Unity ≠ same

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord  has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. (Psalms 133:1-3 ESV)

I remember back in high school in the tuba section of my high school marching band we wanted to get berets instead of the hats we had. Our director was less than support and just flat said no! We have a uniform so we will all look the same. We had to wear the uniform so we would be one and the same. But were we?

We all looked the same because we had the same hat, jacket, pants and shoes. We looked alike but we were no where close to. Being the same. We were different people from varied backgrounds and family situations. We might have looked the same but we were not. We were uniform. But not the same.

And that is how it is in the body of Christ. We are different from different backgrounds and denominational situations. We are from different denominations and so we are not the same. But in Christ we have unity. A unity that causes peace and love to flow over all creation.

So let’s stop trying to make people be the same as us and live in the unity Christ gives us.

Dew of the mountain…

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. (Psalms 133:1-3 ESV)

Have you ever done something with a group of people and you were all in sync and it worked so well and God’s love and mercy flowed from y’all like a mountain stream?

Remember how it felt to be in the unity of that moment?

Now think back, did you agree about everything with every other person in that group? Probably not, but you were united in the mission before you, and that is where the joy came. That is what made the event good and pleasant and allowed God’s mercy and love to flow like streams from the mountain.

It is like dew from Hermon, or the mountain… That sweet mountain dew! I remember how I use to drink mountain dew all the time. To me it was nectar of the gods… It was great and I loved it. Still do but now it is way too sweet for me to drink it, except diet… But to me that is how we live in unity, by making sweet mountain dew and fulfilling God’s mission, not agreeing on everything, but focusing on what unites us and moving forward in that mission.

So be united to the body of Christ and allow the good pleasant mission of God to happen in and through you.

Love…

 
When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:31-35 NRSV)

How do you know who someone is?

We say you can’t judge a book by its cover and you can’t judge a person by their appearance. But don’t we all do that. I mean you can’t undo a first impression.

When we see someone with tattoos and multiple piercings what do we think?

We all judge others. We see a man in a three piece suit and we think he is a business man, when under neath he is the tattooed pierced man we saw yesterday and wondered how he would get a job.

Can others tell that you are a christian by seeing you? According to Jesus if you show love for all then everyone will know you are a follower of Christ.

So do you show love for everyone?

Kingdom people

And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.” (Daniel 7:27 ESV)

Where is the kingdom of God?

Or maybe a better question is when is the kingdom of God? Revelation 11:19 says that the temple was opened and the ark of the covenant was seen by everyone.

The verse above tells us that the kingdom of God was given to the people of the saints of the most high God. That is you! We are al, saints once we have been redeemed by Christ. We are the sinners with the saints, we are His people and because of that His kingdom belongs to us and we are kingdom people!

So rejoice that His kingdom will reign forever and that it is now and it belongs to you.

Forever

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13, 14 ESV)

Ever wonder how long God will reign?

How long the promises will hold up?

As our lives around seem to crumble and our worlds fall apart. God will always reign. The verse from Daniel above tells us this, as well as Revelation 11:15. We are promised over and over many things, but we are also told how long these promises will last because God thought Jesus will reign forever. It is a given that God will always be in control and His kingdom will never pass away.

Decreed forever

Praise the Lord ! Praise the Lord  from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord ! For he commanded and they were created. And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away. Praise the Lord  from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the Lord , for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the Lord! (Psalms 148:1-14 ESV)

Praise the Lord!

We all know how easy this is all of the time!

When the car needs gas or new tires and the bank account is empty…

When rent or the mortgage payment is due and there isn’t enough money to buy a loaf of bread…

But here is why we can praise the Lord, “he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.”

You see the Lord’s decrees and promises will never pass away. No matter how bad your life may seem. God is always with you and His promises will always hold you up!

Blasphemy…

The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?’ The Jews answered, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.’ Jesus answered, ‘Is it not written in your law, “I said, you are gods”? If those to whom the word of God came were called “gods”—and the scripture cannot be annulled—can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, “I am God’s Son”? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. Many came to him, and they were saying, ‘John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.’ And many believed in him there. (John 10:31-42 NRSV)

How many of you have ever been charged with blasphemy?

OK we really don’t charge for blasphemy in the church, but how many of you have been held to a standard of what you have said or done is just out of line with what the church has taught?

You see the Jews wanted to kill Jesus not because He was good but because He was teaching them something that was against what they knew to be good and right. Even though what He was teaching them was in the scriptures!

How many of you go to a worship gathering where the pipe organ is used? Do you know that now if you try to have worship with some other means of musical accompaniment that it is considered blasphemy in some congregations? Did you also know that when the organ was introduced to worship settings it was the instrument of the devil and should not be used in worship?

Also how many of you go to a place of worship that has a woman pastor? This was blasphemy in many places until just recently and still to this day is not acceptable in some denominations…

We are really hung up on the “we have never done it that way” that we miss the forest for the trees.

We are suppose to be followers of Christ. Not followers of the way we have always done it. So listen to wheat He is calling you to do and do it!

 

Why can’t we?

Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. (Acts 9:32-35, ESV)

Do you read passages like this and wonder why they don’t happen today?

Do you ever read passages like this and wonder why can’t I do that?

We want the powers it seems the disciples of Jesus had. It is almost like they had something special because they were touched by Him…

But didn’t Jesus say to them (and us) that “we would do greater things than He did”?

The problem is in our inward thoughts…

Why do you want to be able to do the things you read about? Is it selfish or selfless?

Paul healed everyone because Jesus came to heal everyone. They did not withhold from anyone the power the disciples yielded was Jesus’ power and that is why it worked. If we are giving ourselves away selflessly than the things that happened then will happen now, and they do.

We maybe doing things we do not even see, but our job is not to want to do the miracles  our job is to follow Jesus and do what He needs us to do.

You can! And Jesus will through you, just follow Him!

Sending me Angels…

This past Saturday night I had the privilege of seeing Delbert McClinton with some great friends. He sang a song which made us take notice called Sending Me Angels. One of my friends found a link to the lyrics and sent it to me. I read them and thought about all of the wonderful angels my friend has placed in my life.

I am thankful for all of the angels God has sent me and this is for you.

Lyrics to Sending Me Angels :
I walked down to the river, stood on the shore
Seems like the devil’s always tryin’ to get in my door
Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore
Here he came again, my friend

He keeps sending me angels from up on high
He keeps sending me angels to teach me to fly
He keeps sending me angels, sweet and true
He keeps sending me angels just like you

As I stand on this mountain, face to the wind,
Amazed by the number of times I have sinned,
And the countless number of enemies that should have been friends
Here he comes again, my friend

He keeps sending me angels here they come a-flyin’
He keeps sending me angels to keep me from cryin’
He keeps sending me angels, sweet and true
He keeps sending me angels just like you

Some say that it’s comin’, I say it’s already here
The love that’s among us through the joy and the fear
When I look into your eyes everything is so clear
My friend, here he comes again

He keeps sending me angels from up on high
He keeps sending me angels to teach me to fly
He keeps sending me angels, sweet and true
He keeps sending me angels,just like you