May They All Be One

  

  REFLECTION GIVEN AT CAN EASTER REVIVAL, 8TH-9TH OF APRIL, 2021
THEME: MAY THEY ALL BE ONE
DATE: APRIL 8TH, 2021
                                          The Invitation of the  Holy Spirit  
1.Come Holy Ghost Creator come
From thy bright heavenly throne  
Come  take  possession  of our souls  
And make them all thy own
2. Thou who art called the paraclete
Best Gift of God above
The living spring, the living fire  
Sweet unction and true love
3. Thou who are sev’n fold in thy grace
Finger of God right hand
His promise, teaching little ones
To speak and understand 
1. The committee set up to plan this revival has done a wonderful job. I have no doubt that  they were led by the Holy Spirit.  The theme chosen testifies to it that they were led by the Holy Spirit. It is the kind of theme that we need at this time of our existence as a body of CAN in Ayede-Ogbese. It is also a kind of theme that we need in our nation, Nigeria. As CAN in Ayede-Ogbese we are just surviving a period of crisis, trying  to  put ourselves together. It is important to remind ourselves again that oneness is the key, the key to bring down the presence of God in Ayede-Ogbese. It is the key without which we cannot bear witness to the life of God; the key without which Christ will remain aloof from us; the key without which we cannot claim any relationship with God, the key without which we cannot make Christ known. Dear friends, the list can be endless.  
2. Our nation, Nigeria, is presently in crisis, there is mistrust everywhere. A tribe is looking upon another as a threat. To live with other tribe is becoming increasingly impossible. Many people are calling for the division of our nation. We witness that remaining together is at high cost, a kind of cost that we are not ready to bear. We witness that remaining as one nation is now at the cost of our land, heritage, values, identity, and our life. This makes the call for division of our nation louder and louder ever than before. Across every tribe now there is a call for division of our nation.
3. Dear friends, you can now see why I say the theme for this revival was not chosen out of flesh but by the Holy Spirit. It is an opportunity as a body of CAN and as a nation to remind ourselves that there are strength and wisdom in unity. It may be a lonely voice in the wilderness, but be sure it is the voice of the truth. I, therefore,  congratulate the members of the revival committee for allowing themselves to be used by the Holy Spirit to speak the truth. May God bless you all.
4. The theme for the revival is taken from the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel of St. John chapter 17:21. Jesus Christ repeated the theme several times in his prayer.  
A. May they all be one, just as, Father, you are in me and I in you so that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me (17:21). First of all, Jesus makes trinity the model of unity that must exist among us. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one in their Godhead but different in their persons. This tells us that in spite of our differences we must learn to be one in mind. St. Paul says, “So if in Christ there is anything that will move you, any incentive in love, any fellowship in the spirit, any warmth or sympathy- I appeal to you, make my joy complete by being of a single mind, one in love, one in heart, and one in mind. Nothing is to be done out of jealousy or vanity; instead, out of humility of mind everyone should give preference to others, everyone pursuing not selfish interests but those of others. Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus “ (Phil. 2:1-5). We cannot move along together without the spirit of forgiveness, tolerance, patience and above all love. St. Paul says “As the chosen of God, then, the holy people whom he loves, you are to be clothed in heartfelt compassion, in generosity,  and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another, forgive each other if one of you has complain against you. The Lord has forgiven you; you must do the same. Over all these clothes,  put on love, the perfect bond” (Col. 3:12-14). If love is the perfect bond, then unity is achieved by the values of love: patience, humility, truth, selflessness, forgiveness, gentleness, heart-felt compassion, generosity, goodness, trustful trustfulness, self-control, etc (Gal. 5:22-24; 1Cor. 13:4-7; Eph. 4:1-6).
 Jesus goes further to tell us the need to be one:
I. That we might have relationship with Him. It is as a body we have communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He says, “so that they also may be in us”. St. Paul express the same thought in the following words: “In Union with him (Jesus Christ) you too are being built together with all the others into a place where God lives through his Spirit” (Eph. 2:22). We cannot claim to be united with Christ when we are separated from other brethren.  
II. We must be one to bear witness to Christ. He says, “So that the world may believe that it was you who sent me. In division we bear witness to ourselves, not Christ; it is in unity that we bear witness to Christ.  
B.  Jesus Christ repeated the theme second time thus: “I have given them the glory you gave to me, that they may be one as we are one” (17:22). At this second time Jesus wants us to know that it is by being one that His glory abide with us. When there is division, it is a sign that the glory of God has left us (Ez. 10:15-19). God does not live where there is division.  
C. Jesus Christ repeated the theme third time thus: “With me in them and you in me, may they be so perfected in unity that the world may recognise that it was you who sent me  and that you have loved them as you have loved me" (17:23). At this third time, Jesus Christ emphasises that our unity bears witness to Him as Christ, that is, one who is sent by God. He adds that our unity is a sign that God’s love abides with us. Division is a sign that God’s love has departed from us.
5. Dear friends, we have to know that division is the manifestation of sins. Put differently, division is a symptom of sins; it tells us that sins abound among us beyond bearable. It is sin that rents body apart and causes its death. When a body is successfully rent apart, it dies and exists no more. Then, the words of St. Paul come true: “the consequence of sin is death (Rom. 6:23; Ez. 18:20). Such sins which cause division are: hatred, anger, jealousy, impatience, grudge, enmity, backbiting, selfishness, greed, rivalry and other works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21).  
6. The Beauty of Unity  
The Beauty of unity is expressed in psalm 133. Psalm 133 sings the praises of unity thus:  
1.    How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God’s people to live together in harmony!  
2.    It is like precious anointing oil running down Aaron’s head and beard, down to the collar of his robes.
3.    It is like the dew on mount Hermon, falling on the hills of Zion. That is where the Lord has promised his blessing- life that never ends.  
(Copied from Good News Bible).  
Priestly anointing oil is the oil of salvation; it is a kind of oil that sets people apart for God’s service. This means unity sets us apart for God, it makes us pleasing to God. Anointing oil  is also a symbol of Holy Spirit. Prophet Isaiah says, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. (61:1). It is said of David thus: “Samuel took olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers. Immediately the spirit of the Lord took control of David and was with him from that day on" (1Sam. 16:13). Hence, the psalmist tells us that the Spirit of God abides with us when we live in unity.  
 Another word used in the psalm to tell us about the beauty of unity is ‘dew'. Dew is the symbol of God’s grace. When we live in unity, God pours out His abundant graces on us. The dew on mount Hermon does not cease at any time, both in drought and raining season. The plants on mount Hermon are forever green and full of life; they are like plants by riverside. When we live in unity, we will be full of life, joy and peace. Hence, the psalm ends thus: “That is where the Lord has promised his blessing- life that never ends.”
7. Let us pray
Dear God, please keep brethren together in unity. Encourage us to put our differences aside so that we can effectively praise you with one mind. Release your overflowing grace and anointing on all brethren as we make significant efforts to promote your name in love. For in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.
Amen. (Copied rom chainprayers.com)

Fr. Andrew Andrepaul Olowomuke