Unity

Unity is one of those words that conjures many thoughts in just as many people! At MPIC it is one of our Values, and necessary, if the church is going to move in the same direction, at the same time and hopes to accomplish much for the Lord. Unity in our homes makes for strong families; Unity on our jobs makes for a more productive work environment… and Unity, in the house of God, gives the church a vitality and purpose that is contagious! Jesus talked about how every believer is a necessary part of the “bigger picture”, the Body of Christ. Not His personal ‘body’, but the representation of His authority and will on earth… the Body of Believers, the Church. Anything divided will fall, and that also includes His church! That’s why at MPIC we want everyone to find their purpose and place… because everyone is needed and everyone is valuable to Christ as well as to the person next to them. I remember when we started Damascus Road International Church in Maastricht and we had over 80 nations of people attending. It was really great, but there was a problem: everyone brought their own culture’s interpretation of Scripture!

What I mean is, some believed we turned into Angels and got wings when we went to Heaven; others thought the Holy Spirit was not for today, and some thought if you didn’t read out of “their” version of the Bible that you were going to Hell! Oh, most all believed in Jesus… but we were not in Unity on many other issues and it was a struggle. One Sunday I pulled out my Bible opened it up and held it aloft. I confessed that, as an American, that I may have some cultural “Americana” that tends to color how I “do” church. I apologized saying, that just like them, I prefer some things that may be a bit different in the way I think Church needs to feel and look like… but, that when it comes down to what we truly believe about God, we all need to submit to the Word of God, the Bible… and find our strength together in the unity of Scriptural truth, regardless of our ‘cultural’ up-bringing. The Word and Will of God is our “Common-Denominator” and brings us together in Faith! It brings unity and agreement to everyone that will believe and cooperate with His timeless truths. When we are One in Him, then in unity we are strong! And, where there is Unity in faith… there is Jesus, and where Jesus is there is life.

 “Again I say to you, that if two  [c] believers on earth agree [that is, are of one mind, in harmony] about anything that they ask [within the will of God], it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  20  For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them.” | Matthew 18:19-20 (AMP)