I heard something incredible last week. "God's glory appears where people see eye to eye..." Given the truth of Ps. 133, and Acts 2, this makes perfect sense. God works and moves when people are connected in unity. I've been a pastor for over 20 years so I've learned a few things about unity. I know for example that unity is about more than singing off the same page. It's also about more than the religious language that we use we refer to each other as "brother and sister". (Most of the time that stuff makes me want to just run screaming from the room...) No, unity is about more than just superficial "niceties"...

Unity is based on what we agree we see together. For instance, I had coffee with a couple of guys that I'm getting to know this afternoon. They are key leaders in marketplace ministry in our nation. I was blessed to be with them. We shared our hearts for ministry and quickly understood that we see the same things through the eyes of the Spirit. Nobody had to verbalize it, this was about more than just being on the same page, there was a spiritual "connection" that occurred because we were seeing the same things at the same time because of the work of the same Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

This connection is about more than "kumbuyah" moments where we come together to light a candle, hold hands and sing. This is about something profoundly deep. It's something supernatural that we experience as the Holy Spirit connects our hearts and lives together. This plays out over and over in our lives. Over the course of this ministry transition, I have shared my heart and vision for the legislative community with pastors and ministry peers and have generally got one of two responses. The first response is amazing to me. I have had people light up and say "YES" that's so amazing and incredible. (I really like that response, not because it makes me feel good, but because it affirms the call of God on my life to this particular area of ministry.) When I asked my pastor to sit on our board of directors, his response was to weep because he was so honored to be a part of something that he sees as absolutely incredible. That's because we see the same thing and as a result God reveals His glory (greatness, power, majesty)

On the other hand, I have seen a response that is less than inspiring. I have had conversations with people who absolutely "glaze over" when we talk about it. (It's not unlike watching the eyelids of recently butchered chickens...) I love my friends whether they "get it" or not, but it's been pretty amazing to watch them leave the conversation even though they are still sitting there because they don't see what I see. It's okay to not "see it", it just makes the point that I opened with earlier. When we don't see it together, there can be no glory revealed.

I think this is absolutely powerful and explains why churches that are rooted in a unity that is born of the Spirit vs. a manufactured "detente" can do anything, build anything, fund anything and reach their world. This is an amazing dynamic that the gates of hell cannot stand against. Nothing can stop the church that agrees that they see the same thing because of what the Spirit is doing on the inside!

Where we see "eye to eye", we are together in relationship, fellowship and purpose and that elevates us to fresh levels of faith and fruitfulness because those who see the same thing, encourage each other to reach beyond themselves and into the realm of the supernatural.

Have a good one! Thanks for tuning in!!