THE UNITY OF GOD’S CHILDREN
God intended man to carry His image. The Gospel, then, brings the joyful message that God not only reconciles the sinner with Himself, reuniting both, but also wishes to mend this unity among His children – and will do so! This unity serves as a demonstration that sin has been removed from man and will serve as a proof of the power of the Gospel.
SATAN SOWS DISUNITY
The nucleus of all sin is egotism, which leads to pride. Satan, out of pride, believed that he could overshadow God – and brought dissent between the angels. But God expelled him from the heavens and brought order again. Now Satan sows the weeds of disunity between churches and between Christians. An enemy divided among itself is a much easier prey to conquer, being weakened through disunity.
THE TRUE CHRISTIAN IS A STUMBLING BLOCK
A curious characteristic about the various cults of satanism is that, although they might follow different rituals, they nevertheless agree about what they believe, and they cooperate in their onslaught against Christians. They are most loyal towards one another, easily sharing their earthly possessions, as long as it will further their objectives. This will lead to their oppression of the Church and, under God’s will, imprisoning and killing many of us Christians. Millions of Christians have in fact already been killed during these past decades of this “enlightened” century with its marvellous human rights! The true Christian is going to be accused as being a stumbling block towards the false unity of the New World Order, especially when we start to close ranks when the oppression appears worldwide. Revelations 13: 5 -10 says:
“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Our Lord Jesus prophesied a massive dissension.”
JESUS’ MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH
Our Lord Jesus prophesied a massive dissension. Dissension from what? People joined churches on account of many various false promises related to the particular brand of the gospel that they preach. A gospel not to the glory of God, but to pacify and to lure people. When the oppression starts, those people lose their so-called faith and turn against the church. They disown all who live under the banner of Christianity. But – the chosen people of God have no other choice. They were called by God Himself. Before earth’s foundation they were already bought to be His own possession, through the costly blood of His Son. The character of His Son is moulded in them, through the working of the Holy Spirit. Only those ones will keep standing throughout the baptism of fire, sparked by hellish hate. It is for those that Jesus prayed in John 17: 1 – 26:
“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
GOD-DIRECTED MESSAGE
I am convinced that you will agree that Jesus’ prayer to God the Father will be fulfilled. The main themes in the prayer are the heart of the Gospel: God’s predilection, truth, commitment, oppression by the world, and unity with God and among one another. This is the message of God’s Kingdom. It is God-directed, not man-directed. This is the message that will purify the Church and will lead sinful people to the true knowledge of God.
DR KRIGE AND HOUSE REGENERATION
This adapted content was extracted from A Biblical Approach to Psychotherapy authored by Dr Ado Krige, the Founding Director of House Regeneration, a South African drug rehabilitation centre offering a comprehensive discipleship training program. By applying principles of Biblical Therapy, using the Scriptures to teach, rebuke, correct, and train in righteousness, House Regeneration counsellors show anyone who has suffered from addiction how to fully understand why they do what they do and how to bring their belief systems in line with the Word of God.
