Unity Is Power

By: Rikey Danielle

Alright folks! So tonight I went to bible study at WOCC and I just thought that I would share my notes with you guys! Enjoy!

Philippians 2:1-2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Psalm 133: 1-3 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

Power
-means energy
-means ability - you don't appreciate ability until you don't have it - you can almost take these abilities for granted
-unity is an ability - it is something that you are able to do - sometimes you don’t appreciate that unity until its gone - unity is an ability - it is a power - unity will help you in relationships with your friends - in your businesses - with your children and with your marriages
-unity is an act of your will - it is something that you make up in your mind - "I am going to be united with this person" - when unity is important to you, you will be willing to place your beliefs or your ways aside in order to unite with someone else - it is an act that you will do because you know that unity is a powerful thing

What I took from this is that unity is a conscious decision that we must make. Of course we are not always going to agree with each other about certain things but when we get to a point where we are able to place our personal ideas and beliefs aside or when we are able to compromise with someone else in order to achieve unity, it is a sign of TRUE maturity.

Unity is...
-good: profitable, fertile
-pleasant: sweet (like a good song or good sweet melody, it moves you!) it takes you places that you wouldn't get to without it
-anointed: like the anointing that comes by birth - unity will anoint you from your highest place to your lowest place - from what you think to where you go - from what everyone sees to what nobody knows about you!
-powerful: "dew from Hermon falling on Mt. Zion” - this means from the far north to the far south - once unity is established it is practiced, experienced, and expected -unity can bridge any gap!! We have to see unity as an act of our will!

I like how Pastor Andy said that unity is practiced, experienced, and expected. It is important to remember that unity is not something that is just given to people. It is something that has to be practiced. You make that conscious effort to be unified with someone or a group of people and then you begin to practice doing that. Then once you experience how great it feels to be united with someone or a group of people, it begins to be something that you just automatically expect. It’s kind of like how we learn to walk; once we learn it just becomes something that we automatically do. We don’t remember how we learned to walk because it’s been practiced so much that it just becomes natural.

How is unity accomplished??
-if you are saved and you want to be like the Lord then make his joy complete by being like minded - this means thinking the same way - it means that we process information the same way - we need to get to a place where we think the same - it helps us to believe alike - I have to put myself in their shoes - if you are ever in a situation where someone is at fault and you are the one to decide their fate then you should quickly think to yourself, how would I want to be treated if I were this person? How much mercy would I want them to show me?
-we have to have the same love - we have to define love as sacrifice - we have to come to the same definition of love - when you love someone, you will sacrifice for that person - if you are only taking from someone then that is not love - agape love is the love of God - intensity - some people love more than others - he talked about how men need to love their wives - he talked about how men have a hard time loving - we got to have some type of intensity if we are going be unified
-one spirit: we need to have the same relationship with God - the same enthusiasm and passion for God – let’s come together!
-in purpose: what is your reason for being in that relationship or friendship? You have to have the same reason for being there or you will not be unified

So in short, in order for us to be unified with one person or a group of people, we must be like minded, have the same love, one spirit, and the same purpose. I hope that we can use this lesson in order to help us be a more unified group of friends. I also encourage you all to seek unity in the relationships that you have with other people. Especially people whom you might take interest in as far as being in a relationship. Look for someone that loves Christ just as much as you do so that you both may be unified as a couple. I don’t know about ya’ll but I want me a like-minded man! Lol! I want someone who has the same definition of love as me, someone who has the same passion and enthusiasm for God and most importantly, someone who is in the relationship with me for the same reason/s that I’m in the relationship with him. Fellas, ya’ll should look for this same common ground with potential female companions. Besides…UNITY is a POWERFUL thing!!

Love you guys!

Rickey Danielle