Jesus prays for unity

So I'm sitting here today as I join JESUS in an amazing conversation on the beach. We start talking about what Armando and I talked about last night, and that is unity. Jesus prayed for unity, he described the church as one body and pretty much said that if the church is not unified then the world will not know him. As I sit here under a nice shady Palm tree, Im looking around at all of the different plants here on the outer edge of the beach. There are big Palm trees, some sort of thick short tree, beach grass and some other sort of leafy looking plant. As I sit here quitly listening to what God has to say, he tells me to look around at the unity. All of a sudden this thought pops into my head. Look at how even these plants work together. They are all different, playing different roles but they all are here for the same purpose. To provide life! Not only oxygen, but shade, shelter and protection. If it were not for the small brush then all the lizards, bugs and who knows what else would be by me. They serve a purpose, just like right now the Palm tree I am under serves as shade for me, where as the small brush cannot. What would happen, hypothetically of course, if the Palm tree said to the brush, " you are doing it wrong! That is not how you provide life. If you can not provide shade for this person than you must be wrong." And what if the brush said to the Palm tree, " what are you doing" You are way to tall. How are you going to stop the elements from getting to all these animals and bugs? You are doing it wrong. Get off my beach I do not want to see you here again!" Oh and all of those insects and animals that come and visit you and your spot, leave them here with me."

Sounds kind of silly right? 

Well, that is what many churches are doing today. Both here in Puerto Rico, America and the world. 

When will the church wake up and realize that the church is not here for us, but for JESUS. And that Jesus wants us to be unified in Him. That does not mean we all do the same things, feel the same way or even believe the same things. What Jesus wants is for the church to be unified in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ an salvation through repentance and a loving relationship with Jesus. Read Jesus' words in John 17 for yourself. 

We need to stop being selfish and thinking that we are right and they are wrong. We need to understand that the church is ment to operate as one body with many parts all working for the same purpose but playing different roles. What if I cut off my arm because I could not walk on it or cut off my ears because they could not see? That is what the church has done and is doing. We have become a self absorbed group of "Christians" who have forgotten our real purpose and have forgotten the words and prayer of the one we are following!!!!!! How can we claim to be the church if we don't even listen to Jesus? He had told us what we need to do, why don't we just do it? 

STOP FIGHTING CHURCH! We are willingly making the devil smile by our ununified body. 

Jesus says if the the world is going to know him then the church needs to be unified.

That means, it's ok for a person to leave your denomination and plant a church with another, it is okfor those called by God to start a church without any formal training to do so, it is ok for people to be involved with more than one church, it ok for people to believe a little differently than you when it comes to religious practices. 

If we want the world to know Jesus we must understsnd this. Those are the words of a Jesus not mine.

I'm not writing this to condem the church. I am writing this because I feel God layed it on my heart today. This is my prayer for the church, that we become unified so the prayer Jesus prayed becomes and answered one. There are a few churches that get this and are doing amazing things. If you are one of those churches or people who understsnd this don't be shy, don't just sit on it, spread the word. Be bold and let's start unifying as a church so the world will know Jesus. This takes courage, vulnerability and a willingness to be disliked, kicked out and persucuted. But, isent that what happend to Jesus? The one we are following. Why should our lives be any different?