Unity:
a condition of harmony; a totality of related parts
Respect:
an act of giving particular attention; consideration
I
believe that the Bible teaches that we, as Christians, brothers and sisters in
Jesus, are to be in unity.
I
believe that the Bible teaches that we, as Christians, the body of Christ, are
to show respect to others, even those who don’t believe or act as we do.
I
believe that for the church to be the church, as Jesus established us to be, we
have to be in unity and we have to show respect.
The
Bible puts great value on unity among God’s people.
Psalm
133:1
Behold,
how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.
Ephesians
4:1-3
I
therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the
calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with
patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace.
1
Peter 3:8
Finally,
all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, a
humble mind.
No
doubt that God wants us as His people to live with each other in unity. It is
good and pleasant to God when we do. Paul and Peter both mention it as part of
living out what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Unity
is not uniformity.
Uniformity
means that I have to be just like you and you just like me. That is impossible.
God created us to be unique. He did not create me like you or you like me.
Unity
is being in harmony with each other. We are different but as the Holy Spirit
blends us together, we in our individual uniqueness make something more
beautiful and stronger than we are alone.
So,
what is the number one obstacle to unity? It is when we sincerely disagree. How
then do we handle that so it does not create disunity?
The
answer is not blowing in the wind or found in human based efforts but in the
Bible. Romans 14 shows us how to maintain unity when we have direct God-led
convictions.
Romans
14:1-4
As
for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over
opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats
only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let
not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has
welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is
before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the
Lord is able to make his stand.
We
are not to judge those whose convictions are different from ours. It is not our
calling or our position to do so.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is living without judging others because that
is God’s right, not ours.
Romans
14:5-8
One
person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days
alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes
the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of
the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in
honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and
none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die,
we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the
Lord’s.
Whatever
our convictions are, they must be “to the Lord,” that is, developed out of a
sense of obedience to Jesus.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is living based on God-led conviction based on
our desire to obey Jesus.
Romans
14:22-23
The
faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has
no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But he eats,
because the eating is not from faith. For whoever does not proceed from faith
is sin.
Whatever
convictions we have developed as “to the Lord,” we must be true to them.
If
we go against our convictions, we are sinning, even though others may have perfect
freedom in that particular thing.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is staying true to what God has led us to do
and who He has called us to be.
Taking
those steps when we are in disagreement will lead to maintaining unity.
Unity
is being who God has called us to be, doing what God has called us to do in
harmony with my brothers and sister in Jesus.
When
we are as God’s people in unity, then we can show respect for each other and
all others.
Respect
does not mean that I agree with what others believe, but that I give them
respect by giving them the freedom to believe.
I
have a friend who sent out a Facebook post about the proper way to greet a
Muslim at Ramadan. He ministers to international students some of whom are
Muslims. I very much appreciated the information. I don’t regularly relate to
Muslims, but as much as I like to say “Merry Christmas” as a greeting at
Christmas and have it returned then I want to respect the belief of others by
giving a proper response to their belief greetings.
It
is not that I share their belief. I don’t need to in order to show respect for
them.
Raise
the Roof and Raise the Roof is honoring Jesus as our Lord by respecting the belief of
others as He did.
I
know what I believe based on the Bible.
I
want all I do to be based on what I believe from the Bible.
I
want to follow what I believe based on the Bible.
I
want to refrain from judging others.
I
want to give people freedom to believe and seek truth which will lead them to
Jesus.
Our
unity as God’s people brings us into harmony with each other and frees us to
respect others by giving them freedom.
In
Unity and Respect Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
Luke
18:1
Then
Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray
and not give up.
Jesus
saw that, in us as humans, there is a tendency that, when things are not easy,
to give up. We as followers of Jesus have been given through the indwelling
presence and work of the Holy Spirit the amazing gift of perseverance. But we
have to utilize it.
In
our culture people give up on their marriages, their rehab treatments, their
diets, their exercise programs, their educational goals, and even their
ministries.
Why
should we persevere?
James
1:2-4
Count
it all joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know
that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness
have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Perseverance
is a tool God uses to mature us and complete us. It allows God to make us more
and more like Jesus. Jesus lived His life in complete obedience to the Father
and completed the mission the Father had for Him, our salvation. When Jesus
said on the cross, “It is finished!” He had completed His mission. He had persevered.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is allowing God to strengthen us so that we
can persevere and thus grow to be like Jesus.
1
Timothy 4:16
Watch
your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will
save both yourself and your hearers.
When
we persevere in completing the ministry that God has given us it will result in
people coming into relationship with Jesus and receiving salvation.
Isaiah
55:11
It
is the same with My word. I sent it out, and it always produces fruit. It will
accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
When
we persevere in living and sharing the Good News, God will always use it to
produce spiritual fruit in people’s lives.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is persevering in living and sharing God’s Word
and seeing people’s lives changed.
Galatians
6:9
And
let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we reap, if we do not
give up.
God’s
promise is that when we persevere, don’t give up, we will see a harvest. A
truth that God taught me over thirty years ago was that we continue to obey God
in the direction He gives us until He gives us a new direction to go in.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is continuing to do the good work God has
given us to do and trusting that He will bring the harvest.
We
are living in a time as God’s people when perseverance is vitally important. I
know that our perseverance is being tested right now.
I
believe that right now is a great test for the American church. I believe that
through really listening to God and seeing God’s perspective on the situation
we can persevere and impact our nation.
Do
I like that I cannot meet with my faith family physically? No!
Do
I like some of the things that our elected leaders are doing in response to the
health situation? No!
But
that is not the focus we as God’s people are to have. Our focus is to be on
what God is telling us to do and what God is going to accomplish out of this
situation.
I
hear and see on social media that the church is closed. I want to say this in
love: The Church Is Not Closed! The church I pastor is sharing the truth of
God’s word and I believe that we are doing it more and are reaching more people
than we ever have before. We are still ministering to each other and again I
believe in a deeper way than we ever have before. We are still ministering to
our community and again I believe more than we ever have before.
God’s
church is God’s church, not yours or mine. He is the Head and He calls the
shots and gives the direction for His church. When we whine about our circumstances,
it disrespects the power and foreknowledge of God. It says that God didn’t see
this coming and He cannot use and grow His church in the midst of it. It also
disrespects our brothers and sisters who have lived for years persevered with
more severe restrictions and persecutions than we have.
I
read Psalm 27 today. These are verses one to three.
The
Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the
stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to
eat my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Through
an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against
me, yet I will be confident.
Fear
and complaining are not to be the response of God’s people. Faith, obedience,
and creativity are to be the response of God’s people. Persevere by trusting
God to take care of you and to grow His church in the midst of restrictions and
fear.
We
defeat fear by praising God, not complaining or whining because I read the end
of the Book and God wins. So, God’s people, raise a Hallelujah.
In
Perseverance Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
I
have spent the most unusual Easter Sunday in my life.
We
had a Sunrise Service but it was in our parking lot and it was a drive-in
service. The people came and parked in our parking lot and listened to my
teaching on their radios. I broadcast the teaching on the resurrection on my
cell phone over the radio.
Then
Jan and I went home. We worshipped and listened to my teaching on our church’s
website and then listened to my son, Andy, teach on Facebook.
As
I thought about the unusualness of this Resurrection Sunday, I thought about
three things.
I
thought about the Church. That is the big “C” church. The reality is that today
more than any other Easter or regular Sunday the church may have come together.
Revelation
7:9-10
After
this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from
every nation, from all tribes, and peoples and languages, standing before the
throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their
hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits
on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
This
is the church! I love my faith family at Church at the Butte, but we are only a
small portion of the Church, the Family of God. The church of Jesus is all
believers of all ages. God makes no divisions among people based on income,
social standing, race, language, gender, or past life actions. He views us as
those who surrendered their lives to Him as our Savior and Lord and those who
have not yet surrender their lives to Him.
The
desire of God is for all to come to repentance and not to miss the gift of
salvation that He offers.
The
Church is the redeemed people of God no matter who they were, but now defining
themselves only as His people and living to give Him praise and worship.
That
is what I experienced today. A Church that was physically scattered, but was
one in spirit because of our shared love for Jesus and our shared experience of
salvation.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is the Church gathered in one spirit.
The
second thing that God bought to my mind today was our persecuted brothers and
sisters across the world.
When
I heard last night that our governor had removed the exception for places of
worship about no more than five gathering together, I realized we had reached a
new reality in our nation. That reality was the government can and will try to
restrict the ability of the church to meet together. I am not necessarily
criticizing the governor nor I am I complimenting her either. What I am saying
is that when the government sees what the church is doing as being harmful to
society it can and will attempt to stop it.
That
has been an awakening to me. It has also made me realize for the first time
that I could see a time when we as Christians in this country may have to make
a decision of obeying Jesus or the government. This time I understand the
reason, but next time I might not.
Acts
4:19-20 says that Peter and John answered the religious leaders when they were
told not to speak in the name of Jesus anymore, “Whether it is right in the
sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot
but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is speaking of what we have seen and heard.
The
third thing is the power and complete foreknowledge of God.
God
knew before creation that on April 12, 2020 there would be a worldwide pandemic
that Satan would try and use to hinder the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection
and the proclamation of the Gospel. God did in 2020 exactly what He did at the
first resurrection Sunday. He overcame Satan’s plans and used what looked like
a hinderance to enable the celebration to be deeper and more intense than any I
can remember. God also used this seeming hinderance to spread the Gospel even
more and farther, enabling it to reach even more people.
Isaiah
46:8-10
Remember
this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors; remember the former
things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none
like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not
yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My
purpose.”
God’s
purpose is to proclaim the truth of who He is and nothing will stop that.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is believing and experiencing God as being
all-powerful.
Hallelujah!
Jesus is Risen!
Have
a Great Easter!
With
the Risen One Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
We
are a nation that is fearful. We were fearful before the coronavirus made its
appearance. The virus has just increased our national fear. So, fear is a very
real thing for most of us today.
The
biggest thing fear does to us as humans is it limits us. It limits where we go,
the things we do, the things we attempt, and the things we dream of or set for
goals in our life.
How
do we understand and deal with fear?
We
can deal with it from a human-based approach. That means we will run and hide
and try to get away from fear. We will try to come up with things that shield
or isolate us from the cause of our fear. That may work for some sources of our
fears. It may work in certain circumstances. It may work for a period of time.
But it will not deal with fear over a long period of time and it will not deal
with the real source of fear.
We
can deal with fear from a God-based approach. For us to deal with fear in a
God-based approach we have to understand what God’s Word teaches about fear.
Fear
is mentioned over 650 times in Scripture. So, we know that God understands
fear.
One
of the things that the Bible tells us about fear is: “Do not fear!” Over 200
times God tells us not to fear.
The
question is why does God tells us so many times not to fear? The answer is that
we as humans are fearful. The two primary reasons most people experience fear are
:
Not
Having Control
The
Unknown
An
example of being fearful because you are not in control is the disciples in the
boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee in a storm. Matthew 8:23-27 says Jesus
and the disciples are in a boat and a storm comes up. Jesus is asleep and the
disciples wake Him up and say, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” Jesus asks
them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” The disciples were afraid
because they had no control of the storm and saw no way to control if they
would survive. Jesus took control of the situation and calmed the storm.
Fear
reigns when we are not in control. But when we turn the control and authority of
our lives over to Jesus then He can be in control. Because Jesus is powerful
enough to control everything. Nothing is greater or more powerful than Jesus
and so our uncontrollable is His controllable.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is turning control of our uncontrollable
things to Jesus so He can control them.
God
calls Gideon to rescue Israel from the domination of the Midianites. Gideon was
fearful and reluctant to obey God because he didn’t know if he could do it or
how he would do it.
The
unknown is fearful because it is the unknown and we don’t know what is come or
how to prepare for it.
God
is all-knowing and so He does know what is coming. He will prepare us and
empower us to do deal with the unknown. And He will be with us every step of
the way through the unknown.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is trusting that God is all-knowing and trust
Him with our unknowns.
Since
God’s kingdom is an upside kingdom then a huge way of dealing with our fears is
to fear the Lord. Twenty-seven times we are told in scripture to fear the Lord.
Psalm
112:1
Praise
the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His
commands!
To
fear the Lord means to have reverence and awe toward God out of love and
respect for His power and greatness. The person who fears God will pay
attention to God’s Word and obey it.
Unholy
fear causes us to run away from God.
Holy
fear causes us to run to God and submit ourselves to Him.
People
who fear the Lord are righteous. And because they fear the Lord, they don’t
fear anything else.
Psalm
112:6-9
For
the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not
afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is
steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. He
has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures
forever; his horn is exalted in honor.
We
live in a fearful time, but we don’t have to live and operate in fear; we can
live and operate in the fear of the Lord.
In
the Fear of the Lord Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
