Brisbane pastor MATT PRATER, in a written version of a talk given as part of a QCommons event, calls for the church to be an example of what it means to be unified…
“There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer.”
– AT Pierson
One of my favourite interviews on this topic was with Mark Stiles. He had been abused as a child at a church run school. His life had been a combination of brokenness, addictions and failed relationships. Until he accepted Christ into his life and received the healing he’d needed. He had blamed God and hated the church, but after his salvation he had the grace to forgive those who’d sinned against him.
Mark was invited to the National Day of Prayer & Fasting in the Great Hall of Parliament House, Canberra, for a special service called ‘The Healing the Wounds of Disunity Repentance Service’. There were leaders from the Catholic, Anglican, Australian Christian Churches, Hillsong, and The Salvation Army churches as well as representatives from many other denominations. They washed each other’s feet in a public statement of repentance for disunity in the Body of Christ. Then the leader of the Salvation Army washed Mark’s feet, and asked for forgiveness for what had been done to him in one of their boy’s homes. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
GOING THE SAME WAY?: Matt Prater calls for a greater unity among churches in Australia. PICTURE: Fré Sonneveld/Unsplas
“There is a spiritual war going on in our nation. The churches in our nation should unite against our common enemy, the devil. His plan is to divide and conquer. To cause division and make us argue over trivial matters.”
Then they washed his wife’s feet and asked forgiveness for the sins committed against her husband. It was a powerful moment for Mark and his wife. It was an important moment in our nation. Many sins have been committed in the churches of this nation in the past. We must acknowledge this, and learn lessons from the past. And we must unite together for the cause of the Gospel. Now that the darkness of the past has been exposed. It’s time for us to let our lights shine brighter that ever before.
Winston Churchill said that “Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.”
Matthew 12:22 says that “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”
I have a Gospel of Matthew that was passed down to me as a family heirloom. It belonged to my great grandfather who was one of the Lighthorsemen in World War I. Leonard Charles Wheaton helped liberate Jerusalem from the Ottoman empire. The Australian Light Horse were heroes! On 31st October, it was 100 years since the charge at Beersheba. One of the last successful cavalry charges in history. There was a common enemy that united the Allies. Aussies have always been known for our fighting spirit. We need to fight the spiritual battles we face with the same courage and unity as the lighthorsemen! Why do we fight against each other? Why do we let our differences come between us?
There is a spiritual war going on in our nation. The churches in our nation should unite against our common enemy, the devil. His plan is to divide and conquer. To cause division and make us argue over trivial matters. I was taught at Bible college to major on the major things and minor on the minor things.
II Chronicles 7:14 says that “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land”.
In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus.
“These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.”
“Which channel do you want?” asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organised like that?” If only the church in this nation could work together, we could really make a difference.
To learn another lesson from history, let’s look at World War II.
During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the churches, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not faced harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp.
When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the groups and there was much tension. Finally, they decided that the situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ’s commands. Then they came together. Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, “What did you do then?” “We were just one,” he replied. As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.
“When love prevails among believers, especially in times of strong disagreement, it presents to the world an indisputable mark of a true follower of Jesus Christ.”
When love prevails among believers, especially in times of strong disagreement, it presents to the world an indisputable mark of a true follower of Jesus Christ.
John 17:20-21 says “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Let’s learn our lessons from the mistakes and the disunity of the past. Let’s unite together for Mark, and for many others like him to be healed. If the church unites together on our knees, oh what a powerful witness that will be!
Corrie ten Boom said, “Be united with other Christians. A wall with loose bricks is not good. The bricks must be cemented together.”
Psalm 133 reads:
“How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head.
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.”
Let’s unite together for the cause of the Gospel and be the body of Christ that He’s called us to be!
Matt Prater is the pastor of New Hope Church Brisbane. This is the written text of a talk given as part of a QCommons event.
