Unity of the Spirit

A friend on Facebook has this link posted to their wall.  I was intrigued by the title, "Fusion Factor - Unity of the Spirit by Shane Harris".  I found myself drawn into Shane's writing.  He began to pen words to many things I had been feeling in the Spirit.  I loved how he even stated that he too struggles to find words to describe the things that he has seen by God.  He said, "I will attempt to relay this with words although some things in God are difficult to communicate with a pen."  This is SO true.  How do we use mere words to express the GREAT things of God.

He had been in a conference where he was experiencing a supernatural account with God.  He was feeling a stirring of unity among the brothers and sisters in Christ.  He was "feeling" it.  It was so real to him.  He said he "stood back just to take in what God was doing and felt an overwhelming love, respect and appreciation for my brothers an(d) sisters in Christ.  I could sense the unity of family that is impossible to manufacture or produce.  One family under the Father, unified by the blood of Christ being communicated and released by the Holy Spirit.  A divine connection with one another by the Spirit of God."

I LOVED that, "One family under the Father, unified by the blood of Christ being communicated and released by the Holy Spirit."  I had to meditate on that.  I am still meditating on all that means.  What a great picture.  Can we live up to that?  Are we doing that?  He said the move of God was producing that.  Bring it on Holy Spirit.  I am SO ready for unity.  Our families need unity.  Our churches need unity.  Our nation needs unity.

He went on to say,

"To a large degree churches today operate like corporations. Church members are returning customers, visitors new prospective clients, Pastors the CEO’s. This creates many problems with the most glaring being God becoming the product. Not at all the way God intended. God is not a commodity. This also produces a concept of unity based on corporate organization. I am a part of this church, bible study, club etc so we have automatic unity. We agree we all want to do this project or this event so we are unified. We all have matching T-shirts, bumper stickers, and hats emblazoned with our church logo to prove it.

But there is a much deeper unity that bonds us together as Christians. There is the unity of the Spirit. This is what I was seeing , sensing and experiencing in this service. The bond of the Spirit of God can only be seen and understood from the perspective of family. In a corporate environment it will be missed completely."

WOW - this was SO true.  Haven't we seen this?  Churches running like a business rather than the FAMILY of God.  God is NOT a commodity.  He is not the product we are selling.  We are not part of some "club" and with that do we make people feel as though it is for "members only".  NO - this is NOT the gospel.  Lord forgive us for what we have done with your bride, your church.

He quotes part of Psalms. 133.

1. A Song of Ascents. Of David. BEHOLD, HOW good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious ointment poured on the head, that ran down on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that came down upon the collar and skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body]. [Exodus 30:25, 30.]

3 It is like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, even life forevermore [upon the high and the lowly].

Shane said that verse 2 likens this unity to "precious oil".  In verse 3, he said, the dew signifies the Presence of God "as if dew on Hermon".  He goes on to say this is more than symbolic.  He said where "the unity of the Spirit is flowing there is anointing and (His) Presence is falling and running down on everything.  It gets in everything and on everything.  It alters the condition of what it touches."

What a word!  In the amplified version (above) it says comes down on the collar and skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body.]  WE are the body.  We are consecrated.    This "Presence" should be touching us and changing us.  We should be changed.

And finally Shane goes onto quoting verse 3 " 'For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.' "

God's presence brings BLESSING and LIFE!  This all comes through the UNITY of the SPIRIT.  I love how Shane says, "There is a tremendous amount of power in the unity of the Spirit. This anointing courses through God’s people connecting us as family in a bond greater than blood. Jesus intensely desired this in John 17 'so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one,' "

Shane then boldly states the hard truth that, "Much of the time we do not really see the power of God flowing through our churches because have not first accessed the unity of the Spirit. We try to reach up and grab the power but often to little effect because we have not found the oil of unity that flows down from heaven or have allowed the baggage in our lives to disrupt its flow. This unity is so important we are actually told to protect it in Ephesians 4. "  Lord, help us DO your Word.  Change us.  Oh God, We NEED thee!

Shane concludes his writing that

"There is a tremendous reservoir of power and blessing ready to flow through the church. The world will see and know that Christ is real by our genuine love for one another (John 13) that comes from the bond of the Spirit of God. By this divine connection of unity rooted in Christ.

This is coming. I see people running to be restored to the Father through Jesus Christ as they see His reflection through His family. They will hunger to be a part of the family of God. People who wanted no part of the church because of dysfunction and a corporate culture will come in. Wounded people walking into places where the family of God has gathered walking out completely healed. Power and overwhelming love permeating the fabric of the church.

God is moving in this hour to right the family. To restore the unity of the Spirit."

I was SO encouraged by this.  I pray you are stirred as well.  A change is coming.  Unity is coming.  There is a move of God beginning to blow but as in all moves of God, we have the opportunity to participate or let it pass us by.  I am reminded of all the scriptures in Revelation that WARN us regarding "he who has an ear, let him hear, what the Spirit is saying to the churches."  NOW is the time.  Are you listening?  Do you hear?

Unity in the Spirit

REVELATION scriptures:
(Rev 2:7) 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.'

(Rev 2:11) 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.'

(Rev 2:17) 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.'

(Rev 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22) 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'