UNITY & AGREEMENT
12th Oct 2022
Jesus said, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19)
Do we hold agreement and unity with the same degree of importance as Jesus did, and as we find in scripture? Right from the beginning of the Bible this principle was clearly stated. In Genesis 11:6, in the story of the Tower of Babel it says, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” God confused their language to break up their unity.
The power of unity is stated in Psalm 133, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity! ……. For there the Lord commands his blessing, even life for evermore.”
When we are praying with folk who may have serious needs, we always ask them, “What are you believing for, because we want to come into agreement with you and claim the promise in Matthew 18.”
Paul is just as strong in believing in the importance of unity. In Ephesians 4:3 he says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” This unity does nor mean we all think the same way, but it is the acknowledgement that we all belong to the same family and are children of our heavenly Father. Family unity is very precious.
In the middle of a very important letter from Paul to the Philippians, he sees disunity as sufficiently important to include in Chapter 4 verse 2, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.”
The fragmentation of the body of Christ down through the years speaks of our weakness when it comes to living in agreement and unity. It also points towards the reason for the lack of real effectiveness in today’s Church.
The promise of Psalm 133 is that when unity is present, “the Lord commands his blessing.” Let us seek to live lives that bring us into the powerful experience of answered prayer and commanded blessing.
by Charles Sibthorpe
