Christian Unity- Jesus the Centre

[lismore]

Hi there:wave:

What is the way to Christian Unity?

John 12: 32But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."

When we praise and worship the Lord, lift Jesus higher, witness to the world about what he has done in our lives and take our attention off ourselves, our groups and our own agendas.

John 17: 20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

All believers have Jesus in common.

Hebrews 12; Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

If we fix our eyes on Jesus, not on each other, on ourselves or on our own programmes our groups then we have this Christian unity. As we fix our eyes on him the things of this world do not seem to matter as much. Even denominational teachings fade as we fix our eyes on Jesus and his absolute truth.
Philippians 3:8 NIV (http://www.ibs.org/niv/passagesearch.php?passage_request=Philippians 3:8)
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Even PAul saw his religous training as second best compared to knowing Christ. What can you get from religion that you cannot get from relationship with the Lord?

Where- ever two or more are gathered together in Jesus name, he is there also. Jesus said remain in me and I will remain in you, apart from him you can do little. When we come together under the Lordship of Jesus, then we are one. When we come together under man's lordship we are just another club.

:)

[perpendicular_bisector]

Hi there:wave:

What is the way to Christian Unity?

John 12: 32But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."

When we praise and worship the Lord, lift Jesus higher, witness to the world about what he has done in our lives and take our attention off ourselves, our groups and our own agendas.

John 17: 20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

All believers have Jesus in common.

Hebrews 12; Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

If we fix our eyes on Jesus, not on each other, on ourselves or on our own programmes our groups then we have this Christian unity. As we fix our eyes on him the things of this world do not seem to matter as much. Even denominational teachings fade as we fix our eyes on Jesus and his absolute truth.
Philippians 3:8 NIV (http://www.ibs.org/niv/passagesearch.php?passage_request=Philippians 3:8)
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Even PAul saw his religous training as second best compared to knowing Christ. What can you get from religion that you cannot get from relationship with the Lord?

Where- ever two or more are gathered together in Jesus name, he is there also. Jesus said remain in me and I will remain in you, apart from him you can do little. When we come together under the Lordship of Jesus, then we are one. When we come together under man's lordship we are just another club.

:)






Lord Jesus be the centre, forgive us for putting churchianity or denominations before thee

Amen

[Asaph]

Amen. The Body of Christ is not divided in any way, shape, or form.

Now the body of the flesh, well, that's a different story altogether.

Asaph

[Collum Cille of Iona]

Amen. The Body of Christ is not divided in any way, shape, or form.

Now the body of the flesh, well, that's a different story altogether.

Asaph

Come let us pray together.

Lord Jesus be the centre of our faith and our lives. Guide us, motivate us, renew us. Help us to labour and not to count the cost, to seek no recompense save the doing of your will. May your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Hosanna

Hallelujah Amen

Hallelujah Amen

[holo]

Amen.

[Asaph]

Amen.

I only hesitated here myself my brother, because we are told to count the cost, and I did not know how to take that as part of the prayer. But I see so much of my Lord working in you, that if you can amen it, then most certainly so can I.

Amen, and amen.

Asaph

[holo]

I only hesitated here myself my brother, because we are told to count the cost, and I did not know how to take that as part of the prayer. But I see so much of my Lord working in you, that if you can amen it, then most certainly so can I.

Amen, and amen.

Asaph
Actually, you don't have a choice, because we are one in Christ, hehe.

But anyway, I can say amen to half a sentence from an AC/DC song. It's all about what you see in things, how you take them and what you're looking for. If you think finding Jesus in AC/DC is cool, wait until you start seeing him in the legalists!

Oh, the dephts of God's grace, the riches of his freedom, the boundaries of his love (everytime I think I've reached them, they move away like the rainbow).

[Asaph]

Actually, you don't have a choice, because we are one in Christ, hehe.

But anyway, I can say amen to half a sentence from an AC/DC song. It's all about what you see in things, how you take them and what you're looking for. If you think finding Jesus in AC/DC is cool, wait until you start seeing him in the legalists!

Oh, the dephts of God's grace, the riches of his freedom, the boundaries of his love (everytime I think I've reached them, they move away like the rainbow).

I dare say, for fear of being misunderstod, it is an astonishing and frightening thing. To begin to see the depth and the width.

To know I do not have the words to describe those things I have seen.

Do you know what I mean?

Asaph

[holo]

Yes I do!

There is no way of describing what's behind the veil that's been lifted. No theology or creed can come close. We sit here and talk about God as if we had him trapped in a box.
My journey has been like going from prison to the free world, from boundaries to complete(!) freedom. The sun is blinding, I don't really know where to go, the possibilities are endless. Everything I stood and leaned on has crumbled, and I'm left with the rock, the cliff that is Jesus, and I don't know his limits. It is, in every sense of the word, a new life.
Maybe this is what being born again really means - to actually be a completely new person in an unknown world, God being my dad. My DAD.

And if it's not amazing enough already, it hasn't been my choice. It is GOD who has, for some reason I will never understand, CHOSEN me. He looked at me and figured I would be a good vessel for him in this world. It would be like for me to pick up a dirty worm and kiss it and consider it my own flesh and blood.

I couldn't even imagine that life could be like this. I couldn't fathom what it means to be in the state that I was created to be in. But now it's like I'm getting a taste of Eden. And I'm not going to eat of the tree of knowledge and ruin it all by understanding it.

Oh good Lord. Let the others have a taste of this too. I can't make them see it. Show them. Open their eyes. Be gentle. It's almost more than I can take. Give me the strength to bear these good news, I'm not big enough to contain the life you give me.

[holo]

Not for my glory, Lord, but for yours.

[Asaph]

Yeah. Amen. :)

Asaph

[lismore]

Yes I do!

It would be like for me to pick up a dirty worm and kiss it and consider it my own flesh and blood.

.

Hey man:wave:

I like your posts, they are to the point but often funny too.:D

Asaph has this gift also;)

:amen:

[Asaph]

Yes I do!

There is no way of describing what's behind the veil that's been lifted. No theology or creed can come close. We sit here and talk about God as if we had him trapped in a box.
My journey has been like going from prison to the free world, from boundaries to complete(!) freedom. The sun is blinding, I don't really know where to go, the possibilities are endless. Everything I stood and leaned on has crumbled, and I'm left with the rock, the cliff that is Jesus, and I don't know his limits. It is, in every sense of the word, a new life.
Maybe this is what being born again really means - to actually be a completely new person in an unknown world, God being my dad. My DAD.

And if it's not amazing enough already, it hasn't been my choice. It is GOD who has, for some reason I will never understand, CHOSEN me. He looked at me and figured I would be a good vessel for him in this world. It would be like for me to pick up a dirty worm and kiss it and consider it my own flesh and blood.

I couldn't even imagine that life could be like this. I couldn't fathom what it means to be in the state that I was created to be in. But now it's like I'm getting a taste of Eden. And I'm not going to eat of the tree of knowledge and ruin it all by understanding it.

Oh good Lord. Let the others have a taste of this too. I can't make them see it. Show them. Open their eyes. Be gentle. It's almost more than I can take. Give me the strength to bear these good news, I'm not big enough to contain the life you give me.

I heard this story. I pass it along with no pretense of it being factual or not. that's not the point.

There was a missionary sent into the very deep of south america. As he finally arrived at the tribal village he thought was to be his missionary field he was granted an audience with the tribal chief. Even though missionaries had been going into this land for hundreds of years, he had been taught that these were heathens with not even the simplest understanding that there even was a God.

So as this seminary trained missionary of the great commision began to try an explain the Gospel to this heathen chieftan, the old man holds his hand up for the young man to stop. He gently takes his arm and leads him out to the front of the hut where the normal bonfire is burning. The lowly old man looks about and then takes some burning leaves, puts them in the palm of his hand and then finds a worm in the grass nearby. He puts the worm in the center of the burning leaves, and just before the fire gets to the worm he reaches in and snatches the worm from it's midst and the worm is not harmed in any way.

He looks at the missionary and says "Me the worm. Me the worm"

Asaph