Promoting Christian
Unity in the North American
Region of the Sword of the Spirit
A
report by by Joe Donovan
On the night before he gave up his life, Jesus
prayed to his Father, “may they all be one as you,
Father, are in me, and I in you.” [John 17:21] His
dying wish is that all who believe in him would be
drawn together in that unity of love which is the
essence of the relationship of the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit. So that, “the world would know that
you sent the Son.”
Indeed, the saving mission of the Son is impeded
when his disciples are divided. Doctrinal and
structural differences among Christian communions
notwithstanding, there is a fundamental call here
which is to love one another. Jesus’ desire for
unity among his followers is founded upon
relationships of mutual love, understanding and
respect. It is a mutuality which reflects the life
of the Trinity.
This desire to foster Christian love and unity is
central to the self understanding and mission of
the Sword of the Spirit. As it says in Our Call:
“We believe that the Lord desires to
overcome the divisions among the Christian
people (John 17:22-23). We therefore join
ourselves to one another as brothers and sisters
both as a response to the way God has worked
among us and in the belief that it furthers the
Lord’s work of unity and contributes to the life
of the churches and the Christian people as a
whole. We do so humbly, recognizing that our
efforts are only a small part of what God is
doing in the world today.”
In order to assist the leadership of the Sword of
the Spirit to more effectively develop this aspect
of our call, an Ecumenical Commission of the Sword
of the Spirit has recently been formed. It
consists of brothers from various regions around
the world who work directly with the leaders of
the communities in their region. The goal of this
commission is to raise the level of awareness
about our call to ecumenism, to strengthen
ownership of it and to offer ways this can be
realized. For instance, monthly intercessions are
sent out to members from Sword of the Spirit
communities around the world. These are offered
for the needs of Christian communities
internationally.
“Unity
begins with understanding each other
and appreciating the distinctive gifts
God has distributed in the broader
body of Christ.”
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Also, during the Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity the commission has promoted a booklet of
prayer and reflection to be used throughout the
Sword of the Spirit. By highlighting the unique
gifts of various Christian communions, the booklet
this year emphasized understanding and respect as
key to unity. “Unity begins with understanding
each other and appreciating the distinctive gifts
God has distributed in the broader body of
Christ.”
In addition to international efforts, the
Commission encourages all the members to “act
locally.” Here in New Jersey we have found ways to
connect with several Christian communities and
churches, especially those involved with
university outreach. For instance, at Rutgers
University where I serve, we have monthly
chaplains meetings for shared prayer; annual
nights of praise and intercession with a variety
of on-campus Christian student groups and
one-on-one meetings
among the chaplains. This year I was asked to give
the Chi Alpha, a Pentecostal student group, a talk
on the baptism in the Holy Spirit. We regularly
experience a fruitful exchange of gifts.
In the summer of 2016 Dave Hughes asked me to
consider participating in the Commission. Since
then it has been an honor for me to serve the
North American Region both sharing what God is
doing locally and encouraging the brothers and
sisters keep this work of healing the Body of
Christ at the forefront of our common mission. May
the Lord Jesus be glorified in all these efforts
and make us one.
This article was
first published in the North American
Newsletter of the Sword of the Spirit,
April 2019..
Brother Joe Donovan
is a life-long member of the
Brotherhood of Hope..
illustration
above from bigstock.com
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