Ephesians 4:4-6
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Regardless of culture or language, whether called outsiders or insiders, all of the Christians among the Dong are of one body and one Spirit. It takes time for the witness of this unified body to bear a clear witness among the multitude of local spirits and beliefs, and the unified message of the Lord is the best witness they could have. Let us pray that the message of the one faith will be clearly told in the word and action of the unified body. How is the body to remain unified, though?
Just before those verses, Paul tells us very clearly how. "Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
As many of us have seen, living out these words is not always so easy. People have different ideas, different solutions, and varied personalities. As God's body works together to seek how to reach the Dong people, these verses are a great challenge to live out. Let us pray through these verses as we pray for those who are working to bring the Gospel to the Dong people.
Lord Jesus, our one Lord, we ask you to aid our brothers and sisters who are working among the Dong. We too are a part of this team and want to do all we can in prayer to support and encourage your work. Working with others requires humility and gentleness, and these are traits that do not come naturally to hardly any of us. Remind them of the humility you displayed in your sufferings, the humility you showed us by becoming a man when you were by all rights the High King of Heaven!
Please help them to give up their "rights" and rather to focus on the needs and concerns of their brothers and sisters in Christ. They will need great patience to put these into practice, and we pray that you would speak to them and remind them of the patience required. And as they bear with one another in love, may they eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Just as with many of the prayer requests presented here at DongTeam, this one is actually a very specific prayer request, though it does not really look like it. Details cannot always be shared for reasons of security, but thankfully, that one Spirit interprets our prayers to the Father for us.
ReplyDeleteAlso, praying for unity does not mean disunity exists, but only that a unified body founded in Christ is absolutely necessary to reach any people for Christ, and it is something that we can pray for. May our one God and Father unify those who seek to discern how to reach the Dong people of China.