Unity in the Face of Increasing Adversity

While doing my morning devotions a few days ago, the Holy Spirit impressed the following message upon my heart, which I want to share with you.

 “About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.” (Acts 12:1-2 ESV)

The execution of the apostle James by King Herod ended the short period of peace noted in Acts 9:31 after the persecution in Acts 8:1-3. You may ask, “why is this important to the church at this time?”

The level of hatred for the church in Acts is astonishing and is beginning to parallel the rise of hatred for the church today. This is seen more dramatically in other countries and has now visited us in America. The followers of the Lord Jesus Christ are being targeted as a spirit of lawlessness increase and self-serving sin continues to abound.

It is critical that we as the “Bride of Christ” recognize our common bond through our love of God and come together in mutual compassionate support. Only as we band together will we find the strength we all need to stand against the tide of evil that is sweeping across our land. Dear brothers and sisters, it is time for all of us to set aside the petty differences that have divided the Body of Christ for decades. It is time to stop comparing ourselves among ourselves and to focus on the few non-negotiable fundamentals of our common faith. We must come together to regain the unity we have lost and walk in solidarity for the cause of Christ.

In this, we the church of God, will encounter greater blessing with an increased anointing and presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst. Rest assured that we will also encounter greater resistance. As we walk together in the bond of peace and unity, we will extend the Kingdom of our God and usher in the greatest revival the world has ever seen.