As Oneness Pentecostals, we recognize that our understanding of oneness extends beyond the nature of God; it encompasses the intended nature of the church, which Scripture calls the Body of Christ.
“In one Spirit,” Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “we were all baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). This one body, though made up of many members (Rom. 12:4–5), is designed to carry out the will and purpose of Christ, whom Scripture identifies as the Head of the Body (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18).
This is easier said than done.
What makes church so difficult is that the oneness Scripture describes does not rest solely on surrender to the Spirit of God; it also requires the intentional cooperation of the members of the body with one another. Zoom in on this, and you recognize a twofold challenge: the contrasting appetites of the flesh and the Spirit, and the diversity of the body’s members.
When we are filled with the Holy Ghost and baptized in Jesus’ name, we become new creatures. As a new creature, the spiritual man enters an ongoing conflict with the carnal/earthy man. Daily, we are called to walk in the Spirit so as not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Yet think about how difficult the foundational requirements to walk in the Spirit are for so many—the challenge so many face to submit themselves to spiritual disciplines such as daily prayer, fasting, and reading the Bible. Considering this, will the intentional cooperation among the members of the body of Christ somehow be easy?
Can spiritual cooperation occur among the members if I, as a member, am not spiritual? Not in any lasting or genuine sense.
Spiritual cooperation in the Body of Christ is not merely behavioral alignment; it is spiritual agreement. Where the Spirit governs, cooperation becomes possible. Where the flesh governs, cooperation becomes conditional, fragile, and temporary.
But spiritual cooperation—the kind that bears with one another, submits preferences, forgives offenses, follows leadership, and values the body over self—flows from walking in the Spirit, not merely attending church or affirming doctrine. Paul is blunt about this when he wrote, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God… neither can he know them.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)
This does not mean spiritually weakened members are excluded from the body, but it does mean that unity will always strain where carnality is permitted to rule. This is why the Apostle Paul ties unity directly to maturity (Ephesians 4:13-15).
Yesterday, I tried to give voice to something God has been dealing with me on regarding the future of Antioch Northwest (the church I pastor) and, toward the end of the sermon, focused on the key to realizing that vision—true biblical unity.
It is the kind of unity that, as described, first submits to the daily disciplines of spiritual life and to the Word of God. If we don’t get this part right, mutual submission in the body of Christ will always feel forced, unnatural, and a challenge, and while it may seem that we are all “on the same page,” those who are not spiritual may cooperate organizationally, comply externally, and align selectively when interests overlap.
Read that again…
God’s will for the church is that every member of the body is fitly framed together (Ephesians 2:21) and working properly (Ephesians 4:16). Are we working properly and fitly framed when we resist, either openly or through ambiguity, our coming into alignment with pastoral vision that involves fasting, church prayer, giving, worship, intentionality in our witness and outreach, and the call to intentional service to the body of Christ that goes beyond our own agenda, talents, or passions?
“I’m willing to serve” is different from “how can I serve?”
So, let us prayerfully ask God to penetrate our hearts this week. Pray that God challenges each of us to surrender to His plan and, should we find ourselves wrestling with those things, yield as Christ did when He declared, “not my will, but thine be done.”