Greetings,
Jesus’ prayer, just before He was crucified as recorded by John, showed the intense focus of what was important to both Christ and the Father. One aspect of the focus – and perhaps the most important aspect – was the relationship between those who are called, the Father, Christ and each other. The unity and love that binds God’s people together is an imperative command from God. “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:22-23). John at a later time also wrote, “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (1 John 3: 10-11).
The love we are to have for one another is an expression of the love of God, which is much more than just liking other people. It is a living dynamic. Godly love is the glue which binds the Body of Christ together. As we build, strengthen and demonstrate love, we are acting in accordance with the intended functioning of the Church – the Body of Christ “… from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16).
Last weekend we hosted a picnic in Denver, Colorado, to which we invited all other Church of God groups in the area. As you might imagine, the concept of gathering members of all and any groups was met with considerable suspicion and skepticism. An unwillingness to cross boundaries predominates many Church of God organizations and some members of the Church of God, The Father’s Call did not initially understand why we would hold an “open” picnic. Maybe it is a good time to review some foundational principles of what has become the Church of God, The Father’s Call.
As we began, we framed two specific goals:
• To develop an understanding of how our Father intends His shepherds to nurture and feed Christ’s flock in accord with the spiritual nature of governance (Ezekiel 34:1–4).
• To define a ministry of reconciliation—firstly, within the ministry itself, and secondarily, to seek reconciliation of the scattered flock—mending relationships with God and each other (2 Corinthians 5:17–20).
In reference to the second goal we said:
The practice of the true nature of spiritual governance demands reconciliation. The basis of governance in a ministry of reconciliation must involve a body of people who are unified with the God family and each other. Godly governance must flow from this family model. We accept the need for reconciliation between parties with whom problems already exist to build a stronger family relationship. From this foundation the nature of true Godly governance can develop.
On the human level, reconciliation is a two-way process (Matthew 5:23–24). A repentant attitude on behalf of two people removes the natural human barrier to submitting to one another, drawing people together in a mutual family relationship with the Father (Ephesians 5:21).
Christ characterized this as the role of peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). Peace is the result of reconciliation between us. Peace in the Bible is based on the concept of shalom — well-being and completeness, not the absence of conflict or disagreement as it is understood in the world today. It is an active condition, not passive. It involves our attitude and action toward a brother or sister. The end result of being a peacemaker is to be called a child or son of God: the result we all seek.
We accept that to successfully achieve these goals we have an individual responsibility to be at one with the Father and Christ. This is an important priority because the love we are to demonstrate to each other has God as its source. If we are not close to God personally it will be very difficult to fulfill Christ’s directions to love one another and be one as He and the Father are one.
We are not seeking to get people from other organizations to come to us. Nor do we believe in an ecumenical approach to the numerous groups (bringing organizations together but with each organization maintaining its own uniqueness). A church picnic may seem an unimportant event in the scheme of things, however, it is a small step in the direction we set for ourselves in the beginning – mending relationships at the personal level. Our goals are scriptural and sound. We are to love one another and be one as Christ and the Father are one.
I suggest it would be beneficial for you to review this subject at https://thefatherscall.org/spiritual-awakening-and-governance/
We would appreciate your prayers this weekend as the Council of Elders and the Business Management Team get together and work to keep our focus on the goals already set.
Warm Regards,
Brian Orchard
