 times in the Book of Acts. It helps us to understand the uniqueness
of the Body of Believers. It means: with one mind, with one accord, with one
passion.

There is power in unity, and it starts with us. May we endeavour "to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). May we join in
the intercession of Jesus by setting set our mind and sacrificing our will to
walk in unity, bringing glory to His great name. It will bring the oneness on
earth that Jesus is in Heaven praying for and it will produce God's commanded
blessing.

Amen and amen.

Be so blessed

Have a great week!

Howard Barnes (Servant Apostle)

Co director of T.O.M Intn’l