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Trinity Unity
by Pastor Graham Cathers
Recently we were privileged to have Jim and Joy Dawson with
us at LFCC. I can't think of any two people on the face of the earth that I
respect more than this couple who walk so closely with God.
When I invited Joy she accepted only after prayerful consideration. God gave her a word for this church, which I believe is to be a
compass for us.
John 17:20-23 says, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for
those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all 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 just as We are one: I in them, and You in
Me; that they may 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." (NKJV)
The word of the Lord for us was this:
If we would take this
word on trinity unity and pay the price
to love one another; and if we would
make a burden for
lost souls our top priority next to unity -
that God would bless us
beyond imagination.
Ephesians
4:1-3 says, "Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg
you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by
God. Be humble and gentle. Be patient
with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of
your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind
yourselves together
with peace." (NLT)
Joy Dawson told us, "The price for trinity unity is humility. Our greatest enemy
is the pride of our heart. Humility of heart is the only condition the love of
God can work in."
Without humility, gentleness and patience we can't walk in
unity with one another. It means making allowances for each others faults
because of your love. The CEV says, "Patiently put up with each other and love
each other". This kind of love and humility makes room for imperfect people
that don't always live up to our standard of what's right.
In I Corinthians 6:1-8 the Apostle Paul asks, "Wouldn't you rather be wronged and forget it?" All of us can make this choice, but some people are wired for justice. They are black and white
people with no grey. But there are times for the sake of Christ and the unity
of the body that God says let yourself be wronged and forgive. You don't always have to be right. If you find that you
always have to be right - that's pride. There's a time for mercy. I'm not saying
we never confront, never speak the truth in love or correct, but our goal is always to preserve the unity in love.
"People that carry
a deep sense of justice are in danger of
putting rules over relationship." - Kris Vallotton
When Jesus healed a blind man and
raised the dead, the first thing the Pharisees did was check the calendar. They said, "It's
Saturday that's against the law." This is putting rules over relationship. In Matthew 9:13, Jesus said to them, "Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy
and not sacrifice." They valued keeping the rules at all costs. To them what
mattered was external obedience, they had no room for compassion or mercy.
The first two missionaries sent out from the
Moravian community paid their passage to the West
Indies by selling themselves as indentured servants. They
became slaves to reach the slaves. One of them had been betrothed to be
married. As the ship pulled away from the dock, his fiancée cried out, "Why, would you do this?" His
answer was simply, "So that the Savior can receive the reward of His
sacrifice." He was not thinking of his own rewards, which certainly
must be great, but he was only thinking of how the Savior deserves His
reward - the souls for which He gave His life.
Let's decide to pay the price for trinity unity and make souls our priority so the Savior can
receive the reward of His sacrifice.
- Pastor Graham
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