|
The topic of God's people Living Together In Unity was part of Christ's High Priestly prayer, just before His walk to Calvary. This was one of the songs of ascent that Israel would sing to the Lord with joy in their hearts, as they advanced on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This was a hymn of praise that would echo throughout the land, as God's people travelled towards their sacred destination. We too are on our own march towards our heavenly home, but every step we make toward that day when the Lord takes us to be with Himself, should be a day when we live together with our brothers and sisters in Christ in gracious harmony and godly unity. Unity does not imply uniformity. But in the Body of Christ there should be a real oneness of spirit on the essential fundamentals of our faith, while lesser, subordinate issues should not cause discord, disunity, or division. Little disagreements or alternative views on minor issues should be approached with wisdom and grace. In all our dealings there should be a godly spirit of unity and love. There should be a patient, kind, gracious love that comes only from the Spirit of Christ Who is our life. In Him our soul is refreshed and we are equipped to edify others, which glorifies our Father in heaven. A song of ascents. Of David. How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we pray that we may learn to live together with all our brothers and sisters in Christ in godly love and unity, to Your praise and glory. Protect us from discord, disunity, or division, and help all Your children to stand firm in the faith, because through the death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we who are saved are all united together in Him. May we honor Him by living with our fellow Christians in unity. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. This verse is specifically dealing with legalists and false teachers, who tie up heavy burdens on others by forbidding certain food or demonizing certain God-ordained institutions; such as marriage and the family unit, which have been graciously given by God for our benefit and instituted for the good of mankind. They prohibit this... deny that... and insist on the other! They not only place unbearable burdens on the people of God and deliberately distort the beauty of His creation and design, but they seek to undermine the Word of God which must remain the only plumb-line for life and living - and the only standard for truth. These false teachers and gnostic lawgivers discredit the name and character of God... the end result of which is to call good - evil and to call evil - good. In this passage, and elsewhere in the Scriptures, we see that they forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, fruits, herbs, and seeds, which are part of God's gift to us, for our healing and benefit. "For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,." The ultimate authority comes from the Scripture, and when preachers, teachers, institutions, or religious bodies teach things that are contrary to that which is written in the Word of God, we should question the legitimacy of their position - and Hold Fast To The Word Of Truth.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that You have graciously allowed us to have access to the Word of God and the truth it contains. Give us wisdom to stand on the foundation of truth and not to be influenced by those that deny the eating of particular foods or restrict certain God-ordained institutions, like marriage and the family unit for unbiblical reasons ; knowing that all good and perfect things come from You. For this, we give You grateful thanks and praise. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. We are called to edify and encourage one another. But pointing the finger of blame, over-stating a brother's fault, participating in unfounded gossip, censorious speech, or condemning the legitimate, freewill choices of another Christian, when their actions conflict with the freewill standards we have chosen, is considered to be evil speech. It is quite sobering to realize that the spirit behind evil, incorrect speech, is not only a sin; because it violates God's written Word, but contravenes every biblical instruction on godly living, we are not to judge one another. "Judge Not," Christ warned us, "that ye be not judged?" We are certainly called to judge the spiritual fruit of pastors and teachers, and to check the doctrines they teach against Scripture. We are to be spiritually discerning. We are to beware of false teachers and be able to identify unbiblical teachings and doctrines. However, we are not instructed to judge the thoughts, hearts, motives, and behavior of others. It degrades our own testimony and dishonors the Lord, Who is the only one worthy to judge the thoughts of the heart and the actions of a others. Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we pray that we may become a doer of Your holy law and not fall into the foolish trap of judging it, by condemning the actions of others. Lord, You alone can judge the thoughts of the heart and we have no right to condemn others, through our own self-righteous attitude. Keep us humble before you and help us to become an encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and not their accuser. Keep us from being 'wise in our own conceit', or making arbitrary assumptions about the motives of others and above all, teach us to love others as Christ loves us, for in so doing we will honor Your name, as Christ lives in and through us. In His precious name we Pray, AMEN. This was the ministry for which God the Father sent His Son into the world. A Ministry Of Reconciliation And Hope for a world lost in sin; providing salvation for all that would trust in His finished work on Calvary. This was the anointed One Who announced, "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted." This indeed was His mission and ministry when He came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel 2000 years ago, and this continues to be His mission and ministry throughout this present age of grace, the dispensation of the Church of God. Whosoever will, may be healed and made whole, His grace is sufficient and His forgiveness is for all. There are those that choose to reject His offer of salvation and His gift of forgiveness of their sins. There are those that, in their selfish ways and pride, refuse His comfort and peace, His atoning work on Calvary's Cross where "He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; by His stripes we are healed." But, still to this day, God in His grace is convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, and judgement so that all that look, will live: A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.  Our United Prayer:
Loving Father, praise Your name. We thank You that in Your grace You lifted us up out of the miry clay, when we were that broken reed and smoking flax, and set our feet on the Rock of our salvation. Thank You for Your tenderness, loving-kindness, and care. May we always come to You in times of trial and distress. Keep us under the shadow of Your wing. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. Although Christians are not under the 'Mosaic Law' per se, we are certainly under 'the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus' which is "The law according to the Scripture," and there are many instructions that believers in the Church age are given on many of the issues that are addressed in the Law of Moses e.g. vengeance and justice belongs to the Lord. The importance of loving our neighbor as ourselves is a principle that both the born-again believer and the unsaved people recognize as coming from the lips of Jesus, and is opposite to the reaction of the natural human in this fallen world. However, as members of Christ's Body, we have been given an even more astonishing (and impossible) commandment, that we Love One Another AS CHRIST LOVED US. May we seek to fulfil this worthy directive in the sustaining and almighty power of the Holy Spirit of God, without Him we can do nothing, but in His sufficient strength we can demonstrate godly love to others in the same way that Christ loved US. “’Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the Old Testament teachings and the many things that we can learn from Your Word. Teach us to take every thought captive to Christ, when we feel that our rights are being violated or when we would like to take matters into our own hands. Thank You that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are supplied with the sufficient grace to love others with Christ’s own perfect love, a love which passes our understanding. May we grow in grace and increase in holy love toward others, for Your greater glory. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. It is ONLY faith in the Son of God, the eternal God made in human flesh, that is sufficient to pay for the price of sin and save us from death and hell. Without faith in the humanity of Christ, there is no Christian faith. Without the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no forgiveness of sin and without trusting in His death, burial, and resurrection to save us we remain dead in our sin and without hope in the world. Every person, every preacher, every teacher, every denomination, every doctrine, every spirit that does not acknowledge the humanity of God, in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, proclaims a false gospel and is influenced by a 'spirit' other than the Holy Spirit of God. We do well to reflect on this truth, Scripture tells us that all manners of false 'gospels' will infiltrate every sector of Christianity. Let Us Hold Fast To The Truth and confess Christ was crucified, as the anointed Messiah of God and Redeemer of the world, our Savior Jesus Christ is Prophet, Priest, and King. He is Son of God and Son of All. He is the Word that became flesh. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,  Our United Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You sent the Lord Jesus to be born in the flesh so that He could die for our sins. Thank You that He was willing to be born into the human race, and shed His life-blood so that we might live in Him. Give us the wisdom and insight to discern the truth, and not to be led astray by false teachers or heretics. May we feed on You in our hearts, by faith, with thanksgiving and praise. Protect our minds from all false teachings, and may we grow in grace and in a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whose name we Pray, AMEN. The fifteenth chapter of first Corinthians provides the most comprehensive treaties on the resurrection of the body, and life eternal for the believer, in Scripture. We are encouraged to be fruitful in our earthly toil and to Fulfil The Good Work That God Has Given Us To Do, during our time on earth. Let us never doubt God's Word, but rejoice to follow Paul's direction, to fulfil our calling enthusiastically, and to remain occupied at all times in the Lord's work, knowing that our toil is not fruitless in the Lord. The day is fast approaching when we will be clothed in our resurrection bodies, when we see Him we shall be like Him. Praise God that we DO have a sure hope and an eternal inheritance that was laid up for us in heaven, from the moment that we placed our trust in Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, what a glorious future You have purposed and planned for all who trust in Christ, as our God and Savior. May we never doubt Your Word, but enable us to be steadfast in our daily walk, and strong in our Christian faith. Help us to be productive during our time on earth and enable us to carry out Your work and Your will, knowing that our toils are not fruitless in Christ. Thank You for the truth of the Resurrection and the knowledge that our mortal bodies will put on immortality, at Your appointed time. Help us to remain occupied in the work that You have prepared for us to do, to Your praise and glory. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. The Warning From The Wise is to be cautious of certain social situations and to be warned that being the guest of a miserly man or ungenerous woman is very likely to blow up in your face, because their apparent generosity is hidden behind a hypocritical attitude or some deceptive motive. Although such a person may offer lavish delicacies or provide generous gifts, we are warned that if their heart is not with you, their attitude may turn on you and become sour even though their superficial conduct may appear to be sweet, such a relationship can easily turn bitter. May we exhibit wisdom in situations where we are confronted with hypocritical people who display an apparently generous spirit while hiding behind a mean and miserly streak or we may become the unsuspecting victim of a mean, miserly person or fall into the trap of someone who displays apparent kindness, while concealing some ulterior motive. They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the words of wisdom in this book of Proverbs and for the warning to be cautious of hypocritical people who put on a show of generosity, but are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Give us wisdom and discernment as we travel through life so that we are prevented from falling into a trap. We know that as a person thinks, so are they. Purify our thoughts, we pray, and may the words of our mouths and the thoughts of our hearts, reflect the grace and truth of Christ Jesus our Lord. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. This verse in Romans gives a glimpse into the other side of the coin that graciously feeds an enemy when he is hungry and provides drink for him when he is thirsty: Scripture reveals that returning good for evil and showing kindness to an antagonist, may result in one's adversary feeling guilty for their unkindness and may cause them to admit their fault. Although returning good for evil can certainly have a positive effect on an adversary, the significance of "heaping fiery coals on his head," has a much greater depth of meaning for those who are God's people, this verse follows another Old Testament quote, which warns: "Never take your own revenge, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine'. I will repay', says the Lord." We are clearly told that vengeance on an enemy is not our remit. Vengeance Of Evil Belongs To God, and we must never take from the Lord what is rightfully His. Vengeance is the sacred premise of God, and a day is coming when He will judge the world, and all the evil acts perpetrated on His people, in righteousness. The mercy and grace of God is available to all, and as His children, we should demonstrate that same mercy and grace to the lost, including our enemies. The responsibility of our enemies is to come to repentance while our responsibility is to obey God's Word: On the contrary: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, there are times when we have been hurt and abused by our enemies who have sought to harm us and those we love. We confess, Lord, that at times we would like to pay them back for the wrongs they have done. But we know we have been called to do good to those that treat us badly, to pray for our enemies, and to feed them when they are hungry, for Your greater glory. We also know that You have promised to avenge those that hate us, and we thank You that a day is coming when You will put all wrongs to right. Keep us from trying to avenge any wrongs done to us, when Your Word clearly says: "Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord, I will repay." Draw us closer to You, and may the words of or mouths and the actions we do, bring honor to Your holy name and blessings to those with whom we come in contact. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. Too frequently we see the character or attitude of many Church leaders and their congregants becoming self-indulgent, while at other times we observe Christians being EITHER 1) overly critical of their fellow believers for insignificant things OR 2) prepared to compromise their Christian faith by refusing to address issues of spiritual importance which should not be ignored! It is important that unseemly behavior in the Church is properly identified, addressed, and corrected in a seemly and biblical fashion. However, it is equally important that doctrinal error is also picked up and dealt with. Correction should be done in the spirit of love and the bond of peace, without compromising the gospel of God. There should be unity in the essentials of our faith, liberty and Christian courtesy surrounding any non-essential doctrinal issues, and godly love and graciousness should be demonstrated in the actions and attitudes we show towards our brothers and sisters in Christ knowing that God "Is Not A God Of Confusion but the God of peace." As blood-bought children of our Heavenly Father, we should reflect His godly characteristics, to the honor of His name. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the words of instructions. We pray that any ungodly or carnal attitude that we have developed in our Christian walk, would be identified and dealt with. Thank You that You are not a God of confusion. We pray that You would give us wisdom when we come across disunity within the Body of Christ so that we may know how to behave and what to do in a way that honors Your name and character. Help us to walk, day by day, in humility and godly righteousness to Your honor and glory. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. Entering into His rest and falling out of that rest has no bearing on our salvation. Once we are saved, we are always saved, but we can choose to live each day in a state of Resting In Him and His precious promises (which are steadfast and sure, unchanging and true), or we can choose to live in a state of restlessness, agitation, and exertion, by trying to do things by our own strength in our own way. Let's come boldly to the throne of grace and lay down anything that hinders us from entering His Sabbath-rest. The rest we can only find in Jesus, as we trust Him to keep us in perfect peace. While we are still living in this world in our bodies, our rest is in Him – we rest in His Word and we rest in His promises. for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you that Christ Jesus is our rest. Sometimes we forget that resting in Him is simply appropriating Your Word and accepting your precious promises, by faith. We pray that, day by day, we rest in Jesus by trusting our lives into His hands and trusting the Word of truth in our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, AMEN. What a blessed comfort this verse has been to multitudes of believers in Christ, down through the ages, who have rested on these words and had their hearts stilled in the presence of the Lord. He is our God Who satisfies our years with good things, and renews our youth like the eagle. He performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed. The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness. He Is Our Savior And Friend. He is our hope and strength and He will be exalted, for it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves, we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Although the nations rage like the billows of the sea and the people imagine a vain thing against the Lord God Almighty, we are called to be still in the presence of the Lord and to know Him in our heart by faith, with thanksgiving. May we be still in His presence, cease from all our strivings, and be at peace in His company Whom to know is life eternal. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  Our United Prayer:
Dear Lord, we praise You that Your Word stands fast forever and ever and that Your precious promises encourage us to rest in Your love and drink deeply from the Rock of our salvation. Draw near to every member of Christ’s Body, and protect Your people against the increasing roar of the nations. We pray for Your return, when Your name will be exalted throughout all the earth. Then all the nations will know that You are God. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. It Is God Alone Who Knows The Heart. It is He alone Who knows when a man or woman believes in their heart that Christ died for their sins and rose again. Once that hidden heart decision to trust in Christ for salvation is met, the man or woman is immediately born from above by the power of the Holy Spirit and is freely able to confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. "Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and the Spirit of God abides in him." If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that Your only begotten Son came to earth to die on the Cross and to rise again so that all who believe in Him, would not perish but have everlasting life. Thank You that You have not forgotten Your children, and thank You that all who confess that Jesus is Lord, the eternal God and believe in their heart that He rose from the dead will not perish but have everlasting life. In Jesus' name we pray, AMEN. The moment that we are saved by grace through faith, we have an assurance that we are part of the group that are blessed by God and will indeed see Him. Not because of what we have done to make our hearts pure; but because of what Christ has done for us so that by faith in His sacrificial death and Resurrection, we are given a pure and holy heart which will see God. Purity Of Heart, together with meekness of soul and poverty of spirit, is not something that can be attained by self-effort or hypocritical works. A heart is purified by the inner work of the Holy Spirit in the man or women who is rightly related to God, through faith in Christ. How blessed are we, who are inwardly cleansed of sin by the Spirit of God. Through faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord? Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that our hearts have been cleansed of sin, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. Thank You that He is the image of the invisible God, Who has been revealed to us, by faith. Keep us low at the Cross and broken before You, and open our eyes to see more and more of His beauty and grace, and we pray that may we live to His praise and glory. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. Our life is to be the same in public as it is in private. We should not lower the standards that He expects from His children when we are in the company of those that do not believe. Although we are in the world, we are not part of the world , we are bought with a price, the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and have been made ministers of His word.. Our desires should be to share the good news of the gospel of grace, with all who cross our path. It should be done with clarity and simplicity. Let us remember that Today Is The Day Of Salvation For Many and that we need to conduct ourselves in a godly manner with all wisdom. Make the most of every opportunity we have to share the good news of the gospel of Christ as we seek to walk in wisdom and truth so that we may practice living prudently in all our relationships with others. Let us redeem the time and make the most of our opportunities to share the good news of the gospel of Christ; Who died for our sins and rose again to give us His life so that we become children of God. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help us we pray, to conduct ourselves that is pleasing to you, with wisdom and grace in our everyday lives. Help us to make the most of our opportunities to share Jesus to those who have not yet heard of His gracious salvation. This we ask in Jesus name, AMEN. |
Prayer
We are a growing group of people praying daily for and with others. We were led to start an online ministry to deliver what is needed more now than ever, a place where you can go to easily to submit a prayer request or requests involving others to pray for your needs. The Power of Prayer. Matthew 18:20- For where two or more come together in my name, there I am among them. You are never alone in prayer. The Power Of Numbers Praying.
We ask you to pray for this ministry, for its success in helping others in need of prayer. Archives
October 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
©
2023-2024 UNITED BY PRAYER