Unity

What Did Jesus Say About Unity?

In John 13 through 17 Jesus has a lot to say about unity, “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.’ Peter said to Him, ‘You shall never wash my feet!’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.’ ‘I tell you the truth, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.’ So when he (Judas Iscariot son of Simon)had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of man is glorified, and GOD is glorified in Him. If GOD is glorified in Him, GOD will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I sait to the Jews, “Where I am going, you cannot come,” so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.’ “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in GOD, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.’ Thomas said to Him, ‘LORD, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. Phillip said to Him, ‘LORD, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Phillip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.’ ‘If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will manifest Myself to him. Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, ‘LORD, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s Who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things I have said to you.’ ‘I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast our as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, so I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.’ ‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.’ But when the Helper comes, Whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.’ ‘Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for it I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.’ ‘However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.’ ‘Indeed the hour is now coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.’ Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to Heaven, and said: ‘Father, the hour has come, Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may also Glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true GOD, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.’ ‘Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.’ ‘I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word: that they may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me, I have given them that they may be one as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they might be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.’ ‘And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it. That the love with which You loved Me may be in them and I in them.’

All of this “in” stuff, Jesus is in the Father, the Father is in Jesus, we are in Jesus, Jesus is in us, we are in the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit who is in us, and all the what is Yours is Mine is Ours stuff is unity.  The unity of the GOD Head; The Father-Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim (I Am The LORD GOD Creator); The Son-Christ, Jesus,  Emmanuel (Anointed Saviour GOD with us); The Holy Spirit-Spirit of GOD, The Helper, Seal of GOD (Teacher, Counselor, Comforter) and us-the born again Spirit filled believers (The Church, The Body of Christ, The Bride of the Lamb). We are all one in GOD in whom, by whom, and for whom all things exist.

There is unity in the GOD Head! There is unity in believers! Why? Because, there is unity in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus brought the Kingdom of Heaven to earth and left it with the believers to expand throughout the world.  It is only in unity that the church can take the Kingdom of Heaven to the world. Our individual efforts are lost in the enormity of the world’s nations, tribes, and tongues. But in unity we as the world wide Body of Christ we can reach every nation, tribe, and tongue with the Gospel Message of the Kingdom of GOD. And the Gospel message is Jehovah is your Heavenly Father and wants you through Jesus Christ to enter into His Heavenly Kingdom here on the earth, and to then take the Gospel to your family, neighbors, and communities.

Isaiah 28 for America

I did this in November 2015.

1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of America,

Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower

Which is at the head of the verdant valleys,

To those who are overcome with wine!

2 Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one,

Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm,

Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing,

Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.

3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of America,

Will be trampled underfoot;

4 And the glorious beauty is a fading flower

Which is at the head of the verdant valley,

Like the first fruit before the summer,

Which an observer sees;

He eats it up while it is still in his hand.

5 In that day the Lord of hosts will be

For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty

To the remnant of His Church,

6 For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,

And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7 But they also have erred through wine¹,

And through intoxicating drink¹ are out of the way;

The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink,

They are swallowed up by wine,

They are out of the way through intoxicating drink;

They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

8 For all tables are full of vomit and filth;

No place is clean.

9 “Whom will he teach knowledge?

And whom will he make to understand the message?

Those just weaned from milk?

Those just drawn from the breasts?

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,

Line upon line, line upon line,

Here a little, there a little.”

11 For with stammering lips and another tongue

He will speak to this people,

12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which

You may cause the weary to rest,”

And, “This is the refreshing”;

Yet they would not hear.

13 But the word of the Lord was to them,

“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,

Line upon line, line upon line,

Here a little, there a little,”

That they might go and fall backward, and be broken

And snared and caught.

14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men,

Who rule this people who are in Washington DC,

15Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,

And with Sheol we are in agreement.

When the overflowing scourge passes through,

It will not come to us,

For we have made lies our refuge,

And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.”

16 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, I lay in The Church a stone for a foundation,

A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;

Whoever believes will not act hastily.

17 Also I will make justice the measuring line,

And righteousness the plummet;

The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,

And the waters will overflow the hiding place.

18 Your covenant with death will be annulled,

And your agreement with Sheol will not stand;

When the overflowing scourge passes through,

Then you will be trampled down by it.

19 As often as it goes out it will take you;

For morning by morning it will pass over,

And by day and by night;

It will be a terror just to understand the report.”

20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on,

And the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it.

21 For the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim,

He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon—

That He may do His work, His awesome work,

And bring to pass His act, His unusual act.

22 Now therefore, do not be mockers,

Lest your bonds be made strong;

For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts,

A destruction determined even upon the whole earth.

23 Give ear and hear my voice,

Listen and hear my speech.

24 Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow?

Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods?

25 When he has leveled its surface,

Does he not sow the black cummin

And scatter the cummin,

Plant the wheat in rows,

The barley in the appointed place,

And the spelt in its place?

26 For He instructs him in right judgment,

His God teaches him.

27 For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing sledge,

Nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cummin;

But the black cummin is beaten out with a stick,

And the cummin with a rod.

28 Bread flour must be ground;

Therefore he does not thresh it forever,

Break it with his cartwheel,

Or crush it with his horsemen.

29 This also comes from the Lord of hosts,

Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance.

¹ Wine and intoxicating drink are anything that please the flesh but distract us from our relationship with GOD.

It’s The Church Not America That Must Change!

It’s The Church Not America That Must Change!

Many including Christians believe that for America to be restored to its greatness that it must change and embrace its Christian heritage.

They are wrong America’s greatness came from pride and self righteousness. They are the root of all sin. But the fault does not lie with America it lies with the Church!

“If My People who are called by My Name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.

America is not GOD’s people Christians (The Church) are GOD’s people. We are the ones who must humble ourselves (pray and seek His face), repent of our sins (turn away from our wicked ways). Then He will heal our land, Proverbs 14:34.

What are the sins of the Church in America?

Pride – There is no unity and love for one another (John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:7-11); churches, Christian TV and radio networks, ministries, denominations all compete against one another.

Greed – Growing bigger, making more money (so we can do more works) is the same goal the world has.

Immorality – lying, cheating, stealing, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, abortion, all exist in the Church.

Laziness – The Church does not belong in politics or the social issues of the world (then who does?). The Church (individual believers) does very little evangelism to the lost, we have programs supported by the few who pray an give and done by the even fewer, Matthew 9:35-38.

Disobedience – Matthew 10:1, Mark 16:14-18, Matthew 28:18-19, Hebrews 10:12-13. The Great Commission! The Church worldwide has failed to disciple the nations or to make GOD’s enemies His footstool. I do not know of a single Christian nation, but there are several Muslim nations; nations that the government is supported or controlled by the religious leaders. Israel was founded by GOD to be an example of a nation that served Him in every area of life and society. It’s leaders whether Judges, Prophets, Priests, or Kings were to lead the nation in the ways of GOD’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. The leaders of Israel were to look to GOD for guidance, wisdom, grace, and mercy (humble themselves, pray, and seek His face) so that when Christ came to declare the Kingdom of GOD was at hand the people would know what He meant and how they should respond.

America has never been Christian nation (a nation discipled to the Lordship of Jesus Christ)! There were many communities and colonies founded by true believers who were seeking a land where they could worship GOD in freedom from government persecution. There were many true believers involved in the rebellion against England the founding of our nation, but freedom of religion meant that all religions were welcome and equal. Over time secular humanism has made great gains in our government and society. The Church has drawn back with little resistance and now our nation is on the brink of losing all of the grace and blessings it has receives because of the Church.

For there to be revival in America there must first be revival in the Church!

It is the Church’s primary function to find the lost and bring them into the Light! They are not lost as in missing for GOD knows them and where they are at all times, they are lost from the Kingdom of GOD being held captive in satan’s kingdom of darkness. It is the Churches responsibility to take the Light of GOD’s Kingdom to them, dispelling the darkness so they can see GOD’s Kingdom and gift of salvation, Matthew 16:16-19.

But many denominations, churches, ministries, and Christians act like the lost are their enemies or something to be avoided. GOD’s enemies are not people but principalities, powers and spiritual darkness and the few people who willingly and knowingly serve satan’s kingdom of darkness. Most people are simply lost and need us to fine them! It is not the Churches job to tell them what rotten sinners they are and, that they are going to hell, it is the Churches job to show them that GOD’s love and salvation is for them. It is not he Churches job to judge and reject them. It is the Churches job to love them and show them that GOD’s love and salvation is for them.

Churches must stop stealing people from each other. Churches must stop watering down the Gospel with programs meant to draw the “good” people of the community. Big is not better! In any Church in America why are there few who pray and tithe and even fewer who do the work of the ministry? Why where there is a ‘mega’ Church is the community not changed by the power of the Gospel? Why when there are more than one ‘mega’ Churches is the city not turned upside down by the power of the Gospel? It’s because the Church is not growing through evangelism but by moving ‘Christians’ from one program driven church to another. The Church needs to be about the business of evangelizing their community by prayer walking the streets, fasting, witnessing, outreaches that meet the felt need of the lost, or whatever the Holy Spirit is leading in.

So as a believer what am I (and you) doing in my home, work place, and community to bring light into the darkness?

America A Dry And Thirsty Land

For several years America has been a dry and thirsty land both physically and spiritually. Physically the land has been dry and parched in many regions under the greatest droughts ever recorded which led to fewer crops harvested, fewer meat and poultry products available for the market, therefore costs of food and other products were higher. The dryer weather also led to greater fires which led to loss of life, loss of housing, loss of production, loss of peace for many.

The north east had the wettest and longest winter in decades during 2014 – 2015. During the summer of 2015 the drought was broken in the southern plains region. This winter of 2015 – 2016 the west coast is just starting to feel the relief of an El Nino weather pattern. This is good and the answer of prayer by many people and religious groups. But the breaking of these droughts has brought loss of life, loss of housing, loss of production, loss of peace for many, not just on the west coast but also in the central and southern plains.

While most are blessed many are harmed physically, emotionally, and financially by the breaking of the droughts.

The same is true of the spiritual drought America has been in for decades, many people and religious groups have been praying for spiritual breakthrough in our land. There is a cost that some will pay for the release of GOD’s Spirit. The spiritual drought in America is from more than one source, but the root cause is sin in the Church. If during the 20^th century the Church had been walking in the spiritual and moral teachings of Jesus, America would not be in the spiritual drought it is in.

As the people of GOD pray and fast seeking His presence in their lives, families, churches and communities He will come! It’s not about convincing Him to help and deliver us, it’s about seeking His presence in our lives and that will bring His mercy and deliverance. But not only will His presence bring spiritual renewal and revival to the Church and nation, it will bring judgment on the Church and nation. While this will be a blessing for many it will bring pain, loss, and even death to some in the Church and the nation. Some will not heed the call to repentance that is the first result of GOD’s presence. Pride that has led to sin in the Church will blind some to their sin and need to repent instead they will be judgmental and reject what GOD is doing. They will join with those who are opposed to GOD’s presence by default of rejecting GOD’s presence.

If we truly want revival in America then it first must come to the Church, the Body of Christ cannot be full of sin and reveal the need of society to repent of its’ sin. “If My people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 is the most quoted and misunderstood scripture for revival, read the whole chapter and GOD’s conversation with Solomon in verses 12 thru 22. It is not about revival but about judgment and repentance. Let’s read verses 12 thru 16, “Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him; ‘I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.’” NKJV. We know that since Christ’s sacrifice and ascension that we the believers in Christ are the Body of Christ in the world and we the Church is now the house of GOD in the world. While Israel is still GOD’s chosen people we have the Spirit of GOD and the Great Commission.

If we truly want GOD to revive America we first must let Him revive us, the Church! This will only happen as we humble ourselves, admit our sin and inabilities; pray; seek His face, His presence; and turn from our wicked ways, repent! Then He will hear, forgive and heal!

How America is like Israel

While reading Jeremiah 2 I saw how America was like Israel.

America was called by GOD to be a nation when it was not a nation. It was not a nation but a loose gathering of believers and non-believers who all wanted freedom. The non-believers wanted freedom from oppressive government regulations and the believers wanted freedom to worship GOD as they believed He wanted them to.

Israel did not follow GOD’s instructions on taking the land of promise and the founders of America wanted freedom so bad that they allowed freedom of anything and everything.

As in Israel this resulted in the land being filled with sin and rebellion to GOD. As Israel could not cleanse the land neither can the Church cleanse America. Only GOD through the Church can convert or remove those opposed to Him.

The Church like Israel is to present and represent GOD’s love and righteousness in humility with prayer and fasting. To allow His Holy Spirit to restore America to its GOD given purpose of being light and salt to the world.

America is not called by GOD to be a super power, economically, militarily, or politically. America is called to be a beacon of light in a world of darkness, to shine GOD’s love on the lost and rejected and His righteousness and salvation on sin. America is called to bring flavor (salt) to religious mumbo jumbo and living water to a parched world. To be a city on a hill shining the Light of GOD’s Kingdom into the kingdom of darkness. When America is doing this it will be a world super power.

They feared The LORD, yet they served their own gods

“They feared The LORD, yet they served their own gods…” 2 Kings 17:33

I just read 2 Kings 16 – 17, and 17:24 – 41 are about the King of Assyria resettling the cities of Samaria after he took the Israelites captive and resettled them in Assyria. It says that the LORD sent lions into the land to kill those who resettled it and that they complained to the king so he sent a captive priest of the LORD to teach them the “…rituals of the GOD of the land.” (vss. 25-27).

Most of 2 Kings is about the kings of Israel and Judah that did not fully serve the LORD nor lead their nations in serving the LORD. So in chapter 17 the King of Assyria captures Samaria and takes the people captive to Assyria, resettling it with Assyrians, because the children of Israel served the gods of the nations around them at times ignoring Jehovah altogether.

Verses 33 and 34 say, “They (the Assyrians) feared the LORD, yet served their own gods-according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away. To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow the law and commandment which the LORD had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel.”

In John 11 the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead after 4 days in the grave is told. The most revealing verses are 45-53 with 47 and 48 being the key to the Church of that day, “Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, ‘What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.’”

I see a parallel between Israel, the resettled Assyrians, the Jews of Jesus’ day, and the Church in America today. Many fear the LORD yet do not serve the LORD as He set forth in the Bible.

The Church in America battered the gates of hell and they were pushed back during the election of 2016, but they are gearing up for another assault on the Church. Do you not hear their threats and insults? If we do not come together in unity, faith, and obedience then we will return to being defeated and defamed by the enemies of GOD.

It’s not about America, I am proud to be an American, I served twice in the US Navy, I’ve voted in every presidential election since 1976, I’ve paid my taxes every year. But my life is not about being an American, it is about being a Christian, a member of the Body of Christ, The Church. As a citizen of the Kingdom of GOD I am a good citizen of America but my loyalty is to my eternal redeemer Jesus Christ. In December 2015 and January 2016 I wrote two papers on America, Israel, and the Church. Like Israel America is a called nation, it is formed of people who were not a people into a nation that was not a nation, all by the sovereignty of GOD and America has a special place in GOD’s Kingdom on the earth.

I see in the Church in America today the same mind set as of the ancient Israelites, the Assyrians that resettled Samaria, and the Jews of Jesus’ day. Many in the Church today are about their ministry, their calling, their work, their purpose. But it’s not theirs its GOD’s! We need to stop fearing losing our ministry and start fearing losing our salvation. (Study Matthew 7:21-23; 10:27-31; 25:1-13, 31-46; John 12:42-50) Remember Jesus is talking to believers not to people who do not know the Word and are not looking for Him.

The Church is divided into many camps that have differing views and speak against or judge each other, there is no unity, Psalm 133 should be our guide for unity. Jesus’ command should be our standard, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” ”If you love Me, keep my commandments.”  (John 13:34-35; 14:15) John reemphasized this, “If someone says, ‘I love GOD,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love GOD whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him; that he who loves GOD must love his brother also.” “By this we know that we love the children of GOD, when we love GOD and keep His commandments. For this is the love of GOD, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” (I John 4:20-21, 5:2-3) Study Luke 10:25-37.

Paul teaches us that the Church is the Body of Christ and is living and built of living stones built on the foundation of Christ. That we are like a human body each part is necessary and important to our call and purpose of becoming the Bride of Christ. (Study all of his writings and Revelation).

We, the Church, cannot and will not accomplish our call, also known as the great commission, (Luke 24:44-49, Mark 16:14-18, Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 1:4-8), until we come together in unity and there will be no unity as long as we believe we are right, Proverbs 3:34 says, “Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.” Scornful also means prideful, James says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the LORD, and He will lift you up. Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy. Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:10-12). In Matthew 7:1-6 Jesus taught us not to judge others because we will be judged the same as we judge.

We have to stop being for GOD and start being of GOD! When we are of GOD and He is in us as His Holy Spirit and His Living Word then we can see that His Kingdom is not about us or our ministry but it is about Jesus Christ and the call He gave to us before He ascended to the throne on the right side of the throne of The LORD to reign over His Church as we make disciples of the nations of the world and make His enemies His footstool (Study Hebrews and Revelation). Our gifts and call which GOD places in every human being when He forms us in our mother’s womb are for the purpose of serving His Kingdom on earth not for our personal use or gain. (Study Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:4-5, Isaiah 49:1-6, Luke 1:26-35).

Humility brings unity and unity brings the Grace and Power of GOD, without the Grace and Power of GOD we are just another religious group who believe that by living according to the standards that we believe GOD has set we will go to heaven, maybe, and receive great rewards, even greater than the ones we seek here on earth. The commission Christ gave us is not to just follow the rules and hang on until the end hoping for the best. He calls us to tell people where we live, work, and play about Him and GOD’s love for them, to pray for people who are sick expecting them to get healed, to cast out demons, tread on serpents, to raise the dead, and to make disciples of the nations, making His enemies His footstool.

The Great Commission

Christ’s Commission to the Church!

Luke 24:44-49, Mark 16:14-18 (When Jesus first appeared to the disciples after His resurrection).

Matthew 28:16-20 (When Jesus appeared to the Eleven in Galilee).

Acts 1:4-8 (When Jesus ascended).

“Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  Then He said to them, ‘these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And you are witnesses of these things.  Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.’  And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they {in their hands} will take up serpents; and it they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’”

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’  Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘LORD, will You at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?’  And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’”