BENEFITS OF UNITY Sunday 27 November

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

MEMORIZE: “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 18:19)

READ: Acts 2:1-4

Unity is a powerful force in the universe. However, uniting against God, His Word or His children causes God to arise in defence of His Name. This is the other side of power of unity. Barring this, unity can accomplish almost anything on the face of the earth. In Genesis 11:5-6, God said that if the people of the earth were left with one language and as united as they were in building the city and tower, they will be unstoppable. The united are unstoppable. Unity is a powerful tool for achieving plans and purposes. But if operated in righteousness within the Christian fold, it is even more powerful. “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 18:19). Where unity is exhibited correctly, God is involved. Those who are coming together would have a common purpose and they will call on the Almighty God. To operate the power of unity, there must be at least two people. These must share of the same faith in Christ. The subject of agreement must not conflict with God’s will or Word. And they must call on God in faith until they see result.

Unity is power. The united are adorned with exploits. They achieve what others cannot. If you are united in your family or church, you will be able to achieve what others cannot. Your family or church will stand out. The death sentence on the Jews in the days of Esther was reversed by the power of unity. Where there is unity, promises will easily be fulfilled. This was the case with the Early Church (Acts 2:1-4). Nehemiah was able to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem through the power of unity that existed among those who worked with him (Neh. 2:18). It is unity that turns a crowd or group of people into a team. The acronym TEAM stands for: Together Everyone Achieves More. For true unity to exist in the church, there is need to forgive and release from our hearts those who have hurt us. We must accept God’s Word as the basis of our union. We must be tolerant of the views of others and be prepared to sacrifice ours. We must jointly have a God-glorifying goal and corporately call on the Lord.

KEY POINT:

Unity de-emphasizes individuals but emphasizes the group. Unity moves everybody up and forward with very little effort from individual members of the group. Unity is the cheapest and fastest way of progress. Make unity in Christ one of your goals.

 

Bible in One year: Gen. 27-29