Unity is so important

[ddc101]

Ps 133:1-3

CHAPTER 133

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
(KJV)

Eph 4:2-4
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
(KJV)

Eph 4:13
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
(KJV)

Prov 6:19
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
(KJV)

I once heard sister Nona Freeman testify of a service in Africa where you could litterly feel the Holy Ghost moving over you and it felt like standing in a river.She said it was one of the most awesome experiences she had ever had and that the Lord told her it was due to the unity of the saints.We need to not speak things or do things that cause disunity among the brethren.One of these things is gossip.Another is to engage in murmuring against the ministry of the church.If you are offended or disagree do what the word says:Go to them privately and try to work it out.lv sis.c

[nytxn1971]

u·ni·ty ( P ) Pronunciation Key (yn-t)
n. pl. u·ni·ties
1) The state or quality of being one; singleness.
2) The state or quality of being in accord; harmony.

3)
a) The combination or arrangement of parts into a whole; unification.
b) A combination or union thus formed.

4) Singleness or constancy of purpose or action; continuity: “In an army you need unity of purpose” (Emmeline Pankhurst).

5)
a) An ordering of all elements in a work of art or literature so that each contributes to a unified aesthetic effect.
b) The effect thus produced.

6) One of the three principles of dramatic structure derived by French neoclassicists from Aristotle's Poetics, stating that a drama should have but one plot, which should take place in a single day and be confined to a single locale.

7) Mathematics.
The number 1.
See identity element. (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=identity%20element)

[Faithchild]

There is no doubt that unity is important but not at the expense of Truth. I'd rather go to heaven alone than stick together and have company in Hell.

[nytxn1971]

Amen to that, Jim.

[bill]

FC,

Could it be that we AGREE on something! Oh my! :eek:

Before I read your post, that was precisely what I was going to say. Heresy causes division. The whole concept of "throw out your doctrine and lets just all hold hands and have unity" comes from the charismatic movement. As you said, "Truth is it's own defense." I don't think, however, that Sis Cooper was implying doctrine isn't important.

[Blest]

ddc -

I remember hearing Sis Nona Freeman speak of the unity she experienced in that church. She was sitting off to the side, it was before she was to preach and she questioned God 'what is this that I feel?' and God told her it was unity. Powerful! I will never forget it, her words left such an impact on me!

She also said to the effect of 'God pours out His blessings on those in unity.' (may not be her exact words, - but the point is, God wants us to be unified!!)

Blest

[Nathan]

YC,

If there is a hell. ;)

I guess it's all about balance. Paul said that we needed to keep the unity of the Spirit until we reached the unity of the faith. I think he means that we should be unified until we all come to see the full truth of God's Word. Not everyone (or every church) will be on the same level of understanding, but we can work together to help each other make it.

Supporting and loving others in other denominations does not change our doctrine in any way.

I agree. though, that we can't throw out doctrine to get TV coverage, record deals, pulpit time, or whatever else may come.

[Faithchild]

Bill, if we ever got together for a face-to-face discussion you'd find out that we agree on probably 95% on what we teach. Our differences are methodological, i.e. how-to-achieve those spiritual goals.

Nathan, if that "YC" was meant to be "FC" (Bill's new monicker for me), I'm working on getting April's FAITHCHILDFORUM.COM ready (we're going to a magazine format). But I want to explore that Hell discussion in depth. As soon as I can get back to it I will.

[bill]

Faithchild,

I want to apologize for anything I might have said that has offended you. I get carried away sometimes, and it does not behoove an intelligent conversation. I'm going to go through today and delete all those posts. I would like to say, however, that I don't think you give us conservatives enough credit. The things I believe is a result of my own personal studies, and I am not simply regurgitating some old stuff I was just taught (although I appreciate your concern :) ) I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree when it comes to holiness and seperation.

[Faithchild]

Bill, I consider myself a conservative in theology, a progressive (or liberal) in methodology. I prefer not to be called a liberal because of the negative connotations implied with it's usage within the Apostolic Movement. However I realize there are also negative connotations with the term "conservative" as well (dictator, controlling, uncaring, etc.). I am sorry for upsetting you. Sometimes I tend to get "in the flesh."

It IS hard to agreeably disagree. I don't mind passion in a debate but I do get offended if my salvation is questioned because I have a different view. I accept your olive branch and extend one to you as well. God bless.

[Xerf]

Oh i dunno I kinda enjoyed the Punch and Judy show (or in this case the Bill and Jim show). Someone said variety is the spice of life--and this was like having a Texas Chili cookout!!


:jk:

[ddc101]

I am so proud of Bro Bill and Yohe....humbleness is always the best way to go.And they did it publically.lv sis.c