Community - Come-in-Unity

"And suddenly, like light in darkness, the real truth broke in upon me; the simple fact of Man, which I had forgotten, which had lain deep buried and out of sight; the idea of community, of unity". - Ernst Toller

"God is a God of Community" - Chukwudum Obi

Psalms 133 (NKJV)

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

For brethren to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious oil upon the head,

Running down on the beard,

The beard of Aaron,

Running down on the edge of his garments.

It is like the dew of Hermon,

Descending upon the mountains of Zion;

For there the Lord commanded the blessing—

Life forevermore.

Community means Come-in-Unity

Words to Note from that Chapter

1. Good & Pleasant - The consequence of Unity

2. Unity - Oneness, togetherness and agreement.

3. Precious Oil - The Anointing oil is a token of the Holy Spirit's presence.

4. The Blessing - Anywhere God is, HIs pleasures are with Him at His right hand.

5. Life forevermore - Everlasting life.

The bible tells a story of the advantages of unity:

Genesis 11:1-7 (NKJV)

Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.

And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.

Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.

And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.

Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Words to Note from the Scripture

1. One - They had one language and one speech. Language is a key ingredient of unity

2. They said to each other - Communication is key to the maintenance of unity.

3. "Come let us" - Doing thing together in unity is key to achieving great things.

4. Unstoppable - A unified group of people cannot be stopped, even the trinity confirmed it.

5. "Come, let Us" - For God to stop them, God didn’t say I am going down myself, He got His own team in Unity to stop these men (same thing He did when He created Man in Genesis 1:26) . God in three persons in Unity is Tri-in-Unity - TRINITY.

One major take home from that scripture is unity is a divine concept and if as men we are created with God's likeness, we need to imbibe this as well.

7 T’s of Community

1. Teamwork - The second index of Power is Networking. Examples of such like i've already mentioned is the Trinity (Three-in-Unity), another is Jesus' 12 Disciples. Learning to cooperate with each other is veritable in achieving success.

2. Truthfulness & Tact - The Integrity of the members of the community is a virtue that cannot be overlooked. Being honest with each other goes a long way for a healthy relationship.

3. Trust - Becomes easy when truth and tact is the hallmark of the community. Honour amongst brethren is another virtue that should be cultivated amongst the members of the community. Where mutual respect is given to every member regardless of race, age, background and status.

4. Togetherness - Family: Jesus when He started His ministry did something remarkable and very key to His success. Mark 3:14: Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him .... He formed a family of brethren that was with Him. Family members are authentic - they are true to themselves, they are real, without guise. They should be patient, content and not competitive with other.

5. Tackle - Confront each other in Love. Sweeping issues under the carpet is not a very good way of tackling issues. when you have something against anyone, speak with the person directly not to another person about it. This is what leads to gossip and backbiting. Jesus taught a lot about this. Matthew 5:23-24 (KJV) - Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Matthew 18:15 (KJV) - Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. Proverbs 13:3 (KJV) - He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. 1 Peter 3:10-11 (KJV) - For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. Remove gossip, envy, strife, jealousy etc

6. Tie - Members of this community should be committed to each other. This is the bond that holds the team and community together.

7. Tenderness - This is Love. This is the foundation of the community. Watch each other’s back. Cover the other person’s weakness. Keep each other’s secrets. Even deny yourself comfort for your brother or sister. Wish your sister good. Be kind one to another. Respect each other, be patient with each other

Conclusion

When all these are in place, we have people we can run to in times of trouble and be sure that we will receive help and reprieve.

Acts 4:23 (NIV)

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

Oh, let God enlarge your families giving growth to you, growth to your children in this year - Psalms 115:14 (MSG)

Unity is a virtue we all need to cultivate, we will achieve greater things if we live together in Unity.

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See you at the next one!