With One Heart | October 2022 Monthly Newsletter
Written by Ps. Nicholas Hung | Senior Pastor of Antioch Gospel Church
Hi Church,
What an amazing anniversary month we’ve enjoyed! Every year of ministry; every life touched, saved and transformed; and every testimony of blessing and breakthrough are all a beautiful testament to the glory and goodness of our God and His grace that abounds in our community! And the best part … it’s still just the beginning of the journey – we can sure there are so many greater days ahead as we faithfully live out the adventure with Him.
And I want to emphasise the word, ‘We,’ in that phrase – because the greatest days are ahead of us as a church, especially as we continue fulfilling God’s mission and walking together along the pathways of life. God has never wanted His children to do life alone and we can achieve so much more together than we can alone.
One of Jesus’ most passionate prayers, fervently prayed during His final hours on earth, was,
“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.” (John 17:21 NKJV)
Jesus longed for humanity to be unified with God and with one another and this was a prayer and an exhortation that the early church treated very seriously. With the Holy Spirit’s empowering grace moving amongst them, “The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul …” (Acts 4:32 NKJV)
That’s a very big deal, especially since we know from scriptures such as Acts 2:5-11 that there were a great diversity of cultures, people groups, languages and racial backgrounds represented amongst the early church. There’s very little doubt that these people may not have agreed on everything but one thing was certain – Christ was at the core of their unity. They found reasons in Christ to do life together in spite of their differences and the Lord moved mightily in their midst and the church grew daily.
“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-47 NKJV)
In like manner, with simplicity of heart, we must move forward with unity, if we’re going to reach the world in greater ways. Unity is a vital key in God’s plan to propel His church moving forward. While the enemy looks for ways and places to sow disunity, we partner with God, “… endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3 NKJV)
Three of the most fundamental things we can do as we strive to be the church that endeavours to live in unity are:
1. Be quick to forgive one-another
The united fellowship of a church family will never mean that we will get along with everyone and in everything. In fact there will be times when certain scenarios and situations may prevent fellowship between two parties from happening at all. But irrespective of the situation or the background, nothing negates our need to forgive one another.
2. Discover synergies in the many differences of character and culture
United fellowship doesn’t mean that we deny our differences between each other and try to be like one another. Unity is not about being conformed, identical or homogeneous.
The sheer width and depth of diversities (both internal and external) we find amongst the human race is truly amazing. Unity doesn’t mean tolerating compromised values or ungodly behaviours but within the context of God’s kingdom values, we need to learn to celebrate this diversity. There are different styles of worship music, different preaching styles, different personality types, different individual strengths, different revelations, different spiritual gifts, and so much more. There may be so many differences between us, yet when each individual, each team and each group uses their unique giftings for God’s kingdom purposes in the way that He leads us, amazing things are accomplished for His kingdom and His glory.
Learning to live in unity with other believers may be one of the most important lessons we ever learn on earth and it comes with a blessing - “… there the LORD has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.” (Psalms 133:3 NLT)
3. Let God’s word provide the focus for the goals we pursue together
Every unity must hinge upon something. There must be a common ground or a common understanding. Just as a door swings on its hinge or on a pivot, so God and His word is the cornerstone for our unity in this life. In Jesus there’s a sure foundation to stand on as we endeavour towards unity.
The mission that Jesus laid out for us is almost universally agreed upon: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NLT) We fulfil this within the context of, “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” (Mark 12:30 NLT)
Few things are more important in this era than God’s church unifying around the mission and purpose that God placed us here on earth to accomplish. And in His glorious grace, we will.
Church, we do this together. Winning our city for God is not a one-person show. Let’s do our part and believe for the seasons ahead to hold greater things than we’ve ever seen before in Him.
Many blessings,
Pastor Nicholas Hung