TOGETHER WE PRAY #1, IDOLATRY VS CU: GODS OF MASTERS VS THE GOD OF SERVANTS Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I plan to start the "Together We Pray" series of posts over again, starting with this one, showing prayers for Christian unity, with some minor additions. You may recall this series that started here on the Cu list in November of last year. I'll start posting them again, and perhaps add some scripture or other related Christian writings this time. I hope all here on the Cu list will take every opportunity to pray these prayers for Christian unity in agreement with the various writers, as the Spirit leads you. As always, please post them elsewhere if you get the chance. " Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." (Mark 13:33-37 AV) The series was started last November when I found a group of Christian unity prayers that were put together for the turn of the millennium Jubilee celebration in year 2000, by the Massachusetts Council of Churches. They put together a booklet of prayers called Together We Pray, and put them on the Internet at the link shown below. These prayers come from pastors, priests and other Christian leaders in Massachusetts coming from a wide variety of different Christian denominations and groups, and some of these prayers are really excellent and full of scriptural meaning. The point is simple: Cu is not my idea, or theirs, or yours. Yet we are led to many of the same conclusions. Christian unity is the truth of God's word into which the Holy Spirit is leading all believers during these last days, so that we can go home with Jesus as His bride perfected as one together in love of all God's children. Holy Spirit visions of "things to come" grow much clearer, and "boldness" grows, as "the light" of brotherly love shines brighter on the soon-coming "day of judgement". 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. Love in Jesus to all!, Tim See below first a prayer for Christian unity, then a related Cu writing of mine, then a related quote from author Charles Spurgeon. ************************************************** PRAYER EXCERPT FROM "TOGETHER WE PRAY" I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:23 GOD, GIVER OF UNITY IN CHRIST, CORRECT OUR IDOLATROUS LOYALTIES TO TEMPORARY STRUCTURES AND INSPIRE US TO MAKE VISIBLE AND BELIEVABLE THE GOOD NEWS OF RECONCILIATION, THAT YOU HAVE MADE US ONE PEOPLE. TO YOU BE THANKSGIVING AND GLORY THROUGH OUR OBEDIENCE, IN CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN. CHARLES F. LAMB CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) TOGETHER WE PRAY: Christian Prayers for Unity http://www.masscouncilofchurches.org/unity.htm Massachusetts Committee on Ecumenical Observance of the Millennium c/o Massachusetts Council of Churches 14 Beacon St., Room 416 Boston, MA 02108 ********************************************** EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER TWELVE, CONCLUSIONS TO CU PROPHECY Jesus makes it clear, by the only commandment He ever called "my commandment", and the only commandment He ever called "a new commandment", that He's the kind of God who wants worship only in Christian unity, so much so that He gave His glory to us for it. But instead, we've all got a better worship to offer Him, based on the better doctrine we've each, variously figured out, within our various Christian denominations and groups. We all effectively tell Jesus that we'll get to Christian unity some other time (like maybe when those hardheads in all those other Christian groups straighten up). John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: Isaiah 65:5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. Jesus reveals the Father to us all, and commands us how to worship Him, namely, in unity of self-sacrificial love for all our brethren that believe in Him. And in return, we tell Him we want to worship another God, one that recognizes the better worship we offer, in the better doctrine we understand, more than all our brethren in those other Christian denominations and groups. Luke 10:22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. Psalms 16: 2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; 3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. 4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. We want a God that honors the worship of doctrinal masters, not one that honors servants of all their brethren, and certainly not lowly, washers of feet, taking care of intimate matters of personal cleanliness. Matthew 23:10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. John 13: 13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. We surely don't need to wash the feet of all other believers, do we? John 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. *********************************************** AN EXCERPT FROM SPURGEON'S MORNING AND EVENING DEVOTIONALS "He humbled himself." - Philippians 2:8 Jesus is the great teacher of lowliness of heart. We need daily to learn of him. See the Master taking a towel and washing his disciples' feet! Follower of Christ, wilt thou not humble thyself? See him as the Servant of servants, and surely thou canst not be proud! Is not this sentence the compendium of his biography, "He humbled himself"? Was he not on earth always stripping off first one robe of honour and then another, till, naked, he was fastened to the cross, and there did he not empty out his inmost self, pouring out his life-blood, giving up for all of us, till they laid him penniless in a borrowed grave? How low was our dear Redeemer brought! How then can we be proud? Stand at the foot of the cross, and count the purple drops by which you have been cleansed; see the thorn-crown; mark his scourged shoulders, still gushing with encrimsoned rills; see hands and feet given up to the rough iron, and his whole self to mockery and scorn; see the bitterness, and the pangs, and the throes of inward grief, showing themselves in his outward frame; hear the thrilling shriek, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" And if you do not lie prostrate on the ground before that cross, you have never seen it: if you are not humbled in the presence of Jesus, you do not know him. You were so lost that nothing could save you but the sacrifice of God's only begotten. Think of that, and as Jesus stooped for you, bow yourself in lowliness at his feet. A sense of Christ's amazing love to us has a greater tendency to humble us than even a consciousness of our own guilt. May the Lord bring us in contemplation to Calvary, then our position will no longer be that of the pompous man of pride, but we shall take the humble place of one who loves much because much has been forgiven him. Pride cannot live beneath the cross. Let us sit there and learn our lesson, and then rise and carry it into practice. ******************************************************** Proverbs 13:10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. 1 Corinthians 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? Luke 22:24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ****************************************************** Hear free email discussion about Christian unity & either join in discussion or just lurk and listen at these links: Antioch-Fellowship email group at YahooGroups Christian unity with a prophetic voice: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/antioch-fellowship Christianunity email group at Associate.com Christian unity in holiness and agape brotherly love: http://associate.com/digests/christianunity/ You can find info about a combined effort on a large prayer for Christian unity, called the "Christian Unity Prayer Project" (CUPP), by going to the following URL: http://www.superior.net/~pjrcmr/prayerparts.html Also please see the Introduction to the Christian Unity Prophecy at the following address: http://home.swbell.net/twarlick/christianunityprophecy/intro.htm *****************************************************