Balancing The Scales of Unity (Part 4)

If you did not read the previous three parts of this series, I strongly urge you to do so, because there the foundation was laid for this portion. Moreover, this portion cannot be properly understood or assessed apart from the backdrop laid out in those first three portions.

In this part we want to discuss two more elements commonly comprising the false unity that is passed of as being true unity within religious systems and cultures of domination and control of their constituents: Coerced Conformity and Required Uniformity.

Coerced Conformity

There are two other distinctive characteristics of this type of false unity predicated on and supposedly emanating out of this erroneous version of "covenant relationships"—coerced conformity and required or expected uniformity. Here again the nature of a counterfeit is demonstrated. A counterfeit by definition is a fraudulent copy of an original, a mock up of the real. It has the appearance of the real thing, but it really is not the real thing. It is a pretense of the real thing, but it only feigns the nature of the real thing. It is a phony, a fake, a sham, a falsification, a fraud. The intent of the counterfeit is to defraud by making you think you have the real thing but you really don't.

In the case of the hyper-authoritarian counterfeit of "covenant relationships" and the sham unity it engenders, the very valid principle of interdependency and fraternal responsibility among believers is extended beyond its proper import and intent to virtually nullify and eliminate any semblance of personal autonomy and individuality. Contrary to the prevailing "wisdom" within much of Christendom, "autonomy," "individuality," and the much-maligned "independence" are not "four-letter words." In their proper application and context, these concepts are not at all incongruous with the Divine Nature and Christ-likeness. Ezekiel's vision of a wheel within a wheel portrays the precept of "interdependence with independence" inherent in the Kingdom of God and which is to exist in the administration and the interrelations of the Church of God.

God has created every human-being with a will, or volition, and endowed us all with the inviolable right to self-rule, or autonomy. So inviolable is that prerogative that not even God will violate or impinge upon it. Even when we choose to subject and subordinate our will unto God's as Jesus Himself did in the Garden of Gethsemane, that in itself is a voluntary exercising of our own free will. We choose to submit and subject our will and purposes unto God and His will and purposes, but He never coerces us to do so.

It may come as a surprise to some, but being Born Again does not mean that we forfeit our free will and right to self-rule in order to become some sort of mindless spiritual robot or zombie. Even after the Holy Spirit inhabits our being, we are still free moral agents, and are given the prerogative and privilege of operating in accordance with God's revealed will, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us by His inner promptings and urgings, submitting to His desires, and thereby allowing Him to live His Life through us. Being a willing participant in this cooperative coexistence is the great joy and privilege of it all. We are not compelled and coerced, but entreated and enabled.

Even when we are indeed Born Again, inhabited by the Spirit of God, and have become doers of His Word—active cooperatives for God on this planet—we still are not merely a contingent of identical "clones." Even then, we still have a certain amount of individuality, we still have the right of self-governance, or autonomy, and we are even given a certain kind and degree of latitude and independence within the bounds of righteousness. Independence is not intrinsically evil. While there is a certain amount of interdependence inherent in our relationships as members of the Body of Christ, nonetheless, God made us independent as well. Though those two concepts may sound contradictory, in fact they are not, but rather are quite congruous.

Yet in churches and ministries where predomination or hyper-authoritarianism is flowing down through the leadership unto the members, there is a definitive usurpation of their free will and right to self-governance. The followers are indoctrinated to believe that God requires them to surrender their will unto the will of their spiritual leaders, and that they must receive the approval of their leader(s) for major and in many groups even mundane decisions of life. They are taught that Scripture teaches that they must conform to the dictates and desires of their "masters in the Lord." This "coerced conformity" often starts out small and seems somewhat innocuous, but then continues to increase and expand until it is invasive and eventually pervasive. The victim is no longer his own or even God's, but the slave of some flesh and blood human.

Required Uniformity

The other characteristic of this fallacious unity is that of "required uniformity." True unity is not and does require uniformity. Too often, however, people perceive unity as being uniformity. In fact, it is quite a common thing among humans to view diversity as opposition and even as a threat. People are commonly suspicious, distrusting, and unaccepting of anyone who is significantly different than they. Sadly, that is too frequently the case among believers also, both individually as well as the groups they comprise. But true "unity of the Spirit" engenders a oneness and fellowship with members of the Body of Christ actuated in the natural, physical realm, however, based purely on "likenesses" in, of, and by the Holy Spirit. True unity can never be attained on the basis of our fickle carnal personal likes and dislikes. Rather, "the unity of the Spirit" is a unanimity in, of, and by the Spirit, produced by the confluence of diversity to create a complimentary and harmonious concinnity (working together) of "the body for the building up of itself in love" (Eph. 4:16).

All of Creation itself makes it abundantly clear that uniformity is not a God thing at all. And if it's not a God thing, it certainly is not a good thing. God, like so much of His Creation, created us all unique. There's no carbon copy of any of us anywhere. We are all "one of a kind," not just the "weirdos" to whom that term is often attributed. God delighted in making us all unique and so we should embrace it and learn to appreciate and like those things about us that distinguish us. It is okay to be different than everyone else. After all, even God called us "a peculiar people," and I always like to add, "some more peculiar than others." We all have things about us that make us "weird" to somebody else. We all have what others consider idiosyncrasies, and that's okay, as long as it is indeed idiosyncrasies and not neurosis or psychosis.

Today, with the prevalence of amateur psychology in our culture, it is common for people to try make a character issue out of what is in reality merely a personality issue. I enjoyed immensely what Graham Cooke said in different contexts concerning the uniqueness of his personality, in his book, A Divine Confrontation, which I highly recommend:

It is too easy to make a character issue out of a personality trait. I am an introvert; that is my personality. I like who I am. I am pleased with how God made me. I am quiet, shy, and can be difficult to get to know on a personal level. I do confide in people, but I have to know them really well. I have been accused of being secretive and evasive about my private life. Some of that was due to lack of rapport and trust. Mostly it was because people expected self-disclosure from me in the manner that an extrovert would share.

Introverts share differently. We perceive, speak, and act quite differently from outgoing, expressive people. Extroverts may talk very freely when they are comfortable with people. They can share their life story in an hour. Introverts will drop clues that need following up. They need to see ongoing evidence of love, concern, and affirmation as they disclose themselves.¹

Who am I, Graham Cooke? I'm an introvert, and I love my personality. It is a gift of God to me. I'm quite shy and reflective by nature. I adore silence. I have my moments of madness in humor and can be quite funny. I know hundreds of people who are better than me at what I do, but I do not feel inferior to them. I love being with them, and I actively seek out my betters to learn from them.

I love depending totally on the Lord. My personality tends to sit easily with God's requirements for vulnerability, inadequacy, and weakness as prerequisites for knowing His strengths. I do not like platforms, and I do not find it easy to be a speaker on public view, though I am often told that I am good at it. I blame God for that.

I work best under pressure. I do not mind tough situations. I relish the battle. For me, spiritual warfare is about the majesty and supremacy of Jesus, not the power of the devil. I like cold beer. And soccer. I don't want recognition; I prefer anonymity. I want to beat the devil, to make him pay. I like a glass of wine with a meal and lots of friends to share it with. I love the way the Irish speak.²

Perhaps the reason I loved what Graham wrote so much is that every word and sentence through the last one I quoted described me to a "T" (except the part about soccer, sorry, I'm an old school three sports guy). To be honest, though, until I read his book, I was not as liberated as he is concerning self-disclosure, but I think his writing what he did has helped me in that department. The point is, though, that we are all unique and God has made our personalities what they are, so just relax in them, and be at peace.

A few years back the Lord did begin to liberate me internally about how that even my likes and dislikes—my personal preferences—were part of how He has made me. That was liberating. More and more, I am coming to be at peace with who God has made me. It hasn't been easy, and I haven't arrived fully yet, but I think the rest of the journey is pretty much downhill from here.

Let me say that I highly recommend that you too take a cue from this discussion about personality for your own life if you are at the place in your life that you can do that, because the benefit is that the more the God-kind of love for ourself increases, the more capacity we have to love others unfiltered and unfettered, for Jesus taught that we love others AS we love ourselves.

It is important to keep in mind that personality traits are not the same thing as character traits. Personality is innate; character is cultivated. Personality is inward; character is outward. Personality is about ourselves; character is about others. And, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free, so keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery" (Gal. 6:1). Freedom is now a choice for those in Christ. We are the only ones who can make us slaves again. Most of us have kept the yoke of slavery upon our own necks by being a slave to what others think about us. That is such bondage! One of the toughest, yet most rewarding pursuits of life is the quest to be ourselves! Be who God has made you! The two great quests of life in Christ is to learn who God is in us and who we are in Him! The greatest freedom is the freedom to be yourself! Be you!

We have to remember that most people, especially before they die to themselves in Christ, are narcissists, who only love themselves, and therefore dislike anyone who is different than they. Insecure and inferiority-minded people are threatened by anyone that is significantly different than themselves as well. The spirit of religion makes people internally insecure, fearful, and inferiority-minded, so they are threatened by anyone who dares to live outside the box of their "god." But, we serve that "unknown God" Paul told the Greeks he served. We're His bond-slave, and none others. So, let us throw off the bonds of slavery. Let us praise and worship our God in the midnight hour, not only for who HE is, but who WE are in Him, and bring about such a shaking all around us that like Peter and James our prison cell doors will be jolted open and we can walk out of our prison cells of our own making free men and women of God, bound to no one except God Himself, and determined to become conformed into the Image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), and equally determined to resist all pressures to be conformed into anyone else's image! Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we refuse to bow down to any other self-deified image!

If each of us will walk in who we are in Christ, walk in the Divine Nature of which we have been made partakers, walk by the Spirit, then we will not be carrying out the divisive deeds of the flesh that separate us and preclude us from walking in oneness, and then we will automatically be walking in "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," for we will have "put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity" (Col. 3:14).
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Endnotes:

¹ Graham Cooke, A Divine Confrontation, p. 106; Destiny Image, Shippensburg, PA.
² Ibid, p. 241.
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[Original Post Date on Real Truth Digest E-zine: 11/08/2003]

Editor's note: This article is adapted from the book, CHARISMATIC CAPTIVATION, by Dr. Steven Lambert. The book exposes the widespread problem of authoritarian abuse in Neo-Pentecostal church-groups, and explains how it became infused into the very fabric, foundation, and functions of the Neo-Pentecostal church arising out of a false movement known as the Discipleship/Shepherding Movement (1970-77). References to "Discipleship" or "Shepherding" (and variables) doctrines, teachings, proponents and participants, and so forth, allude to the pertinences associated with that movement.

Charismatic Captivation — Get Print Book or Ebook

Balancing The Scales of Unity (Part 3)

If you did not read Parts 1 and 2 of this four-part article, I strongly urge you to do so, because there the foundation was laid for this portion. Moreover, this portion cannot properly understood or assessed apart from the backdrop laid out in those first two Parts.

In Part One, I said I believe in and covet unity among believers—wholeheartedly. I talked about my surpassing personal preference for unity over disunity, harmony over disharmony, accord over discord, concord over controversy, agreement over disagreement, amity over animus. I quoted Scripture passages indicating God's affinity for unity among the Brethren as well. Moreover, I stated that I believe it is vital to the Body of Christ in order to accomplish the purposes and plans of God on Earth.

But, then I indicated that the unity I believe in and strongly desire is Biblical unity, juxtaposed to the many other ideas of unity that exist today in the world. Then, I narrowed our focus to the particular notion of unity that many Pentecostals and Neo-Pentecostals have been taught, the centerpiece of which is the premise of "covenant relationships."

Here again I will state emphatically and unequivocally that I believe in the concept of "covenant relationships"—within its Biblical bounds.

I believe it is vital that relationships among believers be predicated on our covenant with God that we share, and that it is vital that our interrelations be rooted in the koinonia that the Early Church experienced for a time. But, again, the pivotal qualifier with respect to unity is the word—Biblical. Indeed, the point of this article and the book chapter from which it is adapted is that, unfortunately, the notion of unity that many in the Church today have been indoctrinated with is not true unity at all, but rather a convoluted counterfeit that is used by some either unscrupulous or unaware leaders as a subtle mechanism of manipulation aimed at predomination for self-aggrandizing purposes.

As I stated in Part One, the version of "covenant relationships" that has now permeated much of the Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal church is a product of a spiritually toxic rue of Truth mixed with mysticism. Under the auspices of the fallacious and errant teachings of the Shepherding Movement of the 1970s that were woven into the very fabric, foundation, and functions of the Neo-Pentecostal Church at large, the application of the Scripturally-valid principle of interdependency and fraternal responsibility among believers, i.e., koinonia, is extended far beyond its import and true intent, and is conveniently transformed into very unscriptural chains of spiritual bondage and psychological captivation. While believers are to value and validate fraternal relationships, as well as demonstrate a certain measure of unceasing and "unconditional" commitment to one another, those relationships in terms of their application in the natural realm in the here and now are not sacrosanct or inviolable, and they most definitely do have limits. Understanding and acknowledging those limits is imperative to avoid excess and error. In this Part of the article, we will examine the salient characteristics of Biblical unity juxtaposed to those of this fallacious unity to which I allude.

Good and Pleasant Unity

Firstly, let's look briefly at the nature of Biblical unity. One dictionary offers the following definition and synonyms of the word "unity," which supply us with some excellent concepts concerning the unity that God desires the Body of Christ to flow in:

1. The state or quality of being one; singleness.
2. The state or quality of being in accord; harmony.
3. a. The combination or arrangement of parts into a whole; unification.
   b. A combination or union thus formed.
4. Singleness or constancy of purpose or action; continuity.

Synonyms: unity, union, solidarity. These nouns denote the condition of accord resulting from an identity or coincidence of interests, purposes, or sympathies among the members of a group. Unity implies agreement and collaboration among interdependent, usually varied components… Union connotes harmony, cohesiveness, and often unanimity among individuals united in a whole…. Solidarity refers to the community of objectives and responsibilities that enables a group of people to think and act as one.¹

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! (Ps. 133:1)

Separating the holy from the profane, we can see from the very first of the unity passages I cited in the first Part, above, that the unity being described by the Spirit, in that it speaks about "brothers," is a unity that is mutual among all the brotherhood, not just certain ones. Indeed, the pivotal word in this passage is "brothers." To understand properly the unity that God has designed for us to walk in, it is imperative to understand that all believers—laymen and leaders alike—are coequal brothers and part of the Brotherhood of Christ. In this Biblical unity there is an inherent mutuality, void of exclusivism and elitism—that "big me, little you" attitude—so overtly manifest and prevalent in so many churches, church groups, networks, and denominations today, leadership in particular. Nothing is more divisive and stifling of comm-unity and camaraderie than such attitudes of arrogance and ascendancy.

One revelation concerning which much of the Body of Christ needs a fresh and added awareness is that regardless of our God-assigned function and responsibilities, status, or station in life, all believers—leaders and laymen like—are on par as brothers. Jesus explicitly stated that in Matthew 23:8: "all of you are on the same level, as BROTHERS" (L.B.). Spiritually, i.e., in our spirit-being, all believers, male and female, leader and layman, are coequal brothers. Though there is diversity in function, there is yet coequality or parity in our spiritual status or standing in Christ. In a word, we are "peers" or "fellows." Understanding that we are fellows is the fundamental ingredient in experiencing blessed "fellowship." Indeed, the overriding point this passage expresses is that unless believers relate and interact with one another as coequal "brothers," there will be no true unity, and their relationships and interactivity, rather than being good and pleasant will be bad and unpleasant—yea miserable!

Having become spiritual sons of God through the New Birth, believers are even (cherish the unfathomable thought!) on the same level with Jesus in terms of our heritage and inheritance. Jesus is even our Elder Brother!

the FIRST-BORN of many BRETHREN (Rom. 8:29);

For both He who sanctifies (Jesus) and those who are sanctified (believers) are all from one Father, He is not ashamed to call them BRETHREN, saying, "I will proclaim Thy name to My BRETHREN" (Heb. 2:11,12).

Merely by virtue of the New Birth, every believer is baptized into the family of God, the Brotherhood of Christ (also known as the Church). Moreover, God has Himself elevated the entire entity of the Brotherhood of Christ to as sublime a height as possible short of infringement on the God-Head itself! Truly, if we ever fathomed the profound depths of this glorious Truth, all perceived need for preeminence and predominance over fellows among the Brethren would be instantaneously and eternally eradicated! Would to God it would be!

Part of what we can draw from this unity passage is that the unity that is being spoken of is mutually beneficial in many ways and produces "good" results. In Part One I talked about the anointed ambience, or supernatural atmosphere, that was manifest in the Early Church as a result of the apostolic dimension that was present among them. What it generated was works of supernatural power in the form of healing, deliverance, and miracles as well as supernatural working in the lives and relationships of the believers. The result of it all was that the Jerusalem Church was "having favor with all the people," and "the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved." Certainly that would qualify as "good" results of the "brothers dwell(ing) together in unity!"

The unity passage also described this kind of unity that occurs when the Brethren live in harmony and oneness of purpose, or koinonia, as "pleasant." Pleasant is defined as giving or affording pleasure or enjoyment; agreeable; pleasing in manner, behavior, or appearance; amiable, fair and comfortable (as in pleasant weather); merry; lively. When Brethren gather and live their lives in comm-unity, all of those elements are manifest. And when they are, that certainly is pleasant! Where that kind of comm-unity exists, it always exists because of the Presence of God, and the Presence of God is manifest there because there is a core group of true worshipers who are worshiping Him in Spirit and Truth, which causes God to inhabit the praises of His people. And wherever the Presence of the Lord is, the atmosphere is to say the least—pleasant! It is pleasant because where the Spirit of the Lord truly is present and truly is Lord rather than humans, there is always discernible liberty, liberality, and liberation from the influences of demons (2 Cor. 3:17).

However, there is nothing whatsoever pleasant about the obverse of that—the atmosphere in which human predomination is manifest. In groups where it prevails—where the leadership is wittingly or unwittingly employing witchcraft to dominate, control, and subjugate the followers—there is a distinctive foul, foreboding, fiendish sense of demonic captivation tangibly present and readily discernible to those not bewitched by its spell. Indeed, when the interrelations among the members of a group are not a "good and pleasant" experience, chances are the "unity" being promoted and pursued is not a bona fide unity emanating from the Spirit of the Lord, but rather a bogus man-centered "unity" characterized by bondage, restriction, constriction, and demonic activity and attack.

All of these conditions are indicative of the spirit of divination or witchcraft, which some expositors posit is symbolized in Scripture as the Python Spirit. A python is a huge specie of snake often 20 feet or more in length that kills its prey by wrapping itself around its victim and squeezing or "constricting" it until it crushes or asphyxiates it. Constriction is the primary modus operandi of witchcraft. Its ultimate goal is to squeeze the life right out of its prey. That's precisely what happens to followers of spiritual leaders who are exercising witchcraft over them—eventually they become spiritually crushed, the Pneuma (Breath) of God, the Holy Spirit, spiritual life, is squeezed right out of them, and they die of spiritual asphyxiation.

[Original Post Date on Real Truth Digest E-zine: 11/08/2003]

Editor's note: This article is adapted from the book, CHARISMATIC CAPTIVATION, by Dr. Steven Lambert. The book exposes the widespread problem of authoritarian abuse in Neo-Pentecostal church-groups, and explains how it became infused into the very fabric, foundation, and functions of the Neo-Pentecostal church arising out of a false movement known as the Discipleship/Shepherding Movement (1970-77). References to "Discipleship" or "Shepherding" (and variables) doctrines, teachings, proponents and participants, and so forth, allude to the pertinences associated with that movement.

Charismatic Captivation — Get Print Book or Ebook

Balancing The Scales of Unity (Part 2)

This post is a continuation of the series on false unity. In order to properly understand what is written here, it is imperative that you first read Part 1, if you have not already done so.

True Unity is Not All-Inclusive
It's just not humanly possible to be committed to everyone in the same way and degree as we are to our own immediate families or our spouse, nor is that what God intended. Contrary to the idiotic, New Age, one-world, humanistic philosophies, the human race is not "just one big cosmic-family." Yet, many professing believers have not disabused their minds from the plethora of these kinds of "vain philosophies" and replaced them with the Truth of the Word of God. The result is that the belief system of these professing Christians is an eclectic mixture of false doctrines rooted in false philosophies and false religions from Astrology to Zen and everything in between. Certainly no less can be expected when masses of professing Christians are practitioners of scads of demon-associated practices from martial arts to Freemasonry to occult rituals to yoga and a slew of other false religious rituals, and are ensconced in romantic relationships with practicing and therefore demon-possessed Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists, and so on.

God simply does not intend for us to be in "unity" with everyone! Unity is a oneness in mind and purpose. It is an agreement of sorts. Amos 3:3 says that two cannot walk together except by agreement. Believers cannot be in unity or agreement with and walk with certain people. That's just the way it is—deal with it! As much as you may want to bring the world's humanistic unity along with the rest of its vain philosophies with you into the Kingdom when you enter it, that cannot fly. And, at that stage of your immaturity, if you do not yet understand that and all the whys and wherefores of it, then you've just got to accept it by faith as being the wisdom of the wiser than you!

Sorry, you've got to check all the world's philosophies at the door when you enter the Kingdom of God! I know it makes you feel diminished and vulnerable as you start off-loading all that "wisdom" and "knowledge" that you accumulated from the world's university of "higher learning," but that's the way it's supposed to make you feel—humbled is the word—so that you will cast the whole of the weight of reliance upon God Himself and none other. All of that is nothing more than hot air and bluster that just makes you feel smarter, wiser, and more grandiose than you really are anyway. It's all a lie, and you've bought into it all hook, line, and sinker. So, how smart are you really, big shot? All along the devil's been lying to you and making you think more highly of yourself than you ought, which results in separation from God, so that he can ultimately destroy you. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prv. 16:18); and, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (Jas. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5). So, why don't you make it easy on yourself and humble yourself before you are humiliated and come on down here with the rest of us Lilliputians who have realized we're a big fat ZERO in ourselves apart from God?!

Believers are not called to be in unity and agreement with everyone! We can't be! Our quest is fellowship, union, and communion with God preeminently—to walk with God. By definition, to walk with God, we must be in agreement with God. To be in agreement with God intrinsically means that we are going to be in disagreement, disunity, disfellowship with fellow humans who are not walking with God. It's just that simple. The Spirit puts it this way:

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty. (2 Cor. 6:14-18, NAS)

This is one of the many promises of God in Scripture that is a promise of contingency. It's a covenant, an agreement, a contract—with God. It is a promise, for sure, but it has conditions that are just as sure, and those conditions must be met if the promise is to be fulfilled. The benefits of the promise are great—to the person who meets the conditions. To that person, God promises to dwell with them, walk with them, be their God and be their Father. But, if the conditions are not met, one cannot expect the benefits of the promise to inure to them.

Imbalanced "Unity" is an Abomination to God
Close study of the relatively (and surprisingly) small number of unity Scripture passages makes it clear there is a distinct difference between the "unity of the Spirit" God speaks about in His Word and the notion of "unity" centered around "covenant relationships" and promulgated by Latter Rain-influenced teachers. Subtle twisting of the Spirit-intended and -inspired import of God's Word and an imbalance in the application of the precept of unity has resulted in a distorted and debauched version of unity. Virtually invariably, over-emphasis, or over-balance, is what makes erroneous teaching erroneous, rather than the radical deviation from truth people commonly look for in their vigilance to spot error and avert deception..

Over-emphasis is over-balance, over-balance is imbalance, and imbalance is error, and—"A false balance [imbalance] is an abomination to God" (Pro. 11:1). Truth consists of counterbalancing components. Imbalance is averted by counterbalancing each component of Truth with the rest of "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27, RSV). Theological Truth is analogous to human cells in that each cell contains the protoplasm that comprises the whole body. In other words, each component of Theological Truth gleaned from the Word of God contains the essence of the whole Word of God, and will be completely compatible and congruous with same.

The unfortunate dynamic of imbalance or over-balance is that once it occurs, everything, even that which is good and right, slides toward the imbalance or error and becomes tainted by it. So that, once a person or a group loses spiritual equilibrium, a downward spiral into apostasy is begun. Only the sudden applying of a counter-balancing weight equal to the imbalancing weight can halt the descent, rectify the imbalance, and regain the equilibrium. Many believers and whole groups of believers, unfortunately have slid into an imbalance with respect to "unity" that is an abomination to God. Thus, an equal weight to the over-balance must be applied to the opposite side to regain the balance and rectify the abomination. God often uses prophets to bring a counterbalancing word which when given brings an offense to the mind of believers caught up in the deception. God often offends the mind to win the heart.

True Unity is of the Holy Spirit, not the Human Spirit
Unity among believers is vital, but it is secondary to and actually a bi-product of unity with God. A significant corroboration of that truth, though I will not elaborate on it here, is represented in the typology of Moses' Tabernacle, in that the Table of Showbread, typifying the Communion Table, one aspect of which is fellowship among fellow believers (cf., 1 Cor. 10:16,17), was located not in The Most Holy Place of God's presence, or Holy of Holies, but its anteroom, The Holy Place. The former signified fellowship with God and the latter represented fellowship with one another.

True unity is a union or "oneness" with God first and then with our fellows second. True unity is a unity in which our love for and loyalty to God is first or preeminent, and all other relationships are secondary or subordinate. In fact, true unity is a unity that results in unity with fellow believers but is rooted in and an outflow of union and communion with God. The nature of true unity is that apart from God it does not exist. True unity is a characteristic of the nature of God. Thus, He alone is the source of genuine unity. Contrary to what some people apparently believe, unity does not exist because you are wanting to have or produce unity. Rather, it transpires when you become, as the Early Church did however briefly, "worshipers in spirit and truth." In other words, unity is an outflow of true worship—"true worship" being defined as "worship in spirit and truth."

Unity is a God-thing! True unity is the unity that originates with the Godhead, the Trinity. The three Persons of the Godhead continually live in complete unity—oneness of mind and purpose. There most definitely is a "oneness" with the Godhead, but not the kind that unitarianists or modalists want us to believe. It is this perfect oneness or unity that flows from the Godhead that is genuine, bona fide unity. That's the Real McCoy! All other forms of unity are merely human and are counterfeits! Without God, and without His Spirit flowing through you to shape and formulate your life, you will never experience or appropriate the real thing! Genuine unity cannot be manufactured, but it can be generated through supernatural communion (union via fellowship) with the Spirit of God both directly and in the human spirits that He habitates.

Distinguishing True Unity of the Spirit From Contrived Counterfeits
Applied to human interrelations in general and the Body of Christ in particular, true unity of the Spirit flows out of a mutuality, a oneness in purpose and intent, between the Head (Christ) and the Body (believers). True unity of the Spirit is predicated on and operates by means of interdependency in which both the Head and the Body have equal importance and functionality. True unity of the Spirit is a fulfillment of Philippians 2:1-4, in which both the Head and the Body are of the same mind, maintaining mutual love, united in the Spirit, intent on the same solitary purpose (God's), doing nothing from selfish contentiousness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind each regards the other as more important than itself, not merely looking out for its own personal interests, but more concerned about the interests of others.

Being "united with Him" (Rom. 6:5) is the basis for true unity among humans. It is the peace of God that is "the perfect bond" between brethren and the perfect unity preservative. It is the unity "of the SPIRIT" that we are exhorted to preserve (Eph. 4:3)—the unity which is of and emanates from the Spirit, or Life, or Nature, of God, not humanistic unity. True unity is not a product of the human spirit, but the Holy Spirit. True unity cannot be manufactured by human endeavor, but only by the workings of the Holy Spirit. True unity of the Spirit is the by-product of being unified with Christ by virtue of the New Birth and walking in union and unity with the indwelling Spirit of God. True unity is not the product of "a meeting of the minds" or a contrived unanimity of men, but the natural by-product and outflow of agreement with the mind of Christ and conformity with the Image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). The groundwork for unity is not humans "reaching an understanding," but redeemed humanity renewing their minds with an understanding of the Word of God, and standing under its veracious authority.

True unity is manifest not by men seeking "common ground," but the "higher ground" of the Spirit realm. True unity is not based on compromise and reconciliation of differences, but rather conviction and reconciliation of humans' sin. True unity is not the result of talking things out, but walking, walking in the Spirit, for when we walk in the Spirit, bearing the fruit of the Spirit—"love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-discipline"—we avoid carrying out the deeds of the flesh, which are acts of selfishness and self-centeredness that separate fellows.. Instead, when we walk in the Spirit, we automatically abide in unity with others who also are so abiding. True unity automatically abides among people truly abiding in Christ. In short, true unity is not man-centered, but truly is Christ-centered!

Indeed, Christ Himself is the very essence of true unity. Any so-called unity and peace not established upon the foundation-rock of Christ is a Godless, humanistic, and totally counterfeit unity. Actions taken by humans in the natural, fleshly realm aimed at producing "unity" among men merely for purposes of self-interest, selfish-gain, selfish ambition, and self-aggrandizement, can never produce real "unity." Rather, the most it can ever produce is a bogus, synthetic, worthless truce, a dictionary definition of which is "a respite from a disagreeable state of affairs," rather than true unity. A "respite" is a short interval of rest or relief from adverse circumstances. Another definition of a truce is that it is an "armistice"—a temporary cessation of fighting by mutual consent. In the realm of warfare, an armistice or truce is usually an agreement entered into by two parties in which one, the vanquished party, is capitulating (surrendering, yielding) to the vanquishing party, the victor. One, through overwhelming force, has overpowered the other, and as an act of self-preservation the vanquished capitulates or yields to the vanquishing party.

The Bad Fruit of False Unity
Sadly, that is precisely how the precept of "covenant relationships" is used in much of the church realm, with the only difference being that the agreement is usually a "covenant" between the leadership (the victor) of the church or ministry and its members (the vanquished). Sometimes that religious hegemony is overt and obvious, but more often now these days it is subtle and disguised. Nevertheless, regardless of which form it comes in, the result is always psychological imprisonment and spiritual impairment. The victim will feel mentally incarcerated and spiritually diminished. Their poverty is revealed in the trials, troubles, tribulations, and tensions of life. As the storms of life or just the struggles of daily living arise, they find themselves bankrupt of the mental, emotional, and spiritual wherewithal they need to stand and withstand the torrents of trouble. Why? Because they've unknowingly disconnected from the Sovereign Source of Supply by connecting or "covenanting" instead with a self-absorbed, self-aggrandizing, self-deceived leadership that represents itself as being its followers' source. So, when they need God, they literally can't find Him!—because they've been indoctrinated to look somewhere else to someone else.

Do you think it may have been to this sort of subtle idolatry that Jesus was referring when He admonished us to call no one our "leader?"

In the third and final part of this series, we will examine more vital matters concerning the negative effects of false unity and how to balance the scales.

[Original Post Date on Real Truth Digest E-zine: 11/08/2003]

Editor's note: This article is adapted from the book, CHARISMATIC CAPTIVATION, by Dr. Steven Lambert. The book exposes the widespread problem of authoritarian abuse in Neo-Pentecostal church-groups, and explains how it became infused into the very fabric, foundation, and functions of the Neo-Pentecostal church arising out of a false movement known as the Discipleship/Shepherding Movement (1970-77). References to "Discipleship" or "Shepherding" (and variables) doctrines, teachings, proponents and participants, and so forth, allude to the pertinences associated with that movement.

Charismatic Captivation — Get Print Book or Ebook

Balancing The Scales of Unity (Part 1)

I believe in unity among believers—wholeheartedly. I believe it is vital to the Body of Christ in order to accomplish the purposes and plans of God on Earth. More importantly, beyond believing in it, I want it. No, I covet it! That is, I have a strong desire for it. I much prefer unity over disunity, harmony over disharmony, accord over discord, concord over controversy, agreement over disagreement, amity over animus. Don't you?

We know God likes unity too. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit spoke about it in Scripture:

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! (Ps. 133:1)

I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me. (Jn. 17:23)

being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:3)

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. (Eph. 4:13)

And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. (Col. 3:14)

I believe in and strongly desire unity, but I believe in Biblical unity. There are more versions of unity than just the Biblical one, however, that are not based in the principles of God's Word, Will, and Ways, but in a far different philosophy and agenda. For example there is the Muslim version of unity in which everyone in the world believes in Allah and practices the Koran, and the entire population of the world is divided into two classes—believers and infidels. There is the Catholic Church's concept of unity, in which all the religions of the world are coalesced into a single "unified" universal church. Then, there is the humanistic, Age of Aquarius, concept of utopian unity poetically and melodiously articulated by the hedonistic pied piper of the 1960s, John Lennon, in his idyllic ode to Godless one-world collectivism, Imagine. And, that's just to name a few!

Pentecostals and Neo-Pentecostals have been taught yet another adulterated version of unity that has actually become chains of bondage to them. The centerpiece of that version is the hypothesis of "covenant relationships."

In a nutshell, the premise of "covenant relationships" is that since all believers have come into a covenant-based relationship with God through Christ and His shed blood, and consequently have been "adopted" into the Divine Family (all of which, of course, is most true), then therefore, by virtue of that union, all believers have also automatically entered into a permanent, binding covenant with every other professing "believer" who has likewise become a partaker of the same transactions. Hence the term "covenant relationships."

This precept of "covenant relationships" with which most Charismatics are familiar had its origins during the Latter Rain Movement that began in 1948, introduced in the writings of a small number of proponents of the teaching associated with the movement. It is important in scrutinizing this concept for the purpose of assaying its validity to keep in mind that it was an important patch in the fabric of "the manifested sons of God" doctrine—a primary component of Latter Rain theology—which the vast majority of theologians consider heretical. Nevertheless, Latter Rain adherents continued to promulgate their version of "covenant relationships" during the Pentecostal Movement during the 1950s, the Charismatic Movement with all of its sub-movements that began in 1960 and ebbed in the mid-1980s, as well as the nascent Prophetic and Apostolic Movements. It was during one of the submovements of the Charismatic Movement—the Shepherding Movement of the 1970s—that the fallacious concept of "covenant relationship" became widely accepted and thereby was woven into the very fabric, foundations, and functions of the Neo-Pentecostal Church.

"Koinonia"—Comm-Unity

The primary emphasis of the "covenant relationships" teaching is the interdependence and "koinonia" (i.e., commonality) among believers that it predicates on the fact that we are now "blood-brothers/sisters" by virtue of our having been adopted into the Family of God. Typically, purported scriptural support for this version of interrelations among believers relies heavily upon Luke's account in the Book of Acts concerning what took place in the Early Church in the days immediately following the original Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit:

And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common [Greek, "koina"; hence, "koinonia"]; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

This passage is indeed a key source of information about the supernatural atmosphere in the Early Church following Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, appearance, and ascension that transpired as a result of apostolic anointing and impartation. It truly was an ecstatic time! As the Body of Christ, individually and collectively, were being transformed into a collective Holy Habitation of the Spirit of God, and were gradually becoming more and more cognizant of who they were through the apostle's teaching, their commitment and dedication to one another increased commensurately. There was a commonality, koinonia, that developed among them, in which they were bearing one another's burdens in both prayer and practice, and living a life-style that was a daily practice of vivid connection with the Spirit of God and one another.

In trying to understand this commonality, it is vital to understand that it developed as a direct result of their devotion "to the apostle's teaching," preeminently. The apostolic dimension, when a group of people truly receive and devote themselves to it, will produce a supernatural atmosphere—an anointed ambiance—in which the supernatural is commonplace. And when I say, supernatural, I am not referring only to the signs and wonders of healing, deliverance, and the miraculous, that were taking place through the apostles, but also to the signs and wonders—the supernatural—that was taking place in the interrelations and interactions of these people.. It is not "natural," that is, normal human nature, for a group of people to be collectively and individually "devoted" to much of anything. It is not natural for a group of people to "day by day," consistently and persistently, "continue" in anything, much less something good and noble. Moreover, it is certainly not natural for a group of people to day by day continue in something "with one mind," and especially not in the Temple (church). But then to continue with one mind not only in the Temple but also as they broke bread together in Christian Communion in one another's homes, even doing it with "gladness and sincerity of heart," confirmed beyond doubt that what they were living in was truly a supernatural atmosphere! No wonder they were "having favor with all the people!"

This was genuine commonality, koinonia, or interdependence at its finest! This was living out in daily life Jesus' Commandment, which He said summed up all the law and the prophets—Love God and love one another. This was the essence and summation of the "Christian Life." For this brief moment in time described in Luke's account, the Early Church was a living paragon of Truth. They were "true worshipers," because they were worshiping God both in spirit and in truth, simultaneously. There was no separation between the spiritual truths they espoused and the application of those truths in their daily lives. This snapshot of the Early Church when koinonia was its centerpiece, is the model that the End-times Church should be attempting to emulate and regain.

So, lest I be misunderstood, let me hasten to say I wholeheartedly believe the principle of interdependence and commonality among believers is a valid principle, that is, within its Biblical bounds and framework. It is an incontrovertible fact that all genuinely Born Again believers have been "adopted" into the Family of God, and as a result have become spiritual brothers and sisters in the Lord. So also, the New Testament especially is replete with passages reminding us of our especial responsibility toward "the Brethren." Thus, in no way am I demeaning or diminishing the validity of the special familial-type relationship in which the Brethren all share, or the special responsibility incumbent upon each of us regarding our brothers and sisters in the Lord. A study of the "one anothers" in the books of the New Testament will bring to light the privilege and responsibility really entailed in Jesus' command to "love one another." Moreover, I would wholly concur that this privileged responsibility inherent with our special fraternal relationship has very real and pragmatic application in the natural realm and by no means is to be construed merely as spiritual rhetoric.

The Perverting Effect of Latter Rain Mysticism

Nevertheless, while the precept of interdependence and commonality among believers is certainly a valid one, as is the case with a number of other facets of truth, the version of "covenant relationships" that so many Charismatics have been indoctrinated with is a distortion and perversion that "exceed(s) that which is written," going beyond the in which the God-intended meaning and application as delineated in Scripture. A common denominator of all heretical teaching is the "super-spiritualization" of perfectly valid principles presented in the Word of God that are intended to have a fairly natural, pragmatic application, and on the other hand, "naturalization," or codifying in the natural realm, those things which essentially are spiritual metaphors and not intended to have an literal or natural application. The term that describes such super-spiritualization is: "mysticism." Unfortunately mysticism was quite prevalent in the doctrines of the Latter Rain Movement, and due to the continued strong influence of Latter Rain teaching upon the Neo-Pentecostal church, mysticism and mystical doctrines remain quite prevalent in the theology and culture of those churches yet today.

The version of "covenant relationships" that has now permeated much of the Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal church is a product of this spiritually toxic rue of Truth mixed with mysticism. Under the auspices of the fallacious and errant teachings that emerged from the Shepherding Movement, which were significantly influenced by Latter Rain teaching, the application of this Scripturally-valid principle of interdependency and fraternal responsibility among believers is extended far beyond its import and true intent, and conveniently transformed into very unscriptural chains of spiritual bondage and captivation. While believers are to value and validate fraternal relationships, as well as demonstrate a certain measure of indefatigable and "unconditional" commitment to one another, those relationships in terms of their application in the natural realm in the here and now are not sacrosanct or inviolable, and they most definitely do have limits. Understanding and acknowledging those limits is imperative to avoid excess and error.

No one in his right mind would be so foolish as to hold that this interdependence or "koinonia" amongst the Brotherhood does not have limits and boundaries. If you do, dear friend, I have some bills I would be happy to send you to pay, since absolute interdependence and liberal interpretation of "koinonia" would mean my bills are your bills. Oh, and there is a new car I am going to order and send you the bill to pay too.

Likewise, thank God that the concept of interdependence among believers to achieve "unity" does not infer an obligation to live under one roof, commune-style, with everyone else who claims to be a Christian. If it did, I'd go loony in a hurry, because I don't know if you've ever noticed, but as my former pastor used to say, "God has some strange kids!" I'm sorry, no one will ever convince me that communal living as a paradigm for believers today is the import of the Acts account of the Early Church as some people contend. As far as I'm concerned there's no roof big enough for more than one family unit. Sometimes there's no roof big enough for one family! Thank God, while calling us to a certain kind and degree of spiritual interdependence, at the same time, He has mandated a certain kind and degree of independence as well. Just because we are all part of the "Family of God"—we don't all have to live together under one roof, nor in some sort of a Christian kibbutz.

It's no different than how God has designed it in the natural. We are all members of the human race, but we are not married to everyone, but only to one spouse, and we have our own family with whom we are intimate and to whom we are wholly committed. Moreover, we have our own home we "go home" to each night—otherwise, it would be perfectly okay for a complete stranger to come sashaying into your house in the evening saying, "Hi, folks, I'm home! What's for supper?" We all have blood-relatives, but thank God we don't have to all live together under one roof as one family unit. If we did the insane-asylums and prisons would be far more populated.

In the next part, we examine further the excessive side of "covenant relationships" and discuss its adverse effects in the lives of believers and in the culture of churches that espouse those excessive concepts.

[Original Post Date on Real Truth Digest E-zine: 11/08/2003]

Editor's note: This article is adapted from the book, CHARISMATIC CAPTIVATION, by Dr. Steven Lambert. The book exposes the widespread problem of authoritarian abuse in Neo-Pentecostal church-groups, and explains how it became infused into the very fabric, foundation, and functions of the Neo-Pentecostal church arising out of a false movement known as the Discipleship/Shepherding Movement (1970-77). References to "Discipleship" or "Shepherding" (and variables) doctrines, teachings, proponents and participants, and so forth, allude to the pertinences associated with that movement.

Charismatic Captivation — Get Print Book or Ebook