We Are One

Romans 12:5 —  so we being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

To me, this is so profound.  John 17 is Christ’s last prayer.  It is about oneness.  He is praying that we will be one with Him and the Father AS they are one with each other.  The only way we can be one with each other is if we are one with Christ and the Father.  I think that it is interesting that this is equated to a marriage relationship.

All through the scripture, Israel’s relationship with God is compared with an adulterous woman.  This means that their relationship was to have been an exclusive relationship.  God is a jealous God, and He does not want to share us with anything or anyone.  You can see this as severe or you can see this as precious.  As precious, it is expressing how much God loves us, and how He wants to be loved as faithfully in return.

How do we take this idea of oneness with Him and with each other and make it real to us.  God is love.  Love is other centered.  Brothers and sisters in Christ are one if they honor that blood relationship that comes through His blood and body.  So often, we turn the relationship into something that we do.  We cannot love like God loves.  We cannot be other centered because we are so invested in self and outcomes that magnify the self.  

So often, when we look at brothers and sisters in Christ, we see their shortcomings.  We see what they are not.  Our eyesight needs redemption.  This is only something that Christ can do.  The truth about this unredeemed gaze is that we are actually seeing what we dislike about ourselves.  It is really you and me that need redemption…from our wounds and dysfunctional beliefs that cause us to be out-of-relationship with ourselves.  From a place of criticism, we are actually saying, “Lord, thank you that I am not like that.”  This judgment means that we are LIKE THAT!

This morning in the chapel, I had a praise and worship song on…one of my favorites.  The words —I just came to see Your face — called me up to a higher place.  Our purpose for worship is to see His face…not mine or yours.  Who are we worshipping?  I thought about how many times we bring to God the list of what is wrong with ourselves and others.  While intercessory prayer is important, it should not take the place of time spent seeking His face.  And it does not need to be something that is a dressed up form of criticism and judgement (or gossip if praying with others).  

Criticism is a counterfeit for intercession.  Intercession lets you stand before God in the gap for someone else.  God already knows where we all need healing.  He does not need us to be the accountant.  He needs for us to ask for His intervention for others.  We need to ask if there is something that He wants us to pray.  We need not think that we know God’s will either.  I was praying for someone for health and the Lord said that I could not pray that because the poor health was result of poor choices.  He said He could not condone that by granting health.  I asked God what I could pray.  He said that I could pray that the person get an understanding about the dysfunction driving lifestyle choices that brought sickness.  That was really eye opening to me.  This is why we see so so many prayers for healing going seemingly unanswered.  If He heals us today, He will have to do so again in two weeks because we did not face the truth encounter that the sickness was trying to give us.  

We have been raised to think that sickness is from outside of us…we are a victim of our bodies.  We are taught to believe that healing comes from outside of us…in the form of someone else’s prayers or the medical profession.  Again, we are victim to doctors or the prayers of others and the whims of God.  Not true.  

Now, what I am not saying is that if you are sick, it is your fault.  It may be,  but it does not have to be.  Do not let self-hate kick in and victimize you.  See and hear above that.  If you feel that, remember that condemnation and guilt come from Satan (the accuser).  Conviction comes from God and is empowering.  Even though I could not pray for healing for the person, God told me what I could pray…truth about the reason they were sick and empowerment to help.

What has this got to do with oneness?  We are called to be intercessors.  We need to do it from a place of love.  We all have wounds and need prayer.  I can focus on the wounds or I can focus on the God who heals wounds.  He has already taken care of the wounds in the work of the cross.  God stands beside us.  He says that He needs our help.  The life is in the blood.  The answers are in the blood relationship of oneness.  He needs our prayers for others because He works through invitation.  Remember, He stands at the door and knocks.  He is waiting for us to open and invite Him into the situation.  God is love.  I just came to see Your face.  It is seeing His face that allows us to look with love and come from a place of love when we see the faces of our brothers and sisters.