God is bringing the Body of Christ together today in a true unity and oneness of Spirit. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he told them to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. After that he told them about the gifts that Christ gave to the Church as He ascended on high. He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the building and perfecting of the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:1–17). We are to strive for that oneness of Spirit above everything else.
People usually think that unity means simply to be without friction or conflict in the church, with everything. going along rather harmoniously. However, disunity may exist in people’s spirits without ever manifesting itself. Unity must be wrought in your spirit by the power of God, always through your own initiative, always through your own faith and aggressiveness. Those who come into a unity of Spirit are dedicated to that unity. They would pay any price on earth to walk together. There are certain dividends that result if you pay the price to be one in Spirit.
When someone comes into one of today’s restored New Testament churches, it usually takes a while before he recognizes that there is a difference between becoming a member by “joining” the church, and being submerged as an individual into that body of believers by the Holy Spirit. This is what Paul referred to when he wrote, “By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body” (I Corinthians 12:13). A believer can sit in such a church for months, loving the Word of the Lord and what God is bringing forth, without feeling that he is a part of what is happening. He can go through all the motions; yet he will not be effective. What really counts is that he senses the work of the Holy Spirit bringing a deep revelation to him, and he knows that he is one with the Body. His awareness of his oneness with the Body suddenly reaches him, and he knows that he is set in the Body as it pleases the Lord (I Corinthians 12:18).
In I Corinthians 1:10, Paul indicated what will happen as a result of unity. Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. When believers come into the same mind and the same judgment, into perfect unity, they are made complete. The second letter to the Corinthians ends with this same thought. Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. II Corinthians 13:11.
The completeness of your life will never be attained as an individual; it will be attained by being a member of a body of believers. You can go only so far as an individual. Today people can make more progress in one month, being led by the Spirit, than many people made in a lifetime of diligent effort in days past. Some Christians have struggled a lifetime to make the spiritual progress that young people can now fall right into. This can happen because it is the day of Body ministry. The emphasis is not on the individual walk with God, but on the collective walk with God. The army of the Lord (a collective body) is coming forth which will not break ranks nor thrust one another through (Joel 2:8). Isaiah 52:8 says that the watchmen shall shout for joy, and they shall all see eye to eye when the Lord brings again Zion. You are made complete through the process of unity.
The weak areas of a person’s nature tend to surface and have expression when he is unmarried. In the marriage relationship, a person derives a strength in the moral fiber of his life. This is a natural illustration, which is also true spiritually. If a person is walking as an individual, he will more easily become withdrawn or rebellious and fall into many problems. But if he is walking in unity with the Body and he is a real part of others, he will have strength to resist the enemy’s attack. He will walk in the Spirit and enjoy the blessedness of being complete in his oneness with the Body.
Paul wrote to the Hebrews about having a united effort: Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24–25. Let us always maintain that oneness of the Body and carry the burden for one another. Jesus said, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40b. There is no better way to minister to Christ than to open up to the oneness and unity that is to be found in the Body of Christ. Believe in it with all of your heart. Impartation comes where it is needed, and immunity is ministered as it is needed through the oneness of the Body.
Proverbs 27:17 tells us that a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. An alertness comes as we learn how to walk together. As we reach into what God wants to do in this end time, we can come into a true unity and worship together. We must assemble ourselves together all the more as we see the day of the Lord approaching. This will be our source of strength. Even if we do not always understand it, we draw strength from being with the Body.
A little child can receive something that is imparted from the Lord by being in the house of God. It is best to have your child in the service, rather than in a nursery. If your baby begins to fuss, you can always take him out for a moment or two. You might wonder what a small child can receive from a service that is not geared down to his vocabulary or level of understanding. Receiving is not a matter of individual comprehension as much as it is a matter of absorbing what the body of believers ministers; it is far beyond human understanding. The spirit of a child is far more capable of appropriating and receiving by impartation than his intelligence can comprehend in understanding. Children do not enter into the system of education until they have reached a certain mental level of understanding, and then they are taught certain skills. However, children can begin to walk with God in spirit before they can even talk. The Word speaks about a child being filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb (Luke 1:15). According to the Word of God, we ought to bring our children to the house of the Lord to be blessed. When the disciples did not want the children to bother the Master, Jesus said, “Suffer those little children to come to Me. Do not forbid them” (Mark 10:14). They need it. In a service, you may have to keep your children occupied at times with a coloring book, though it is better for them if they can simply sit and listen. This may seem to be a passive approach, but the more a child absorbs, the more he is being blessed.
Bless your child while you are teaching him the ways of the Lord. When you bless a child, the Holy Spirit can minister to him far beyond your comprehension. If we continually bless the little children, we will be surprised at what some of them will walk in.
During one period of American history, most of the presidents were sons of ministers. This was at a time when there was greater sincerity in the ministry than is usually found in this day. The result was an impartation of blessing to those men in their youth. Today we should believe for our children also to be blessed by God to walk among the greatest of statesmen, the greatest of scientists, and the greatest of writers. The best books, the best inventions, and the most exciting discoveries are waiting for our children to bring them forth. We do not have to train them to be geniuses; we can simply bless them in the house of God.
The blessing of the Lord can radiate, sometimes in spite of the perversity of the individual involved. For instance, Jacob was not a model person. He fled from his brother Esau after cheating him. Then Jacob worked fourteen years for Laban, his father-in-law, who cheated him. Jacob worked another six years and cheated Laban. When they were finally through cheating each other, Jacob gathered up his family and flocks and left without saying good-bye. Even though they did not get along very well, Laban realized that God had blessed him because of Jacob (Genesis 30:27).
In our day, everyone who is associated with those who walk before God in unity will be blessed. No one will be looking after himself, but all will have the same love and care for one another. In this unity, all will find the completeness they really want. Some have the idea that if God blesses everyone in the church enough, they will all be in unity; and if all do the will of God perfectly, then God will bring a oneness of Spirit. That is putting the cart before the horse. Unity comes first; then completeness and blessing follow. If two people could be found by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, who are truly walking in oneness and unity, and they would be sent out to minister, they would be amazed at the results. Does this sound like fantasy? It is scriptural. Jesus sent the seventy out by twos. He told them how to go, what to take, and just what to do. They returned, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name” (Luke 10:17–20). They were amazed at the effect. They went out by twos in a united venture. The power came as a result of the unity. It was the oneness in their spirits that brought the results.
Several million people have been filled with the Holy Spirit since the turn of the century. But where can we find a church of one hundred and twenty people today, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, and are having a service with the power that is described in Acts? Today there is the same Holy Spirit, the same speaking in tongues, and sermons just as good as Peter preached. What is the difference? Acts 2:1 says that they were all with one accord in one place. Their unity preceded the power. The unity precedes the completeness that we can have in Christ. The unity precedes the immunity from the world that we need. Unity precedes the impartation of blessing from one another that we can have.
This truth is illustrated in Acts 4. We read in verses 23 and 24 that when the disciples were released from custody, they went to their own companions, and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard this, they lifted their voice to God with one accord… We do not know whether they were all speaking the same words, but there was such an agreement that there was tremendous power. You do not know what force you can turn loose when you learn to be in full agreement in your spirit with just one person. The Lord said that if two or three agree in anything they ask in His name, the Father will do it for them (Matthew 18:19). All it takes is two or three agreeing together. This is what happened when the believers all lifted up their voices with one accord. They could all have gone off and prayed separately, but they did not; they all prayed together in unity and something happened.
When the disciples lifted their voices to God with one accord, they said, “O Lord, it is Thou who didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Thy servant, didst say, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples devise futile things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ.’ For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur. And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Thy bond-servants may speak Thy word with all confidence, while Thou dost extend Thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Thy holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:24b–31. Although it was a simple prayer, a power came into the building and shook it. Every one of them was filled with the Spirit and began to speak the Word of God, because with one accord they had lifted up their voices.
To some extent people are playing church if they come together without working for unity. They should concentrate on being one. There should be a real flowing together of their spirits. If the people are singing and flowing together in Spirit with all their hearts, the anointing of the Lord will reach out to everyone. A person cannot be discouraged in such a service because the oneness of Spirit precipitates power and blessing. People can stand and sing their hearts out, but if they do not move in a flow of unity, the service will fall flat.
The secret of the church moving is the unity. Unity comes first. This is what they had on the day of Pentecost. They were all in one accord in one place when the Spirit fell upon them, and there was a great manifestation of power and conviction. When people walk in unity, the blessing that God is bringing is suddenly multiplied. Although the Spirit is present in many individuals, it does not seem to have as much effect as when they are determined to walk together as one. Then the anointing that is within each one suddenly is enhanced in a flow of power. This is a principle of Body ministry.
The restoration will take place mightily because of Body ministry. We read that all will see eye to eye when the Lord brings again Zion. The Lord does not bring Zion again first; He does not bring the restoration first. They see eye to eye first. First the unity must come. Then will come the blessing. Should we ask the Lord to give us power? No, we should ask the Lord to make us one.
The prayer in John 17 is the prayer of Christ for the disciples: “I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.” What did the Lord pray for the disciples and for all the people who were to believe through the Word that they spoke? Did the Lord want to bless their finances to help them build churches and bring forth many wonderful projects? Those areas are all important, but they are not as important as this one purpose: “that they may all be one” (what could happen if they were one?); “even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.” John 17:20–21.
People speak ineffectively until unity comes. The day of Pentecost was a beautiful illustration of this. Peter stood up with the eleven when he began to speak. He was not standing alone. The eleven were lined up right beside him. This happens today in a measure when just a few back up the one who is preaching. What will it be like when someone preaches and everyone else who is standing there blesses him and believes in complete agreement with the Word? They will start moving into the greater works that God has reserved for His end-time disciples.
The Lord continued: “And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one” (that was the important issue); “I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity” (“in one”; the margin reads “into a unit”—into a oneness), “that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me.” John 17:22–23.
This brings up the subject of perfection again: “that they may be perfected in unity.” Are you discouraged with the idea of being perfected as an individual? Every time you suppress one weakness, does another pop up? You may believe in perfection, but you will become discouraged if you approach it after the old ways of working on yourself, trying to discipline yourself. Believe for the glory of God to rest upon you and everyone else in the house of God; and in the oneness of the Body you will all be perfected into one. The idea of every man for himself is not scriptural. According to the Scriptures, the strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak (Romans 15:1). Perfection comes by unity. Those who become one in Spirit could actually move the world; and the gospel of the Kingdom could reach the ends of the earth. What Satan has done in defeating God’s people by dividing them could be reversed. Through the oneness of the Body could come an overwhelming victory, and the overcomers could come forth.
How can you get into that unity? You may be quite content to walk as an individual most of the time, because you do not realize how you are limiting yourself. You may be satisfied just to come to church and slip out quietly without becoming too involved. However, the Lord says that your becoming involved and entering into the oneness is what makes the church effective. That is what will bring the power and the perfection. You cannot even attain your own individual goals in the Lord by yourself. You can only attain them in the Body. No one can come into his ministry alone. If God gives a personal word of direction over you, it will not be very long before you start floundering around. You will never come forth until someone else starts interceding for you.
No one makes it alone. Start praying for one another. If a brother seems to be stumbling and faltering, do not criticize him; make a bond with his spirit and start praying for him. He will not make it otherwise. Divided we fall; united we prevail. For this reason, withdrawal and rebellion against divine order are two of the most effective tools that Satan uses against God’s people. If he can divide them, he can defeat them. Your dedication to oneness must be perfect. Determine to be one with your brother. Let nothing separate you from that purpose. This is the key of all that God will bring forth.
In Old Testament times, the tribes of Israel had been divided for many years. They had even been at war with each other. This is typical of God’s people today in their division. Jeremiah prophesied: “In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be the Lord their God they will seek. They will ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces in its direction; they will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.” Jeremiah 50:4–5.
When the children of God begin to join themselves together and seek God with weeping, repenting of their division and their withdrawal from one another, then the blessings will come. Repent. Weep. It is that simple. Repent with weeping before God for the division that has been in the Body of Christ. Vicariously take upon yourself the guilt of all division, crying unto the Lord that even the hostile, rebellious brother may be restored to you in spirit. Perhaps you felt that because he withdrew, you would leave him alone. Were you glad to see him go? Was it a relief not to be burdened with his problems anymore because you had enough problems of your own? That is not the way to think. Do you know that your problems are quickly solved by taking the problems of your brother? Repent of anything in your spirit that would separate you from your brother. Weep over it. Cry and be sorry about it.
Can you imagine how you would feel if you realized how many wonderful blessings you have missed because you were isolated from your brother? How many things have you prayed for that you knew were in the will of God for you to have, and yet you did not receive them? You probably looked for many reasons why they did not happen. They probably would have happened if just two or three had agreed and asked in His name concerning them. The oneness in prayer would have prevailed.
Personal, individual prayers will never be enough. We must pray and believe as a Body. Unity is the key to omnipotence. God said that it is not good for man to be alone. Adam needed more than just a wife; he needed the complementary help that would bring forth the force by which he could take dominion over all of creation. How will the sons of God come to the place where everything that is under the hand of God is put under their hands? This will come about as they are one together, just as Christ said, “I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one.”