The Power Of One 

At first glance, "One" may appear insignificant, not enough or too few. However, a verse like Deuteronomy 6:4 gives "one" a whole new meaning: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." God is one! Think about that, God is one, not many. Indivisible, unbreakable, complete, and united. The one true and living God who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are the same in substance, equal in power and glory. A mystery exposed in scriptures, which continues to be unveiled from generation to generation as people draw close to behold the splendour of his glory.

Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, the prayer on his heart was for his disciples to be one. A close look at how Jesus prayed reveals a few things to us about the unity of the Spirit:

"I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:11).

I am glad that unity of the Spirit is not something we have to create. God himself exists in a community of one. His being and nature speak of this unity. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit work in perfect undiluted unity, which is the source of unity the Church is called to preserve. It's not for us to create, it exists in Him - The triune God.

"Through the cross, Christ brought us into a loving union with God (1 Peter 3:18). The unifying of everything under Christ has always been God's plan, and it will be cosmically realized when Christ returns (Ephesians 1:7-10; Philippians 2:9-11). Christian unity is the result of God bringing together people of differing ethnicities, backgrounds and social classes into one family (or body) by faith in Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27; Galations 3:26-28). The church's unity - already a spiritual reality, but not yet fully realised - reflects the glorious unity of the Trinity to the effect that a watching world is compelled to believe the truth of the gospel (John 17:11, 20-23; Ephesians 4:4-6)." - Quina Aragon, (The Gospel Coalition, January 2021).

Back to Jesus' prayer. The ultimate manifestation of the unity Jesus prayed for will be realised in heaven - "so that they may be one as we are one" - but that's not a reason to be slack about pursuing and seeking this unity. This unity is the place of power and fulfillment. Jesus achieved all the father purposed because he lived in perfect unity with the father. We achieve more when we stand united in spirit. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

Are you working for unity? Are your actions promoting oneness or division? The call and cry from the throne of God at this moment is still "that they may be one as we are one" We all ought to speak, act and pray for this too:

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:3-6).

Unity of the Spirit is something we all need to make every effort to keep. Christ is the one who unites us. He is not divided, neither should we. We must not give room to the devil to disturb, unsettle or divide us. Every time the church changes it's focus from the LORD and stops pursuing his mission, it's gaze settles on other things, they lose the one, and end up with many, which turns to nothing. 

On another note, Ade and Kemi arrived safely in Hamburg, Germany.

Thank God for his mercies. Ade and Kemi are now in Hamburg. They arrived safely with no immigration issues. Thank you for your prayers and financial support. Please pray that their cargo arrives on time and that they settle in as soon as possible. If you want to support them financially, please contact Peter Rice for further instructions. If you have already pledged support, please don't forget to set up the direct debit to The King's Church, Epsom account and make sure you put "Germany" or "Ade and Kemi" as reference, so we can pass the money on appropriately. Thank you for your labour of love.