Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Unity in Spirit Electrifies a Group

By Dale Shumaker

Our unity in Spirit is what makes Prayer very potent.

When we are around those who do not follow the ways of the Spirit in what they do, it neutralizes a great amount of  power in Spirit available to us. In groups, organizations, a business where we meet for a functional purpose, when the agenda is not Spirit-led, Spirit is weighted down.

This is crucial. I now avoid groups without a Spirit-led process in how they do things. The power of the Spirit is not mobilized. We live in a life or death pivotal time. It's urgent we don't neglect this principle of Spirit in all we do in life and work. It's imperative we do not compromise this principle.

Is this too ideal? ... that we turn to Spirit first in all our life and vocational affairs. To me this is why we do not have the ideal of Spirit prevalent in most of the activities we are part of, and unfortunately even many church activities.

When we look at 1 Corinthians 11, 12 and then 13, we see how we are to function in all our meetings... whether 2 or 3 or larger. The Gifts of the Spirit manifest when there is the same Spirit in all involved. When His Spirit is having interchange in Spirit with another of the same Spirit,  the Gifts in the Spirit show forth.

When not, the Spirit is sterilized and stymied yielding only what the natural can yield.

And I see the model presented in 1 Corinthians 11 and 12 as an ideal working business venture model. Today's business has mixed spirits. When one person is of Spirit and another not of Spirit, it disengages the power potential of His Spirit. Consequently, smaller business cores can more powerful... Being One in Spirit can be obtained.
Only then, when there is unity of Spirit, actively in motion, we then see the Greater Works in motion. The Gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 blossom.

And remember the power of prayer partnering.
If under attack in spirit, we can call on one other Believer and we know the Holy Spirit is there to intervene.

Be in prayer and stay close to praying partners.

Also ... a personal reflection I wrote two years ago.
It came up in a Facebook memory. I still feel it today...
"I have spared you for a purpose...to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth." (Exodus 9:16) We each live in that purpose, a mission He as called us out to fulfill, with His Spirit guiding us, in our earthly lifetime, within our vocation, business pursuits, this is our purpose, His Purpose. We are mission-ary entrepreneurs building the kingdom of God throughout the Marketplace.

"Pray for each other"(James 5), "2 or 3 agree"(Matt.18) i.e., praying, networking in prayer. When this is done in the marketplace and as One in Spirit, a Spiritual network, like a web, will cover the marketplace/community with His Spirit. Pray for each other in cells of 2 or 3 linking to others doing the same. That's Power. Then we will see His Power envelope us, throughout the marketplace.

The process, when mastered, I outlined in Living Your Magnificent Mission will accomplish this. We need to live the discipline of life in Spirit like special forces’ soldiers prepare for a special mission.

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