Subject: Together We Pray #5, God shows no partiality among His children PRAYER EXCERPT FROM "TOGETHER WE PRAY" For God shows no partiality. Romans 2:11 LORD OF MERCY, YOU DESIRE IN US A LOVING SPIRIT YET WE HAVE BETRAYED YOU AND TURNED EACH TO OUR OWN WAY. WE CLAIM PARTICULAR RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES WHICH WE HAVE DENIED TO OTHERS. OUR PRIDE AND VANITY OVERWHELM US WITH VISIONS OF OUR SPECIAL PLACE IN YOUR HEART. SURELY WE HAVE NEED OF A GREAT REPENTANCE. FORGIVE US AND HELP US TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE ONE GOD FOR ALL OF YOUR PEOPLE, IMPARTIALLY OFFERING TO REDEEM US THROUGH THE UNIFYING LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST. GRANT US THE HUMILITY TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE EQUALLY EMBRACED AND CALLED TO WITNESS OUR RECONCILIATION FOR THE HOPE AND HEALING OF YOUR WORLD. AMEN. REV. ANN GEER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES OF GREATER SPRINGFIELD 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 TWO, THE MAIN PURPOSE OF CHRISTIAN UNITY PROPHECY: TO SHOW THAT "IN THE NAME OF JESUS", MEANS UNITY IN THE FATHER'S ETERNAL, SELF-SACRIFICIAL LOVE FOR ALL HIS CHILDREN, OF EVERY CHRISTIAN DENOMINATION AND GROUP Are we going to take some perceived greater doctrine, greater at least in our own minds, and make of it great foolishness, by behaving toward one another as if God loves us, the ones in our own Christian group or denomination, as His only children, or loves us better, because we all agree in a doctrine that is better than our common, shared salvation with all who believe in Jesus? Shall we claim, that if children of God do exist outside of our own Christian denomination or group, then they are the little ones, the younger brethren, who must learn from us elders, what is the Father's will for them who are believers, but outside our own denomination or group? Matthew 32: 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. 13 ¶ But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 2 Corinthians 3:6 ¶ Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Luke 11:46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. Or can we instead recognize that that same eternal, self-sacrificial love of God for us, that we received to become one of God's children in the first place, applies equally to all Christians as to ourselves, applies beyond the boundaries of our own Christian denomination or group, beyond those who have, what seems to us to be, the best understanding of doctrine? Are we, rather, willing to include all who, like us, quit sinning because they truly believe in the Bible's account of Jesus as God's eternal, self-sacrificial love for all His children, whosoever believeth, of every Christian denomination and group? When we insist that our brethren from some other Christian denomination or group, outside our own, must come to know God as we know Him, by our doctrines other than salvation, we are effectively saying one of two things that are expressly forbidden in the Bible. The least we are saying is that we are the elder brother who knows the Father better than our younger brother. Or the worst we are saying is that we alone know the Father by our proprietary doctrines, and those who don't know Him by such doctrines of ours, beyond salvation, don't know Him at all, and we effectively call our brethren bastards. To deny a Christian's brotherhood with us in Christ, is to deny that the Holy Spirit is in him, which is the one sin of blasphemy which Jesus said would not be forgiven in this life or the next. Matthew 12: 31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.: The document, CHAPTER TWO OF THE CHRISTIAN UNITY PROPHECY can be viewed here: http://home.swbell.net/twarlick/christianunityprophecy/chapter_two.htm ***************************************************** CHRISTIAN UNITY PRAYER, PART 15 OF 25: "We Accept All Christians, of All Christian Denominations and Groups, as Our Sisters and Brothers, Together as Children of the Promise, in Preparation for the Judgment of the House of God" We know, Father, that judgment begins with us Christians, here in your household, for the Bible says, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. "(1 Peter 4:17). And because we know your love for all your children, we know that the whole proceedings on judgment day will center on how all men treated God's children, the brethren of Christ, even the least of us, and the Bible says, "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40). And if judgment begins at the house of God, we know what you will do, Father, about us Christians mistreating any of our siblings in your family, our fellowservants in your household, even those we consider the least Christians of all, for the Bible says, "But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 24:48-51). In Jesus' name, God unite us. Amen. *********************************************************** 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 *****************************************************