If we know what it is that God is wanting us to do, then we know what it is that the enemy is trying to prevent.
Acts 1:4 begins with these three words: “Gathering them together…”
This is exactly what God wants.
He wants us to gather around one thing and one thing alone.
He wants us to wait for what the Father has promised.
We come to know what this promise is as we continue to read the following verse.
“…for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (see Acts 1:5).
I remain convinced that this is what God wants us to gather around… this is our common ground… this is what will unify us — our need for a greater baptism in the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God is attracted to unity.
He’s drawn to oneness.
Psalm 133 tell us that unity between brothers is like the precious oil upon the head.
This truth contains two meanings.
First, Christ is the head of the church.
When His body is unified, it blesses Him.
It’s like oil poured out upon His head.
Second, oil is symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Unity within the body of Christ is like a magnet to the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 133 also says that it’s good and pleasant when brothers dwell together in unity.
If that’s true, then the opposite is also true.
It’s not good and not pleasant when brothers dwell in disunity.
The enemy would love nothing more than for the church to be completely divided right now.
If you breakdown the word division, you wind up with di-vision.
Division is the result when more than one vision, more than one focus, more than one mandate is in place.
Unity is only ever found when the church is about one thing and one thing alone.
Jesus unified His disciples when He commanded them to make disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:19).
It was the mission that gave them focus.
It was the mission that gave them common ground.
It was the mission that unified them.
And it was also their waiting upon what was needed to fulfill the mission that strengthened their unity as well.
They were all with one mind as they continually devoted themselves to prayer in that upper room (see Acts 1:14).
They were not divided over what they should be doing next or what they should be praying for.
Their thoughts were on one thing and one thing only.
They were unified by their need.
They were one in their obedience.
In what is commonly referred to as The High Priestly Prayer found in John 17, Jesus prayed something extraordinary.
He prayed that both His disciples and those that would come to believe as a result of their ministry would be one (see John 17:20-21).
If Jesus prayed that we should be one, shouldn’t we do the same?
Now more than ever, the temptation for the church to be divided over where she should put her energy and focus is at an all time high.
Many peripheral issues are fighting to take center stage for the purpose of distracting us from making this baptism in the Holy Spirit our one goal.
We must be diligent and remind ourselves that our fight is not in what’s seeking to sidetrack us, but in contending for a move of God.
The power right now is found in the number one.
The reason why unity is so precious to God lies within His character and nature.
We must never forget that God is triune.
Although He expresses Himself as three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — they are one.
Whereas disunity is contrary to the personhood of God, unity reflects Him.
And it’s my firm belief that unity… right now… is found around our need for the promise of the Father to come to pass.
- Brian Connolly, Faith Like Birds
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