Authentic Revival: The Spirit of Unity

 Authentic Revival Part 2 – The Law of  Unity 

• Unity is a Spirit, The Holy Spirit 

• Unity is of the Spirit 

• You cannot have revival without a Spirit of unity. 

Ephesians 4:1-3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Unity is not uniformity. Unity has to do with your spirit man from the Holy Spirit!

• Unity stems from a spirit of shared values and vision, rooted in Christ, rather than everyone looking or thinking alike.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord, in one place.

1. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room represented an inside-out revival.

   • First Pentecost was a covenant of the law  

     • God’s law was external, written on tablets of stone.

     • The result was judgment because the people of God worshipped a golden calf; 3,000 died

   • This Pentecost was a covenant of love

     • Jesus had fully kept the law and was the paschal lamb 50 days before on Passover. 

     • God’s law was internal and written on hearts 

       1. The result was salvation because those outside who heard the event in the upper room heard the gospel and were saved. 

   • Under the Old Covenant 

     • 120 Priests of Solomon’s Temple ministered during Solomon’s temple dedication, representing the fullness of God’s priestly people prepared to serve Him.

       1. Reference: 2 Chronicles 5:12; Acts 1:15

   • Under the New Covenant 

     • Indwelling of the Holy Spirit Fills the New Temple of People.

     • At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on the 120 with tongues of fire, signifying that God’s presence now dwells within His people collectively, making them the spiritual temple.

       1. Reference: Acts 2:1-4; 1 Corinthians 6:19

   • Why do tongues of fire appear above their heads? They were Priests and a New temple.

   • 3 Courts of light:

     • Outer – Sun (World in Darkness)

     • Inner – Golden Lampstand (Oil and Spirit – Light of the World, never extinguished) 

     • Holy of Holies – Shekinah Glory (The Lamb is the light, Rev. 21, never be night again)

   • Inner Court is a story of Redemption Progression: 

     • Lampstand – Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Tabernacles. 

       1. Light of the world with anointed power to be witnesses of the whole counsel of God and His redemption plan! 

       2. Filed in seven almond-shaped cups but connected to one central piece 

       3. Lit continually before the Lord – together one light, one spirit represented in oil, all of redemption in one service. 

     • Bread – Baked and unleavened 

       1. Word of God – Jesus

       2. 12 cakes in two stacks of 6 

       3. The word given for each tribe, man, and covenant 

       4. For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread (1 Cor. 10:17).

       5. The bread provided food to be eaten by the priest on the Sabbath in the holy place (Lev. 24:5-9). We who are believer-priests (1 Pet. 2:9) are to feed upon Christ, the Bread of Life, receiving in return spiritual sustenance and strength for worship and service. 

       6. Jesus said, “. . . for without me ye can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). Paul saw our great need for Christ when he wrote, “I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13).

     • Altar of Incense – morning and evening before the Lord

       1. Prayers of the Saints 

       2. Symbolism of Prayers: The incense’s smoke ascending from the altar was a visible sign of prayers rising to God. Scripture directly supports this connection: “Let my prayer be set before you as incense”(Psalm 141:2). 

       3. Rev. 8:3Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

2. For the Holy Spirit came upon all 120 in the upper room, obedience was necessary.

   • There were two prerequisites of obedience:  

     • Be in one accord 

     • Be in one place.

       1. One accord or heart: The word “one accord” is homothumadon, which means “to have mutual consent,  to have unity, and be of one heart in a group.” 

          1. Their hearts were seeking God individually and then corporately together.

             1. You will fight for every relationship. 

             2. You can’t fight God. 

             3. You will either fight the devil or each other. 

             4. Deut 32:30 How could one man put a thousand to flight and two ten thousand to flight?  

       2. The Enemy knows the spiritual power of Agreement. 

          1. In Genesis 11:1, Tower of Babel: “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.”

          2. There is a great force at work when people stand or act in agreement. The very fact that God testified, saying“nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do,” is proof that the power or force of agreement really has no limits

   • Rule of agreement and first things first:

     • You cannot have unity in church relationships without unity in homes and marriages 

     • You cannot have unity in marriages and homes without unity in marriages and family without walking in unity with the Lord. 

     • Most church, marriage, and family relationships are unequally yoked, and therein lies the issue. 

   • One is too small a number to achieve anything great.

     • Example: Coherence- light waves at unified frequency and wavelength produce a laser that can cut through metal.

     • Roman Fasces – staffs bundled together will not break. 

     • Agreement calls for a submission to the Lord and then to another. 

   • • Ephesians 5:21 Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ

       1. Submission has another name: Team Work!

       2. Teamwork makes dreams work

       3. Submission is Success for any team.

          1. “Choosing to submit is often an act of wisdom and humility.

          2. “Submission doesn’t mean losing your voice—it means aligning your will with a greater good.”

          3. “True submission is about partnership and cooperation, where each person plays a vital role.”

     • Amos 3:3 How can two walk together unless they agree? 

       1. Walk in the Spirit and you will walk together!

       2. Galatians 5:16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want.

     • A chord of three strands is not easily broken- Ecclesiastes 4:12

       1. The math of man is addition or subtraction

       2. The math of the Devil is division 

       3. The math of agreement in submission to God is multiplication. “And God said, Be fruitful and multiply…” 

2. One Place: “ Matthew 18:20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them. 

• v19…If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

• The word “agreement” is sumphoneo. It means to be harmonious, and the word “symphony” is derived from this. 

• A symphony orchestra combines many diverse instruments under the direction of a skilled conductor (The Holy Spirit) to produce a beautiful, musical masterpiece. 

1) Scripture is clear about the goodness of unity.

1. When we pursue unity, the God of love and peace dwells with us.

   1. 2 Corinthians 13:11Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 

2. When we are unified, the world will see Christ in us.

   1. John 17:20-21“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

2) Scripture is clear about the dangers of division.

Consider this passage from 1 Corinthians 1.

• 1 Cor. 1:10-13I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. And then v13 Is Christ divided?

Consider Paul’s exhortation to Titus: 

• Titus 3:10-11 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

We are one because God is one. 

• This is also why John can say that if someone says he belongs to God but is divided from his Christian brother, he is a liar (1 John 4). 

In the local church, we are “incarnating” visibly the invisible reality of our union with Christ. 

• This is the core purpose of why the church exists.

• The church is the visible picture of God’s glory on the earth. 

• If we are not living in unity with each other, we are not creating a faithful picture of who he is.

Repent of these: 

1. Preferences (Unity is not Uniformity) 

• Unity Based on Preferences Is Fragile
  When unity relies on personal tastes or feelings (such as style of worship, music, ministry approach), it can quickly fall apart if disagreements arise over these secondary issues. 

  • This makes unity dependent on comfort and sameness rather than a deeper spiritual bond.

     

2. Self-Centeredness and Making Everything About “Me”

• Prioritizing personal preferences often reflects a self-centered attitude that neglects the needs and concerns of others, undermining mutual love and sacrifice essential for unity.

   

3. Elevating Traditions Above Gospel Priorities

• When personal or group traditions are valued more highly than the gospel and mission, the lost have no hope. 

4. Opinions (Unity is not Subjective but Spirit)

• Lack of Humility and Love in relationships kills revival. 

Conclusion: The Goal Is More Important Than the Role. 

• The “Law of the Big Picture” is: “If you think you are the entire picture, you’ll never see the big picture.”

• Everyone Has a Role in the Bigger Picture.

  • If team members think they are the entire picture, they will fail to see the big picture.

Seeing the Big Picture Requires Courage and Resolve: Putting the team’s goal above personal desires.