Unity and Doctrinal descent

There are many controversial doctrines that

frankly are not worth discussing. There are
others, however, that are core to who we are as a
people. These doctrines have to do with who
Christ is and what he has come to do for us. But
this is not about a doctrinal fight. It is about
accessing a revelation. The church has
abandoned its privilege in accessing the mystery
of Christ and forfeited it to professionals and
scholars. When we get focused on the nature of
Christ and we start engaging this topic by the
Spirit it will lead us into worship and not into
arguments. Every time we fight over the nature
of Christ it is a cinch that we are not beholding
him. The glory of Christ is so magnificent that
should we ever really get a hold of what we are
talking about we would find ourselves in the place
of repentance and brokenness and love for one
another.
John said, In Him was life and the life was the
light of man. John 1:2. Jesus is not only the life
source of the church. He is also the light of the
church. But the key to having his light is to
participate in His life because, as John said, the

life was (is) the light of men. Many church

leaders teach on the words of Jesus but they are
not drawing on His life. Therefore they speak on
His words and teaching but they are without
illumination. When the church seeks to
distinguish itself, seeks to be original or savy but
does not base its expression in the life of the son,
it falls into darkness.
Unity is a possibility! But not at the table of
doctrinal controversy but at the altar of surrender
to His Lordship, standing on a sea of glass burning
with fire. Beloved, unity is a work of the Spirit
deep in the heart of the believer. We will never
enter into unity based on doctrinal agreements
accessed by mere natural thinking. New
Testament doctrine, apostolic doctrine, comes by
the Spirit of revelation. If we walk according to
the Spirit it will not lead us into controversy with
one another but into mutual love and genuine
fellowship.
If, however, we are not vulnerable to the Spirits
work of revealing Christ to us and in us, we will
never behold Christ in one another. John wrote,
Our fellowship is with the Father and with His son
Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:5 Fellowship is a spiritual

phenomenon. It does not happen on a carnal

level. We cannot have direct fellowship with one
another and experience what the New Testament
writers understood as fellowship. But when we
know each other by the Spirit, look past the
carnal issues and see the Spirit of Christ in each
other and begin to fellowship with the person
revealed to us by the spirit, then we begin to
taste what the apostle John was talking about.
But when you have bitter jealousy and selfish
ambition, there you have disorder and evil work.
James 3:15. So now lets go back to the issue of
competition. Competition is based in our carnal
need for recognition of our own accomplishments
apart from Christ. Competition therefore forfeits
real fellowship. When a person is trying to
establish their significance based in their own
performance and then begin to compare
themselves with others, they will increasingly find
themselves on the outside looking in. Jesus said,
He who speaks from himself seeks his own
glory. John 7:18. When one is busy seeking his
or her own glory then they can no longer receive
correction. Correction is viewed as a threat to
their objective to appear approved before men.
This is nothing less than the spirit of Cain who

slew His brother because he was jealous of his

brothers legitimacy before God. This is the spirit
of Saul who although he had been told that he
had been rejected by God still begged Samuel to
honor him before man.
But there is no competition or comparisons in
heaven. Neither is there any competition in
Christ. Cains issue was not with Able. It was
with God. Had he fallen on his face and sought
genuine relationship with the father, he could
have found favor with the Lord just like Able.
One of the primary issues that Jesus addressed
when he was on the earth was the issue of true
legitimacy. He devastated the pharoses when He
challenged their claims as the rightful heirs of the
kingdom and proved it with the scriptures. He
then infuriated them by pointing out others who
gained legitimacy with God not in the
conventional way of rigorously keeping the law
but by simple humility and transparency. (See
Luke
So where does this lead us? Sadly the church
seeking its own legitimacy apart from God loses
all favor with the Lord, disintegrates in factions

and ends up either isolated and self-absorbed or

prostituting itself to the world. Either way the
church falls into a pathetic condition of
insignificance with both God and man. God holds
the church under judgment; the world holds the
church in contempt.
The churchs lack of unity is no longer excusable.
primarily rooted in an attempt to establish it
significance and legitimacy based on performance
and comparisons based in the flesh. If we were
truly fellowshipping with Christ we would not be
looking at others with carnal comparatives
seeking to establish our legitimacy.
The Church talks a lot about the need for unity,
but it does not do much to maintain unity. The
church is too busy trying to distinguish itself. It
should instead seek to fulfill the prayer of Jesus.
One would think that Christ high priestly prayer
would be a priority. The prayer of Jesus offers the
solution. that they all may be one, as you
Father are in Me and I in You; that they also may
be one in Us, that the world may believe that you
sent me. Notice that Jesus prayer for unity is
founded on the churchs ability to be one with the
father and the Son.

Beloved, it is time for serious gut check. What is

motivating us? Are we secure in who we are in
Christ? Are we trying to outperform one another
seeking some kind of legitimacy apart from
Christ? If so, we need to repent and we must do
it now. Very soon, this issue is going to be
resolved in the church. God is going to expose
our motives. Lets get them on the solid rock of
Christ.