The United Body of Christ

Good day to you, Beloved Family!

THIS is THE day that our Father created just for us to enjoy and rejoice in… set your heart on that truth and let the gratitude flow.

The reality of the glorious days that we are all headed into is a daily part of my personal meditation. I have an anticipation that builds a little each day, but, also, it is tempered by the awareness that our responsibilities are going to increase to the same level as things change. This is also exciting, but in a slightly different way. There is going to be more a compelling force upon our hearts that is from a heavenly and loving place. This is good for us all!

2 Cor 5:14 (Berean)
For the love of Christ compels us, having concluded this, that One has died for all, therefore all have died.

It is a positive and healthy thing to have the love of God compelling you towards the common goals of His heart. A powerful goal of our Father is unity and fellowship. These desires of His are not just for the, “sweet by-and-by,” but for the sour here-and-now. The way to change how our souls experience this life (sweet or sour) has much to do with how much we bring prosperity to our soul-life. Unity and fellowship are vitally important to that process. Here is what Jesus said in one place:

John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Notice that it is our, “love one to another,” that is the defining characteristic of this Jesus-type love and the command with it. Remember that this love Jesus is referencing was displayed in action (not by saying “I love you”…) and was developed in intimacy (they lived together for three and a half years). That is the model we have been shown from Heaven and must embrace it if we desire to see our Father’s will being done on earth as it is in Heaven. This will REQUIRE us to grow beyond “feelings” about one another that will lead toward division, contention, strife, and/or unforgiveness. We are being “compelled” by Jesus right now to embrace our family in sincere and unified ways like never before. Paul was also trying to encourage this among the Corinthian church because they had a high calling from God. They eventually lost the battle with the destructive, carnal forces of immaturity, but we can take their example of failure and use it for our benefit. Paul wanted them to have passionate unity as declared in the first chapter and tenth verse:

(TPT) “I urge you, my brothers and sisters, for the sake of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree to live in unity with one another and put to rest any division that attempts to tear you apart. Be restored as one united body living in perfect harmony. Form a consistent choreography among yourselves, having a common perspective with shared values.”

I can literally envision this new place of extensive glory that the Church is being offered and I tearfully desire ALL of us to experience it TOGETHER. The enemy also knows that Heaven is escalating it’s activity, and is working overtime to cause marriages, families, and our church family to embrace dis-unity. This is why we are literally working overtime to make opportunities available for Agape love and Divine unity (Koinonia) among ourselves. For example:

• Crock Pot Cook-off this Sunday
• Grace Groups in intimate settings (about to launch in Chicagoland area and Wisconsin area soon)
• Sunday services that start early and go as late as people have a desire to encounter God and each other
• Ladies Group where incredible truths are being shared
• Men’s Group that is powerfully influencing our culture
• Children’s, Youth and Young Adult ministry that is raising a new generation of believers
• The organic fellowship that is taking place from house to house regularly

Beloved! I pray you are taking advantage of all that Heaven is offering for us all to share in.

I literally cannot wait to see y’all again soon!

In great love,
Steve

P.S.
Just as a powerful illustration of this love and unity, I want to share a message from our lovely Jessica Smith that she shared with the leadership team on Monday. Let her words impact you the way they did us:

“I love and appreciate so much being a part of a group and family of believers that have the same core values as I have. I think that I have said this more times in the past 10 months than ever in my life, but my heart sinks when I think about the how the church has been attacked in so many ways for so many years, and how we are here for such a time as this. I don’t necessarily mean that in the way that many people that are begging for Jesus to come back as a “cop out” and lack-of-love filled warning, but I mean it as in OUR CHURCH, the Bride of Christ, has had some serious attacks, and didn’t have the resources, the people in the right spots, the knowledge, the respect, the honor, the revelations that we have to defend Her and everything that goes with that calling. We are here for such a time as this, a new wineskin for the new wine that includes the Church being the hospital instead of a museum, the most influential building in town rather than the bar down the road, the lenders and not the borrowers, the rule-makers and not the rule-breakers, ha! We can’t wear the armor that the world puts on us. We can’t do things the way that the Church has done things until now, because, honestly, the Church did what the Church did for so long, we have a TON of work to do (thousands of years of work to do), to fix everything that was done for so long…to the Church and by the Church. And when I have YOU in my corner, that makes this task so much more fun and exciting. And when you have ME in your corner, that makes this task and assignment so much more fun and exciting.”