Close Encounters, Part IV: To-gether
In this week’s sermon, Lead Pastor Chris Baker completes his “Close Encounters” sermon series with the key for encountering the power and presence of God: being together, or being in unity.
When the Close Encounters series started, our church declared that we want to be the church as described in 2 Chronicles 5, where the glory of the Lord fills our church and our lives until we can’t stand it and those around us can’t stand to be without it. To review this sermon, please check out Close Encounters, Part I: The Challenge.
In order for this to happen, we then learned we had to meet God on His terms. To review this sermon, please check out Close Encounters, Part II: The Terms.
Then, we learned last week that in order for us to have a close encounter, we must take time. To review this sermon, please check out Close Encounters, Part III: The Time.
But in order to truly have a close encounter with God, there is still a final element that needs to be dealt with… being together in unity!
We all want the power and the presence of God. However, very seldom are we actually in total unity.
In 2 Chronicles 5:13 and Acts 2:1, God’s people made one voice.
Perfect harmony. In one accord!
When was the last time you went to church and found it a place where:
- Everyone was singing together in perfect harmony?
- Everyone was in one voice?
- Everyone came together focused in one mind set?
- Everyone was marching towards the same goal, with the same purpose?
And yet, Pastor Chris showed us through scripture that if we want a profound presence, we must have profound unity!
We have forgotten this truth.
But if we are to have an Acts 2 church, it cannot and will not happen if you take the ingredient of “Acts 2” togetherness and unity out of the mix.
Why?
Because God set a principle in place long before Acts 2 that continues to be a law of the kingdom to this day. If we can ever grasp this principle we will consistently have a close encounter with God.
We think we can be:
- on the outs with one another
- not talk to each other
- gossip about each other
- avoid each other
- give each other the holy “evil eye”
and as long as the music is good we will have presence and as long as the preaching is good we will have presence.
While the reality is that if we are going against the principle and we will not find Him.
Unity produces the dew of His presence. If we will get in harmony and unity there will be a commanded blessing in this place that will cause the anointing flow.
Lives will be changed. Marriages will be restored. Hurts will be healed.
People will be saved!
These times are special. They are crucial because it is beautiful for us to dwell in unity. It is like the oil. When we get together it produces anointing.
All of our differences. All of our uniqueness. All of our peculiarities mix with the differences, uniqueness, and peculiarities of the rest of the church body… and they produce an anointing.
One anointing mixes with another anointing and there is a blessing commanded there!
It takes a variety of people to produce the unity to bring the anointing. It’s not enough for me to get a blessing, or for you to get your blessing. We need the unity that brings about a corporate blessing!
If we want a close encounter, the key is to be together. Look past each other’s faults. Look past those personality quirks that drives us nuts. We need to swallow our condescending attitudes and realize that we need each other.
Amen!
Cited Bible Verses:
- 2 Chronicles 5:13
- Acts 2:1-4
- Ephesians 14:16
- Hebrews 10:24-25
- Luke 9:1
- Psalms 133:1-3
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