Tag Kingdom of God teaching

ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL

Allen Frederick Leave a comment
(Ephesians 4:5–6, KJV) A Letter to the Churches of the World
THE BLUEPRINT OF UNITY WAS NEVER OUR IDEA — IT WAS GOD’S

There is a unity that does not originate in human councils, denominational boards, or ecclesiastical structures. It is not the product of negotiation, compromise, or theological diplomacy. It is the unity God Himself designed, revealed, and established. When Paul declared, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:5–6), he was not offering poetry or metaphor. He was unveiling the divine architecture of the Kingdom. This is the blueprint of the Body of Christ, the non‑negotiable foundation upon which the Church stands. Unity is not something we create; it is something God has already decreed. The Spirit is calling the Church back to this blueprint, back to the original design, back to the unity that reflects the heart of the Father.

UNITY WAS PROPHESIED LONG BEFORE IT WAS REALIZED

Long before Christ walked the earth, God revealed His intention to reunite what human pride had fractured. Israel and Judah had become two kingdoms, divided in loyalty, worship, and identity. Yet God spoke through Ezekiel with a vision that defied their division. He commanded the prophet to take two sticks, one representing Judah and the other representing Israel, and join them together. The Lord declared, “Join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.” (Ezekiel 37:17). This was not symbolic artistry; it was prophetic destiny. God was announcing that He Himself would reunite what man had divided. Hosea echoed the same promise when he wrote, “The children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together and appoint themselves one Head.” (Hosea 1:11). Unity was not man’s dream; it was God’s decree.

UNITY WAS FULFILLED IN CHRIST, NOT IN COUNCILS

When Jesus came, He did not establish denominations, movements, or competing ministries. He came as the Shepherd‑King who gathers the scattered and restores the divided. He declared, “There shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16). He did not speak of many folds, many visions, or many kingdoms. He spoke of one. The unity of the tribes was fulfilled in Christ, the Son of David, the promised King who brings together the people of God under one Head. He is not the head of many bodies; He is the Head of one Body. The unity of the Church is not the result of ecclesiastical agreements but the result of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

UNITY IS PRODUCED BY THE SPIRIT, NOT BY HUMAN EFFORT

Pentecost was not a committee meeting, a doctrinal summit, or a denominational merger. It was the moment heaven descended and the Spirit of God made the disciples one. The Spirit did not ask them to agree; He made them agree. He did not ask them to unify; He unified them. Paul wrote, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Unity is not something we achieve; it is something we receive. It is the supernatural work of the Spirit who binds believers together in Christ. The unity of the Church is not the fruit of human leadership but the fruit of divine indwelling.

UNITY IS DESTROYED WHEN MEN TRY TO BE LORD

Division enters the Church when men attempt to occupy the throne that belongs to Christ alone. We were called to walk with the Lord, not to be Lord. Division arises when leaders seek control, when churches seek influence, when pastors seek kingdoms, when denominations seek loyalty, and when believers seek their own preferences. The Body fractures when men elevate their visions above God’s vision and their agendas above God’s purpose. But unity flourishes when Christ is the only King, when the Spirit is the only voice, when the Word is the only foundation, and when the Gospel is the only message. Unity is not the fruit of hierarchy; unity is the fruit of humility.

UNITY IS MAINTAINED BY SURRENDER, NOT STRUCTURE

Paul urged the Church to “endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). He did not tell us to create unity, enforce unity, legislate unity, or negotiate unity. He told us to keep unity. The Spirit has already given it; our task is simply not to break it. Unity is not preserved by councils, committees, constitutions, or conferences. It is preserved by surrender — surrender to Christ, surrender to the Spirit, surrender to the Word, and surrender to one another in love. The unity of the Church is not maintained by structure but by submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

UNITY IS THE SIGN OF TRUE DISCIPLESHIP

Jesus declared, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35). The world does not recognize disciples by doctrine, denomination, worship style, preaching, buildings, programs, or movements. It recognizes disciples by love — the love that binds believers together in unity. A divided Church cannot reveal a united Christ. The unity of the Body is the testimony of the Gospel. When the Church is one, the world sees Jesus.

UNITY IS THE FINAL PRAYER OF JESUS — AND THE FINAL BATTLE OF THE ENEMY

Before the cross, Jesus prayed His final prayer for His people: “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee.” (John 17:21). This was His last request, His final desire, His closing petition. And Satan’s strategy has always been the opposite. The enemy divides because he knows a divided Church is a defeated Church. But a united Church is an unstoppable Kingdom. The unity Jesus prayed for is the unity the Spirit produces and the unity the enemy fears.

A PRAYER FOR UNITY — THE PRAYER JESUS PRAYED

Father, we hear the prayer Your Son prayed over us: “That they may be one, even as We are one.” (John 17:22). We confess that we have divided what You made one. We have fractured what You unified. We have built kingdoms where You built a Body. We have followed men where we should have followed Christ. Forgive us, heal us, and unite us. Bring us back to the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. Bring us back to the Shepherd of our souls. Bring us back to the blueprint of the Kingdom: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Let this Pentecost be a fresh outpouring of unity. Let the fire that fell in the upper room fall again upon Your Church. Let the nations hear one message through many voices. Let the world see Your glory in our oneness. For Christ is not divided, and we refuse to be a divided Body any longer. Amen.

GOD’S SAVINGS TIME: REDEEMING THE TIME WE HAVE

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

The Ritual That Changes Nothing

Twice a year we perform the same ritual. We move the hands of our clocks forward and backward as if time itself were clay in our grasp. We complain about losing an hour or gaining one. We often discuss “saving time,” although no one has ever saved a single second. The sun still rises and sets on the schedule God ordained in Genesis. The day remains twenty‑four hours long, no matter how many times we adjust the numbers glowing on our screens.

Daylight Savings Time is a perfect picture of human illusion. It feels important, but it accomplishes nothing of eternal value. It shifts the clock, but it does not shift the heart. It rearranges the hours, but it does not redeem them. It is a semi-annual ritual. It signifies our desire to feel in control of something we cannot command.

Scripture, however, calls us to something far weightier. We are not commanded to save time. We are commanded to redeem it.

Redeeming Time, Not Rearranging It

Paul writes, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16). The word redeem means to buy back, to seize, to rescue from loss. It is the language of urgency, stewardship, and eternal purpose. We cannot redeem the hours on a clock, but we can redeem the opportunities God places before us. We can redeem conversations, relationships, moments of influence, and windows of grace.

Paul reinforces this in Colossians 4:5: “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” This is not about managing schedules. It is about reaching souls. It is about recognizing that every moment carries eternal weight.

Daylight Savings Time pretends to give us more daylight. God’s Savings Time calls us to walk in the light while it is still available.

The Call to Watchfulness

Daylight Savings Time is a harmless ritual, but spiritually it mirrors a far more dangerous pattern. Twice a year we adjust our clocks without adjusting our lives. We move the hands forward or backward. We feel as though we have accomplished something meaningful. Yet, nothing in eternity has changed. The sun rises and sets exactly as God ordained. The hours remain the same. Only our perception shifts.

In the same way, many believers have been lulled into a false sense of security. This is due to soothing messages and comfortable routines. A Christianity that promises rest without responsibility can also be misleading. We have been told to relax and settle in. We are encouraged to enjoy the blessings of God as if the Kingdom were a recliner. We treat discipleship as though it were a leisure activity. But Scripture paints a very different picture. The Kingdom of God is not a lounge chair; it is a field. It is not a place for slumber; it is a place for labor. It is not a retreat from responsibility; it is a call to action.

Paul’s warning becomes clearer in this light: “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep.” (Romans 13:11).. He is not speaking to the world; he is speaking to the Church. He is speaking to those who have drifted into spiritual Standard Time. They have become comfortable, predictable, and unhurried. They are unaware of the lateness of the hour. He follows with a phrase that cuts through every illusion of delay: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” (Romans 13:12).

This is not a poetic flourish. It is a diagnosis. The night is not approaching; it is already advanced. The day is not distant; it is pressing in. The time is late, and the work is urgent. The fields are not waiting for us to feel ready; they are already white for harvest. Jesus said, “Lift up your eyes… the fields are white already to harvest.” (John 4:35). Harvest time is not a season for sleep. Proverbs warn, “He that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” (Proverbs 10:5).

The Church has been comforted by complacency, but the Kingdom is calling us into wakefulness. We are not here to adjust clocks; we are here to redeem time. We are not here to preserve our comfort; we are here to rescue the lost. We are not here to drift through days; we are here to work while it is still day, because Jesus Himself declared, “Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4).

This is the heart of God’s Savings Time. It is not about gaining an hour of sunlight. It is about seizing the hour of salvation. It is about recognizing that every moment carries eternal weight. It is about refusing to sleep through the harvest while souls hang in the balance. It is about waking up, rising up, and stepping into the fields before the final night falls.

The Fields Are White, Not Waiting

Jesus told His disciples, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:35). The harvest is not someday. The harvest is not when we feel ready. The harvest is not when the Church is comfortable. The harvest is now.

Proverbs adds its own warning: “He that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” (Proverbs 10:5). We are not called to sleep in harvest. We are called to labor in it.

Daylight Savings Time may shift the clock, but it does not shift the urgency of the harvest. Souls are perishing. Hearts are hardening. The night is approaching. The Church can’t afford to drift into spiritual Standard Time. Routine, complacency, and delay must be avoided. God is calling us into His Savings Time.

Numbering Our Days

Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12). Numbering our days is not about counting them. It is about valuing them. It means understanding that every day is a gift. Each moment involves stewardship. Every opportunity is a divine appointment.

We cannot save time. But we can redeem it. We can invest it. We can sow it into eternity.

Daylight Savings Time is a ritual that changes nothing. God’s Savings Time is a calling that changes everything.

The Question That Matters

The question is not whether we have adjusted our clocks. The question is whether we have adjusted our lives.

Are we redeeming the time? Are we awake? Are we working while it is still day? Are we living in God’s Savings Time?

Because the night is coming. The trumpet will sound. And the work will be finished.