This is the third in a series of three posts about the June 2020 fasting and prayer weekend held at our church. During our fasting and prayer sessions, it is usual for the Holy Spirit to speak to us through Pastor Praveen. The first post in this series – “Obedience and Unity in the Body of Christ" – is a summary of key points from the June sessions. The second contains my notes from the Friday session. This third post contains detailed notes from the Saturday session and will benefit readers who want to delve deeper into what the Holy Spirit spoke. I did my best not add to or comment on what was said.

The Importance of Unity

Pastor Praveen reminded us that the Lord of heaven and earth is in us. We must worship Him. Then, wherever we go, we will come back with the victory. He is the lifter of our heads. If we believe that, we will see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. How many times has the enemy planned to destroy you? The enemy may try to put you down in front of family or friends, but he will fail. The Lord of heaven and earth will protect you. He is faithful.

Pastor Praveen asked us to pray in unity for the church, and also for unity in the church. Many churches all over the world are losing members and dying out. Why? Because there is no unity. Church members who should be connected together in the body of Christ are instead living their lives one-by-one. 

It is God’s purpose that Christians should be bound together in the body of Christ. The household of God is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:20-22). 

God builds the church stone-by-stone. Every member of the body of Christ is one of the stones. If any of the stones are missing or detached from the building, the building will collapse. Our connection with Jesus provides love, kindness, and unity to hold the stones together. 

Examples from Acts

Acts 2

The Apostles understood the importance of unity. When Peter stood and spoke before the crowd at Pentecost, the other 11 Apostles stood with him, supporting him in prayer (Acts 2:14-36). About three thousand were saved that day, but not because of Peter’s strength or wisdom. He only shared two scriptures – one from Joel 2:28-32 and one from Psalm 16 – and spoke of the crucifixion of Jesus. Many were saved because God answered the prayers of those standing with Peter. 

God revealed to Pastor Praveen that the disciples asked God to give Peter power, knowledge, and wisdom, and to give him the right scripture to quote and words to use. From this place of unity, Peter raised his voice and addressed the crowd, “You crucified Him.” People were cut to the heart and said, “What shall we do to be saved?” Then they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

God’s children can do nothing alone. That is why He sends His servants out two-by-two, and why and where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there with them. The problem is many churchgoers do not have a part in a ministry – they only come to church and leave when it is over. Some leaders in the church try to be a one-man show. So churches are dying.

The church is the church of God; of Jesus.  If we stand with one another, we will have more power from the Lord. Pastor Praveen says that God uses his ministry mightily with signs and wonders, not because he is fasting and praying, but because of all who are praying earnestly for him.

Acts 14

Acts 14:8-20 describes the time when Paul and Barnabas travelled to Lystra and Derbe. In these cities, God performed signs and wonders through Paul, so much so that the people thought they were gods and tried to offer sacrifices to them. Paul and Barnabas restrained their misguided impulse and tried to point them to the Lord. Yet, when outsiders who opposed the gospel arrived, and the people’s enthusiasm for Paul and Barnabas quickly turned hostile: 

“Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.” (v. 19).

This is the way of the world. Yet how did the believers respond when Paul was stoned and left for dead? 

But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. (v. 20).

The disciples rallied around Paul in unity and prayed for him. There was no selfish ambition, criticism, or mockery that he had fallen after having a great ministry. Because the disciples prayed in unity and compassion, the power of resurrection touched Paul and he got up and walked back into the city. 

Pastor Praveen instructed us to pray in this way for people who come with brokenness and need. When we pray with sincerity and compassion, the broken will go back with a healed heart – with peace and comfort. Without compassionate intercession, they will go back more broken. Jesus “was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.” (Luke 24:19). God’s children must be like Him, all over the world, then the churches will grow. If we pray in unity with a compassionate, humble encouraging heart, this will happen. We need to pray for all churches and all church leaders.

Acts 4

Here is another example of unity among the disciples. Because of Peter and John’s great healing ministry, the Jewish authorities seized them and put them in jail (Acts 4:1-31). They kept them overnight, questioned them, threatened them, and then released them. The disciples understood that they were in an unfavorable situation – they were opposed by those in charge. So they prayed in unity, ending with. Then they were emboldened to speak for the Lord:

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” (v. 31). 

And so, the local churches started growing – because of the unity among the believers.

Concluding Remarks

The unifying response to the needs of Peter in Acts 2, Paul in Acts 14, and Peter and John in Acts 4 is very different from the response of the world in similar situations. We must emulate the actions of these disciples. Only a few churches have this kind of unity. That is why the number and size of churches is decreasing. People are missing – they are not in their proper place in the body of Christ. Therefore, there is no foundation for faith or for unity. 

We must pray for all churches. We can pray in unity – with power in the name of Jesus – to shake the enemy with one accord for deliverance, healing, and growth.