We have been addressing the power of unity and how the church must come into this unity to accomplish her purpose in these times. This year we are going to see great bridges of trust and fellowship being built between many churches, denominations, and individual Christians who have been greatly divided before. This will release unprecedented power.
One reason there has been so much division in the church is because we have tried to unify around too much. The nation of Israel was only required to be in unity on two basic matters—worship and warfare. They were to worship Jehovah together in the manner and place He had prescribed, and they were to always be ready to mobilize and defend any of the other tribes that were attacked.
If the church would live by this same wisdom, her power, authority, size, wealth, and impact would multiply quickly. When we discuss being in unity about worship, we need to steer clear of the nuances that the Lord has given us liberty in, such as the style of music. However, we do need to be in unity about Who we worship and how complying with the biblical standards and teachings on morality, integrity, and other basics that should be common to all Christians. The Moravians stated the following: “In the basics there must be unity. In the other matters there must be liberty, and in all things there must be charity.”
As far as warfare is concerned, as Christians we should always be ready to mobilize with other believers to defend any of our brothers or sisters, or other churches, who are attacked. Presently, this is quite rare, but the times that I have seen it happen have resulted in a bonding together of believers in a special, powerful, and lasting way.
I was shown years ago that the ministry gift of “helps” would be one of the most powerful ministries to bring about the unity of the church. I had always thought of this as being the service of those who cut the grass or washed the dishes at the church, but the Lord showed me that this ministry was much more than that; it was a foundation that all of the other ministries were built on. The Holy Spirit is called “the Helper,” and the true ministry of helps is very basic to the nature of the Holy Spirit. When one is drowning and calls out for help, the one who responds to save him has the ministry of helps. The ones who respond to help defend others who are under attack are those with the true ministry of helps.
Years ago, I had a dream in which one of my children was in a sewage ditch, covered in filth, and not only would no one help him, but he seemed to be despised by the whole world because of his condition. Then in my dream, a man came along, helped my child out of the ditch, cleaned him up, and restored him so that my child was free and able to walk again. There is no way that I can describe the appreciation I felt for this person who helped my child. I felt like giving him everything I had, and I would have done anything in the world I could for him. Then I heard the voice of the Lord in this dream say, “Jim Bakker is My child. Will you help him?”
At the time, Jim Bakker was possibly one of the most despised people on the planet, even by Christians. If you read some of the mail he was receiving from Christians while in prison, you would think that Christians especially despised him. God loved him, and God was hurting because of the way one of His kids was hurting. I did not know Jim, had never watched the PTL program except for a few minutes occasionally, and had only casually followed his trial and imprisonment. However, I immediately resolved to help Jim in any way that I could. I don’t think I did much to help him, and I must honestly say that I sincerely think I have benefited much more from our relationship than he has. Even more than that, God’s favor came upon me in a way that I had never experienced before.
It was for this same reason that when the situation with Todd Bentley happened and I was asked to help restore him, I did not hesitate. I was warned by some that helping Jim Bakker would cost me and my ministry very dearly, and it may have with some, but the favor of God is worth much more than the favor of all men. I know Todd has asked what I expect to get out of helping him, wondering why I would want to when it seems the whole church is mad at him, but the dream the Lord gave me over twenty years ago is still as real to me right now as when I first woke up after having it. I’m not here to build a ministry—I’m here to do God’s will, but I also know the church will never be trusted by God or men until we have His heart for restoration. When the world sinned, turned away from Him, and fell into terrible debauchery, the Lord did not condemn it—He came and gave His own life to save it. Those who have His heart will do the same for those in trouble.
True Christians are in basic unity about worship, and when we start to respond to help defend our brothers and sisters who are attacked, our unity will grow very fast. We also need to respond and mobilize to help those who fall into transgression because that is basic Christianity—doing what our Savior did for us.
