There is Power in Unity

United We Stand.

 I am sure most of us are familiar with the phrase, United we stand and Divided we fall. This phrase has been used in mottos from nations, states, and songs. The concept is, that unless the people are united as one, then it will be easy to destroy them.

This is also in direct contrast to another phrase, Divide and Conquer, which is a combination of military, political, and economic strategy of gaining and maintaining power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into smaller concentrations of power making it less difficult to conquer.

The idea of being a united people and standing, or being divided and falling has it root in the Bible.

Mark 3:22-26
22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand
26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

As you can see from Jesus' own words there is Power in unity!

Psalm 133:1-3 
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity.
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, That ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: That went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: For the LORD commanded the blessing, Even life for evermore.

David is telling us how precious it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. He compared unity to the holy anointing oil that was poured upon Aaron , the first priest, and which anointed the tabernacle.

We can also find that Unity was an absolute necessity of the Apostles and their work for the Lord.

Acts 1:12-14
12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olive, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.
13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women , and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

There is POWER in Unity!

Matthew 18:18-20
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 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. 
20 for where two or three are gathered together in my name. there I am in the midst of them. 

Acts 2:1-4 
1 When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them
4 And they were all filled the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Holy Ghost comes in Unity!

Acts 2:46-47
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

There is Revival in Unity!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up.
11 again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?
12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

There is Strength in Unity!

Romans 12:16-19
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

The Apostles lived in unity, and they instruct us to do the same.
Let's endeavor as a Church to live in unity, so we can Win Our World For Christ!

Created by: Sis. Brittany Jenkins

Last Days Ministries Apostolic Church

The Strength of God

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith."

Romans 1:16-17

After carefully pondering on this portion of scripture one can not help but to ask. What is it about the gospel that made the Apostle Paul so unashamed and to what manner or extent did it affect his life?

What is the gospel

Def: Gospel (Greek:euaggelion) - Good tidings or Good news

How good is this good news? 

1) The angel of the Lord speaking the shepherds declared this good news saying "behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" after this a multitude of heavenly hosts praised God saying "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men". The Gospel is for all People. Luke 2:10-14 

2) King Solomon put it ever so beautifully saying "as cold water to a thirty soul, so is good news from a far country". The gospel is Refreshing. Proverbs 25:25

3) Paul wrote that the "goodness of God leadeth thee unto repentance". The gospel has eternal purpose attached to it. Romans 2:4

The Affects of the Gospel

What could make a man endure persecution, heartache, pain, abandonment, beatings, imprisonment, trials, and ultimately beheading. What could make a person so bold? Apostle Paul endured all these thing and more and he revealed to us how he did it, he wrote it is "the Power of God".

Paul's character was that of a pharisee, these people were leaders in the Jewish synagogues. They were the traditional teachers of jewish law. They also held to deeply rooted traditions passed down through "oral law". Jesus Christ would reprove them for esteeming this oral law as much as the commandments of God, at times they would even go as far as neglecting the commandments of God for the traditions of men (Mark 7:1-13). Before his conversion, Paul was more zealous then the rest of the pharisees, the scriptures show that he fervently persecuted the church thinking that it was the will of God. One day he had an encounter with Jesus (Acts 9:4) and three days later he was converted (Acts 22:16). 

Paul's Suffering

"Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness". 2 Corinthians 11:23-27

Could you imagine this happening to you today? Being stoned almost unto death? (Acts 14:19-20)

In spite of these things Paul boldly declared, "none of these things moved me" Acts 20:24 How did he endure it? It was the Power of the Gospel! This word power literally means strength or might. It is the strength that propels one unto salvation. It is a literal force, who's author is Jesus Christ. What he did for us is life changing if you apply the gospel to your own life. Paul had a real encounter with the Savior and his gospel and he used his faith to apply it.

Application of the Gospel

A vehicle frame is useless without an engine, and an engine is useless without a vehicle frame. Alone they serve no real purpose, but when you install the engine into the vehicle it can accomplish its intended purpose. The Gospel works in the same manner with humanity. It must be applied to our life in order to be effective because the gospel was accomplished by Jesus for humanity.  

The Gospel (good news) is the publishing of what Jesus did to redeem us. It is the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We apply the same principle through the plan of salvation. We Die to self (Repentance), get Baptized by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ (Burial), and we rise in the newness of life by the power of the Holy Ghost (Resurrection) (Romans 6:3-5). Peter made it plain, giving instruction on how to be saved he said to "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost". Acts 2:38

Paul experienced this same plan of salvation and preached it as well (Acts 9:17 18) and (Acts 22:16). Every New Testament church had the gospel applied (Repentance, Water Baptism, and Holy Ghost), thus qualifying them to be called saints (Romans 1:7), brethren (Colossians 1:2) and churches (Galatians 1:2). 

Daily application

After our Christian conversion the principles of what Jesus did for us are also vital aspects to holiness living. The love that Jesus displayed for us in his death is so tremendous and life changing, how could we overlook it and not love our neighbors? The forgiveness he showed toward the very people that were crucifying him is the model for us today, we should not even hesitate to forgive others and love our enemies.

Gospel Power Houses

Truly the gospel is the "Strength of God" unto salvation. Like Paul, it will literally transform your life, making you into a gospel Power House. The power of God will flow through you and it will touch others; its contagious, its electrifying!  This Gospel has an eternal purpose attacked to it, it is not temporal nor will it leave you weary in well doing but it will position and project you into salvation and an eternal inheritance with Jesus Christ. Although we endure various trial and tribulations, the strength of God will leave us also with the very same testimony as the Apostle Paul, "None of these things move me" Acts 20:24

Authored by:

Min. John W Jenkins

Last Days Ministries Apostolic Church