Bill Johnson teaches on the power of unity in this special compilation. When we recognize the price Jesus paid for unity, we will learn to value it as He does. Unity in the Body of Christ is powerful, and is the very thing that Jesus said would define us as believers and reveal Him to a broken world. Unity is not uniformity, and is only possible where there is diversity. Bill shares on the importance of holding firm to foundational truths, and how to overcome disagreement to preserve the unity of the Spirit. Subscribe for weekly videos: https://bit.ly/bjmYoutube
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Bill Johnson is a fifth-generation pastor with a rich heritage in the Holy Spirit. He is senior leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and is passionate about seeing Revival and God’s Kingdom established and revealed in the lives of individuals, families, communities, and nations. Bill’s teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven, hosting the Presence, and the renewed mind has helped thousands around the world to step into their true identity in Christ, God given purpose, and walk in a supernatural lifestyle displaying both purity and power. #BillJohnson #BethelChurch #Unity
Jesus values his value for Unity doesn’t
mean that we compromise on beliefs
doesn’t mean we compromise a person’s
values but it does mean I will die to my
vision on this to protect
the city values
[Music]
Unity is only possible when there is
diversity
Unity without diversity is uniformity
and that’s not the same
it’s it’s not good that we all look
alike act alike we want to have the same
Kingdom values but there’s unique
expression through every gift through
every position through our history our
our our backgrounds are our upbringing
our nationalities all those things are
to be celebrated and protected that
uniqueness is uh is not a problem unless
it conflicts with Kingdom values then we
adjust
to what God is saying what God is wrong
but the point is is that we were
designed to be together you know it
would be horrible if my entire body was
one big toe
it’s not supposed to be it’s supposed to
be unique every member but here’s the
crazy thing is every member contributes
to the next member in other words in
fact the Bible says there’s life in
which every joint supplies so there’s
actually the release of Life at every
point where there’s a connection
and the body of Christ is designed that
way
many years ago in Weaverville we had
some dear friends who ran a small little
little farm and I don’t remember what
happened or why but somehow they needed
help with a little lamb and Benny
volunteered to babysit this baby sheep
and so this baby sheep lived with us in
our house
like a dog except it was a sheep
and uh this little sheep this little
lamb would follow Benny all over the
house because that thing thought she was
Mom
and it was just the cutest thing I don’t
know if that lamb was destined for
dinner or what its purpose was but
we did we did we did it was just a
little lamb to us I did not you probably
knew this but I didn’t know sheep had
long tails
I didn’t know that so we get this we get
this lamb and it’s got this rubber band
real tight little rubber band you know
about halfway down the tail
and uh and they said oh yeah that’s uh
that will just it just cuts off life to
the rest of the tale So eventually it
just rots and falls off
well that’s kind of gross but that’s
what you do with sheep I guess I don’t
know if you get that in the shoe owner’s
manual or what but you got you got to
get rid of the long tail not sure why
so I put this little rubber band on sure
enough it just uh finally turns gross
colors and then falls off
anytime we separate
people from the flow of life
we actually sentenced them to experience
things in life they were never designed
to experience
we’re supposed to keep the flow of Life
One member to another it’s a
responsibility and a privilege
crazy that little rubber band if if you
know halfway through the process of
getting the tail to fall off if you take
the rubber band off
there’s enough poison in that tail
to now be released back into the Sheep
to actually kill it’ll actually kill the
land
and so there’s there’s this whole
concept if you will of making sure that
we keep connections on us keep the
connections open and and in a way the
way we reign in life is to navigate
relationships well I you know you don’t
get to just decide all right I’ve
decided I’m not going to be criticized
anymore
if if only that were possible or or we
could say you know what I was betrayed
but it’s never going to happen again
I’ll never now you don’t get to choose
that you can choose to have it not
affect you but the only way you can do
that is to protect yourself from love so
if I if I insulate myself so much where
nobody can hurt me well then nobody can
love me either and so to be vulnerable
in life to experience life together
means I will experience pain so the way
I demonstrate reigning in life is how I
navigate disappointment and laws it’s
how you navigate it I don’t get to
choose whether or not I’m going to be
criticized or rejected or embraced or
love I don’t get to choose that I get to
choose how I navigate what’s been thrown
at me
I use the illustration a couple weeks
ago the whole adverse winds a sailboat
by attacking by using the sale in the
rudder can actually Advance Against the
Wind and oftentimes our destiny is in
the direction of adverse winds and the
Lord is simply inviting us to navigate
relationships in a way where no matter
what comes at you you actually are
making progress
and sometimes a strength is developed by
making progress in adversity
that gives us the maturity to live in
The Promised Land once we enter it to to
live in it with maturity in other words
we don’t handle it carelessly and lose
what God actually released to us
[Music]
and he says in verse one he says when
the day of Pentecost had fully come they
were all with one Accord in one place
again here’s this one Accord concept one
Accord not not a car not the Accord one
Accord 120 people in one Accord that
would be a lot of people all right one
Accord they’re in unity Unity is not
uniformity
now listen carefully
most people’s understanding of unity is
the fight for uniformity
true Unity
requires diversity
and a man shall be joined to his wife
and the two shall become one they are
not the same diversity is required for
biblical Unity
Unity does not tolerate
diversity it celebrates it
it’s what makes it so beautiful
the second thing I would say about Unity
is it’s not something you and I can
create
most human efforts for Unity
as Noble as they may be
are simple attempts for agreement and or
understanding not evil not bad just
insufficient
the scripture says in Ephesians chapter
4 I think it’s verse two he says
preserve the unity of the spirit
in the bond of Peace Preserve
the unity of the spirit and the bond of
Peace tells us a couple things about
Unity number one preserve I can’t create
it it’s already in existence
how did it get there it’s the unity of
the spirit
true biblical Unity
is is seen wherever the Holy Spirit has
influenced
anytime you see in a relationship a
husband or wife a church family
a nation
anytime you see real true Unity not just
we’ll agree for this season
true biblical Unity
it is the result of the holy spirit’s
influence and those individuals lives
Jesus prayed a prayer that they might be
one but what did he join to it he said I
gave them my glory that they might be
one what is the glory the glories the
manifested presence of Jesus seen as the
Holy Spirit comes upon his people I gave
them my glory I gave them the
manifestation of the presence of God
upon them why that they might be one
you never see where there’s a mighty
outpouring of the Holy Spirit let’s just
take some of the things we’ve seen
happen in this room I’ve watched this
for years when the spirit when the power
of God shows up in a room I don’t mean
just for miracles although I’m I’m all
in for that when the power of God shows
up in a room it’s hard to find anyone
who’s mad at somebody else
there’s something that takes place in
that in that environment where all the
hostilities all the objections all the
stuff you know the love remembers no
wrong I’m not keeping an account why it
just all lost its importance in the
presence
my challenge my challenge to you is
Pentecost yes it’s about the
demonstration of power
but the basis if you if you consider the
platform
for this manifestation of the power of
God the Resurrection The testimony of
the resurrection of Christ through Power
the platform was
they prayed together in one Accord they
were they were United in heart so much
so if they saw one of their own brothers
or sisters in need they would sell a
position possession to take care of that
need the point is is it was it was Unity
to the point of self-sacrifice in other
words I’ll pay any price to maintain
this what does it look like to preserve
the unity of the spirit it means I am
willing to invest I’m not just going to
price something and then to ease my
conscience and and move out of doing
something
I’m not just going to
check check the box that I prayed for
Unity
in chapter 2
verse 14 it says Peter standing up with
the eleven raised his voice and he said
men of Judea o who dwell in Jerusalem
let this be known to you and heed my
words these are not drunk as you suppose
since it’s only the third out of the day
that’s a strange argument
I want to convince you that they’re not
drunk like you think they are how can I
say that it’s nine o’clock in the
morning
strange argument but then he begins to
read and I want you to see what he reads
what he declares he quotes this out of
the Book of Joel The Prophet Joel
and it shall come to pass in the last
days I will pour out my spirit on All
Flesh okay stop for a moment
when the Holy Spirit is poured out
where the spirit of God is working in a
group when he is truly free to do as he
pleases
he breaks every barrier that we create
I want you to look at them right now I
will pour out my spirit on All Flesh All
Flesh every race
when the spirit of God shows up it’s a
Level Playing Field there’s not haves
and have-nots there’s not this race
versus this race this class versus this
class all of that stuff is is
obliterated in the presence of God
that’s why we can say preserve the unity
Unity is the fruit of his working in and
through us so look at it again I will
pour out my spirit on All Flesh
your sons and daughters will prophesy
sons and daughters
the gender barrier and there’s only two
the gender barrier is broken in the
outpouring of the spirit
your young men will see Visions your old
men will dream dreams the age barrier is
broken in the move of the spirit
on your men servants and maidservants I
will pour out my spirit in those days
the class barrier
those who are the wealthy those who are
the poorest those who are the Servants
of others the claspberry is broken
what’s the point when the Holy Spirit
shows up in power it’s a Level Playing
Field it’s critical for us we see even
when Jesus would multiply food we’ll see
that he multiplied the food with the
four thousand the five thousand but
you’ll notice
a note in that number it will say and
five thousand besides women and children
women and children were oh yeah see in
the culture of that day they counted a
Crowd by the number of men in the crowd
and then they mentioned and women and
children
it’s interesting
than in
one of these stories
the one who was ignored
the child
is the one who had the
seed for the miracle
the Loaves and the fishes
the ones who
nobody counting counted
Jesus counted
and brought him into the place where his
lunch became what seated the cloud for
the multiplication of food
you see in Old Testament in the culture
of the day New Testament the gospels
what you see is you see a crowd counted
by the number of men
but all of a sudden something happens
the Holy Spirit shows up there’s 120
people in an upper room praying how many
men how many women
doesn’t say why because they’re treated
the same
see Jesus destroys
he destroys the power of division now we
have to live in it he destroys the power
of division that exists
between All Flesh
he’s the one who destroys that barrier
between men and women what men are
qualified to do what women are qualified
to do he’s the one who destroys that
barrier that dividing wall
he is the one who destroys the well
God speaks through the Aged or it’s just
the young people that have the real
spark for Revival he’s the one who
destroys that dividing wall he destroys
it and calls it foolishness
he’s the one who comes and he touches
the lowest of the low in this context
the servants the slaves of another
master
and he gives them access to the same
wonderful and glorious outpouring of the
holy spirit that is offered to all we
have to be careful that we don’t return
to a cultural standard that exalts one
group above another
we have to protect our heart to make
sure that we don’t move to
cultural values
sometimes good
sometimes very corrupt
that we don’t return to cultural values
instead of Kingdom values in the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit Jesus said
it I gave them my glory
that they might be one
Preserve
the unity of the spirit
[Music]
John 17 is this
it’s the Priestly prayer of Jesus
this is just
right before he’s taken
before he’s betrayed he
taken to pilate ends up being crucified
so this is his
final recorded
in fact it’s the longest prayer of his
in the Bible to my knowledge
and in this prayer he does several
things he he’s before the father now
remember he was sent by the father to
represent the father so he stands before
him and he he brings an account of his
own life to the father
he said I manifested your name
he said I displayed your
works
he said I performed your word or I
displayed your words performed your
works and he goes through four things it
actually did so he’s giving an account
to his father on what he did with his
life
and then he concludes this Priestly
prayer with this cry
that would be hard for us to
I don’t know if we were to have actors
and actresses on the stage or Cinema
film it would be difficult to portray
The gut-level Cry of Jesus in this
moment because he’s actually asking for
God to do something in you and in me
together
that has only been done between the
father and the son
a supernatural dimension of love and
affection that the father Son and Holy
Spirit enjoy would actually be the model
or the standard for how we would do life
is going through all this suffering all
this stuff is going to end up on the
cross be resurrected and it was to make
this possible
it’s that big of a deal
so here verse uh we’ll start with verse
20. of John 17. I do not pray for these
alone
that’s the the 12. but those who will
believe in me through their word that
they may all be one even as you father
are in me and I in you that they may be
one in us that the world may believe
that you sent me stomp right there there
are two basic credible Witnesses in the
Earth to the resurrection of Christ
one is Unity two is the miraculous
we live in debt if you will we live in a
sense of indebtedness to the world
around us
to model Unity now Unity is expensive
Danny would say Danny would say
something he said something like this he
said
I love the part of you that reminds me
of me
it’s it’s so funny it’s easy to be
United with people who think just like
us is the point
Unity isn’t seen there
camaraderie is common in the church and
outside of the church
this Unity is different
it goes beyond the obvious
things that we have in common
it actually moves in to this sacrificial
love and care for people that cause
Luke chapter 9 has this a storyline that
that is uh to me it’s very funny it’s a
series of experiences the disciples had
and and they had been commissioned they
came back with great reports of Miracles
and and and so Jesus here’s him talking
and they’re actually arguing as it was
the greatest you remember the story
and so Jesus corrects that part of their
storyline there is it’s not who have
used the greatest the least is the
greatest you know so he corrects that
and the next moment John comes to Jesus
with a report Now understand if John is
coming to Jesus to tell him some news
it’s because he thinks it’s good news
right he’s not coming to confess his
sins he’s coming to confess his success
so he comes to Jesus and he says we saw
some guys over here uh trying to cast
out demons in your name we told him to
knock it off because they’re not with us
hahaha
it’s just funny it’s like John is saying
all right we got it down we’re not
better than each other but we are better
than them
we are we are on the inside of this
demon casting out group we are being
trained by Jesus himself they don’t know
obviously don’t know what they’re doing
and so we told him to knock it off and
Jesus made this amazing statement to see
if they’re not against us they’re Forbes
perhaps we’re accustomed to thinking if
they’re not forced they’re against us
but in this situation
he he said if you count people out that
are not holding stones to destroy you
then you’re going to miss your
opportunity a partnership at a level you
would never experience without having
that sense of devotion and commitment to
people
Paul pushed the same
even farther
in First Corinthians chapter 6
he talks to the church at Corinth who
has all kinds of issues and one of the
issues they had
as they had
one group of Believers taking other
believers to court because they were not
treated fairly in a given situation so
what are they after Justice
your pursuit of Justice my pursuit of
Justice
is only blessed by the Lord in the
measure I have died to my own desires
because my pursuit of Justice outside of
personal yielding to Christ
pursuit of Justice outside of that will
almost always end up with me trying to
vindicate myself
and so Paul
now again this is for other people that
you know that need this it’s not
I’m sure it has no application for your
life but uh I’m just trying to help you
to be able to preach to your neighbor
well
or your Christian relative or whatever
um
Paul pushes this point and he says all
right you’re being taken to court
what you’re losing is greater than what
you could ever gain
what’s being destroyed the concept of a
body being members of one another
and he pushes the point and he comes to
the this conclusion he says why not
rather be wronged
well
because it’s just not right
I don’t want to condone their sin
Jesus values his value for Unity doesn’t
mean that we compromise on beliefs
doesn’t mean we compromise on person’s
values it does me mean that love is
greater than offense
it means love covers a multitude of sins
it means that I have to overcome my
personal stuff so that I can demonstrate
the love of Christ to another person
we are about to experience something in
the earth that you may or may not know
anything about
in Portugal
on August 4th
there is a gathering
of tens of thousands of people filling
the newest most modern best Stadium I
think in all of Europe
Lisbon Portugal
and it’s a combination
of Catholics and Protestants that are
joining together to see people born
again
it has
it has never been done in two thousand
years of church history
I I was in dialogue with a dear friend
and really a father who helped us Jack
Taylor who who uh just as a dear dear
friend he’s home with the Lord now
but he I remember we were in this
dialogue it was actually over emails and
texts with a particular situation
and there was a healing there was
actually healing and a very very
challenging relationship
and in fact he told me he says it’s the
greatest Miracle I’ve ever seen it was
that significant
and then he wrote me this note he said
Charles Wesley if you remember John
Wesley
John Wesley and George Whitfield were
two of the great great revivalists in
The Awakening and Charles Wesley would
take John’s Theology and write it into
songs because it’s easier to learn
song easier told in theology that’s
written to music
and uh in fact I’ve told our worship
teams what do you want the church to
look like in five years or ten years
write songs about it now and we’ll sing
our way into it
yeah because it we actually we we learn
on a different level so anyway so
Charles Wesley wrote George Whitfield
a letter
and they were they grew up together in
their early years and then they had
theological differences and they grew
apart
one real cool quote that came out of
George whitfield’s camp
is that one of his assistants said asked
him do you think we’ll see uh John
Wesley in heaven
and George said no
and he said that’s what I thought
he said no he’ll be so much closer to
the throne than we are then we won’t be
able to see and where we’re standing
from which is very positive obvious
comment
so John Wesley excuse me Charles was it
writes George Whitfield a note and in
this note it said this
we loved more
when we knew less
oh
my
God
I have watched it my entire life where
people who are in love in life in
Ministry doing stuff together and the
more they grow into their own gifts the
more they grow apart because we tend to
love more when we know less
it doesn’t mean we Embrace ignorance it
just means we come face to face with the
cost of unity what does it look like to
live it means it’s going to cost me
it means I have to lay down some of my
own rights my own ideas doesn’t mean I
compromise truth but it does mean
I will die to my vision on this to
protect
the city values
he values Unity so much
that he was willing to endure everything
he went through to make it possible that
we would experience a supernatural
presence and gift that the father Son
and Holy Spirit enjoy themselves and
that we would taste of that reality in
How We Do life together
and that’s the ambition of the Lord
and it actually gives a credible witness
to Jesus Christ
it says
um
that they may be one in us that the
world may believe
[Music]
no wonder the enemy would work so hard
to move us from one offense to another
because it robs The Voice
that this gospel is real
it robs the volume it robs the evidence
it robs it takes away from us all the
things that actually illustrate the
power of this wonderful gospel
[Music]
how do you reconcile relationships in
your life and Ministry when you have
very conflicting doctrines and
it might be a personal
conflict going on here but also might be
we tend to walk with Ministries we don’t
have complete you know yeah agreement
with our doctrines I actually
intentionally bring people in to speak
as you know
bring people in that that we don’t agree
with but they’re good people the people
of prayer they’re abandoned to the Lord
and it just doesn’t hurt us to be
exposed to other segments of the body to
where we learn how to eat meat
throughout bones we learn how to
celebrate who people are and it comes
down to you know they have a specific
thing in mind usually when that question
is asked but it’s a general question so
I can miss it all together but if it’s
an essential thing you know like the
blood of Jesus you know they deny the
effect of the blood of Jesus or the
Virgin birth or whatever it might be
that’s different then you you have to
draw relational boundaries yeah and
you’re not gonna you haven’t had those
folks into our uh our congregations I
have not yes
all the majors we agree on it’s the
miners yeah yeah yeah exactly it’s the
you know the role of Angels or yeah you
baptized in the spirit you speak in
tongues when you get it
you know those things you know there’s
opinions that are very diverse and we
have our convictions what we feel are
right that we live by but I’m not going
to exclude people that think differently
and they’re just you just have to get to
a place where you can celebrate who
people are without stumbling over who
they’re not that’s what we that’s kind
of the one of the Mantra of the the
culture of honors is to really celebrate
what God is doing in a person you know
Wesleyan Whitfield is I think it’s a
great example they were so diverse and
they were at odds for a season as I
understand it I wasn’t there but I hear
they’re at odds for a season and one of
whitfield’s uh Associates or friends
said yeah I don’t think we’ll see Wesley
in heaven and Whitfield responded yeah
yeah I think you’re right he’ll be so
much closer to the throne than we are
that will be hard to see him from where
we are and he was responding obviously
in honor wanting to honor one that he
had really grown in affection for
so you know part of it just comes down
to that if it’s an essential area if
it’s a family member that’s one thing
with family it doesn’t matter what
anybody believes you’re together yeah
you just you know I just I’m not going
to touch on touchy subjects there’s
enough other things to talk about in
life without offending or hurting people
you know if it’s a board member or staff
member or a church member or a pastor
down the road you know there’s all
there’s different degrees of
relationships and you just learn what
wisdom is you know when when do you
bring the subject up do you at all is is
it an essential part of life
um you know I need we need wisdom for
that because it’s it’s so easy to you
know to to lose a lose a war and win a
battle so to speak you know to well I
won that argument but I lost a friend
forever well that’s that’s that’s not
right that’s not healthy and the value
of people is is huge and even even if
they’re wrong because all of us in my
Approach is that every one of us
believes something that’s not right yeah
and we’re convinced we’re right
you know we are we’re just we’re all in
process and
um so we just need to give each other
that whole gracing show Mercy because
you’re going to want it later yeah yeah
we have that phrases on one of our
visitor documents in in the you know
Majors unity and the the miners uh
Liberty yes and and uh but in all things
love yeah absolutely yeah that’s right
and that came out of one of those guys
that right after Luther passed and
Calvin passed they were all just trying
to kill each other over getting Doctrine
right yeah you know they were just lots
and lots of separations and church
splits and Theological schools and
finally this guy Rupert something or
other uh he came he came up with that
phrase and we’ve seen that just in our
lives as a congregation in our lives
even on our own team we have we have
some different understandings of of
certain doctrines or end times that sort
of deal and people are often surprised
by that like there’s no standard they’re
like What’s this Bethel standard you
know Viewpoint here I’m like I’m not
sure there is one I know Bill’s got one
Chris has one I have one yeah yeah and
um we just enjoy each other and you know
draw the strength from each other and
and uh you know oftentimes learn
something new from each other yeah
absolutely absolutely yeah it’s I think
it’s it’s a huge part of life I think
that’s what we’re supposed to learn to
do you know because it’s in associating
with people of diverse gifts and diverse
views
that we get healthier you know we don’t
become ingrown and that happens so much
by only hanging out with people with the
same opinion yeah you just you become
fortified in opinion but not necessarily
in maturity yes
we’re working on the doctrinal statement
you know of the church and partly by
design it was a big tent it was lots of
folks could find comfort and go I agree
with that yeah you know in the way that
we did that and and so many times that
in denominations we’ve just they’ve
parsed things so clearly that as far as
end times are I guess the spirit that
they’re just they’re the belief
statement actually separates and divides
maybe too much yeah yeah I think the
thing that Chris has been uh I really
started pronouncing here several years
ago was
is that when you come together based on
agreement then you have to divide when
there’s disagreement yeah but when you
come together around fathers around
mothers and it’s it’s you know in a
family Thanksgiving meal you can have a
republican daughter and a you know a
democratic son and a Libertarian cousin
yeah you can have all and you’re all
together and thankful and yeah and if
they value each other they’re going to
treat each other exactly with Grace and
stability and respect exactly
[Music]
gossip creates misinformation
how many of you ever did this in in like
grade school or whatever where the
teacher would line up 20 or 30 40
students and and Whisper a secret to the
first one and they would tell it to the
second one and to the third one the
fourth by the time you get to the end
it’s a completely different story yeah
yeah that by itself should make us stay
as far away from Gossip as we possibly
can because it creates misinformation
I mean you could start with
Julie bought a white horse wrote it to
church and and her hair was all messed
up
and by the time you get to the 30th
student she bought a white Mustang
convertible as she sat in the parking
lot because she was embarrassed for her
hair
and she and that’s what gossip does is
it creates it invites misinformation
because it’s interpreted through the
perspective and values of the individual
that hurt
oh
gossip
is a coward’s way of dealing with a
problem
if there’s a problem you go directly
at minimum you go to somebody
who is involved in a solution
not someone you think should be involved
in the solution
because then you’ll come to me stay away
I had somebody come to me once they
unloaded all their stuff about somebody
else and I listened to everything I just
I milked it
and they just gave me all their stuff
and I said now have you gone to them the
person is no I can’t they’re uh whatever
they’re too hard to talk to or whatever
it’s usually it’s usually a spiritual
excuse I just didn’t discern you know
whatever whatever
so I said well
um I will give you seven days to talk to
them because in seven days I’m going to
go to them and tell them what you told
me
it really cuts down how many people want
to confide in you
which
which I I felt tremendously inspired of
the Lord when I shared that
gossip in essence devalues relationship
connection and Trust
we attract the words we value
Luke says in fact the gospel of Mark and
Luke both have this concept that teaches
um be careful what you listen to because
whatever you listen to whatever you
value whatever you whatever you let
through come through your quality
control more will be given to you
besides
so in other words what I receive will
attract more and that really is a
principle of the Kingdom for life
so if you constantly have people that
come to you with gossip
it’s not a moment for shame it’s just a
moment to make a decision
if you value it you will attract
if God inhabits praise who inhabits
gossip
words
are
uh I don’t know if entities is the right
word
words are that
which hosts presence
and it depends
what presence we host is determined by
what we say
Jesus taught that he only said what he
heard the father say but in John 6 he
said my words to you are Spirit
gospel is always is often forced excuse
me gossip is often used to force someone
to change their conduct and or position
on a manner through manipulation
and as I stated earlier both
manipulation and control are expressions
of witchcraft
[Applause]
gossip perverts the Beauty and the
Wonder
of the power of the tongue
in the same way prostitution perverts
the beauty of sexual intimacy in a
marriage
that which was given to us as a gift to
use for building up and creating is then
used to kill steal and destroy
gossip is the preferred tool of the
enemy to destroy the life of a believer
it’s a two-for-one deal
I want to read one more portion of
scripture to you and it’s out of
Ephesians 4.
beginning with verse 29.
let no one wholesome word proceed out of
your mouth
but only such a word as is good for
edification according to the need of the
moment so that it will give Grace to
those who hear
I’m going to come back to this verse
do not grieve the Holy Spirit notice
what comes what’s it what is in the
context of our speech towards one
another do not grieve the Holy Spirit by
whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption let all bitterness wrath
anger clamor slander be put away from
you along with all malice gossip is the
hiding place for unbelief gossip is the
hiding place for unforgiveness
kind of one another tenderhearted
forgiving each other just as God in
Christ also has forgiven you
here’s where I want to end I want to end
with verse 29 just talk through this
verse with you
I I would say
you know the concept of Ecclesiastes 10
verse 1 and 2 about the fly in the
ointment so we’ve got a perfumer who
makes this beautiful perfume and one fly
gets in it and ruins the entire batch
and that’s what happens in the anointing
is the Lord has given us a Grace a call
something extraordinary that he’s
imparted to us but through our words we
can actually plant small things called
flies
that which is attracted to death
decay
we can put that in the ointment and the
entire thing is affected
and we have been given something
as Dan mentioned earlier it’s obviously
it’s not the only thing going on in the
world but we get to be a part which I’m
glad we get to play we get to we get to
be in the game and I’m happy about that
but in such a crucial moment if there
were anything that I would say Bethel
family let’s be careful for this it
would be this right here be careful for
this because
in the Zeal of life it’s easy to
misspeak misrepresent and to say things
out of a conviction of
being right out of a conviction or
whatever and and misappropriate words
that create damage
and actually become the fly in the
ointment
and in this case he says let no
unwholesome word proceed out of your
mouth I’ve had a couple unwholesome
words two or two or three in my lifetime
yeah yeah
forgive me for lying right there
let no one wholesome word proceed out of
your mouth but only such a word
as is good for edification
so the target of my words is to be
Redemptive
not my chance to vent
a large percentage of people talk to
vent
not talk to redeem
that it might give edification according
to the need of the moment now the need
of the moment means I have to be present
if I bring this problem this conflict
this situation into it it will tarnish
and taint what I have to say to you
but if I am with you literally for your
welfare for your benefit
I will speak edifying words according to
the need of the moment
it will be a timely word Proverbs talks
about the The Beauty And The Wonder of a
timely word in season apples of gold and
settings of silver it’s this beautiful
picture of what timely words look like
but then the last phrase of that verse
is that it may give might give Grace
to those who hear