UNITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

By Ben Berto

²⁰ “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”                                                                                            JOHN 17; 20-26. ESV

We are aware of the saying, “United, we stand; Divided, we fall”. No country that is divided will prosper. That is why Jesus prayed that His followers would be as one, or united. He said that if Satan fights against himself, his kingdom will not stand. So would the church that is not united.

So, the 13^th Fundamental Belief of the Seventh-day Adventist Church states, “ The church is one body with many members, called from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. In Christ, we are a new creation; distinctions of race, culture, learning and nationality, and differences between high and low, rich and poor, male and female, must not be divisive among us. We are all equal in Christ, who by one Spirit has bonded us into one fellowship with Him and with one another; we are to serve and be served without partiality or reservation. Through the revelation of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures we share the same faith and hope, and reach out in one witness to all. This Unity has its source in the oneness of the triune God, who has adopted us as His children.”

Jesus knows the prejudices of His followers, the jealousy that they harbour against each other, their desire to be the leaders, or top men in their outfit. This controversy among them was not hidden from Christ, who even when He washed their feet. They still harboured ill feelings against non-Jews, women, “sinners” and the poor, which blinded them to the all-encompassing love of Christ even towards them, whom the disciples detested. That was why He prayed that prayer for them.  Christ could not be swayed by tradition, public opinion, or even family control. His irrepressible love reached down and restored broken humanity. This is the love that Jesus wants the disciples  to have for each other. Only at the Pentecost, were they united with each other. In the words of Luke in Acts 2:1,  “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all ^[a]with one accord in one place.”

From now on, after introducing the other Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, I would be including some devotional thoughts which I think would be helpful in our Christian journey in this life. From the book, Moments with God by Brenda Walsh, we could talk with Him whether we are walking, working, or simply interacting with others. For today, we will be talking about God. Does He have limits? Is there anything that He could not do? Being God, God has no limits. We read in the Bible that with God, nothing is impossible. ( Luke 1:37, Matthew 19: 26)  

Let us begin.  “There are no limits  on what God can do in our lives!He has an incredible plan for each one of us, but sadly, most refuse to give up control and will never know or realize what that plan is. Unless we are willing to step out of our comfort zones and fully surrender to His will…we will be limited by our own human efforts! God doesn’t want us to set limits on what He can do, for there is nothing that we could dream of that could possibly compare to God’s plan for our future! He has called each one of us to be ministers…to point others to Him. It is God’s glory that people need to see. His fullness that others need to receive, and His love that others need to embrace. We alone have nothing to offer, but Jesus does. Ask God for an anointing of His Holy Spirit on your life such as you have never known. Take His hand and blindly follow wherever He leads… with complete trust, confidence, eagerness, and Holy Spirit boldness! Then you will experience the richness, joy, exuberance, and fulfillment of living a totally surrendered, Christ centered life

To contact us: Our website is www.abundantlifeadventist.ca. Worship with us every Saturday Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. Genesis 2: 2, 3, Exodus 20: 8-10, Isaiah 58: 13, 14; Isaiah 66: 22, 23; Matthew 5: 17-19; Revelation 22: 14, John 14: 1-3, Rev. 6:6-12 We welcome sincere questions.