UNITY AND HARMONY

UNITY AND HARMONY

Sahabat Joshua Ivan Sudrajat di dalam kita berjalan Menuju Indonesia Emas dibutuhkan UNITY dan HARMONI Semua Panggilan Tuhan

Pagi ini kita belajar Untuk UNITY

“Being of One Accord” is a dominant quality of New Testament leadership. Whenever the early Church leaders gathered in Jerusalem, it is said they were in unity and harmony, with each other and with God (Acts 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 15: 25). Their agreement was spiritual and practical, not only theological, for they shared their lives and possessions.

Acts 2:42-47 gives a description of New Testament leadership; meeting together, and studying the Word together, and they shared their material possessions (Acts 2:45; 4:32-37; 6:1). They met often to pray, revealing not only relationship with each other but also their total reliance on God (Acts 2:42; 4:31; 12:5; 13:3). I believe there are many aspects of the early Church that contributed to its success. However, in this article today I want to highlight the importance of unity.

There is a vast misunderstanding concerning unity in the Church when we apply a Greek mindset to the Biblical concept of unity as opposed to the Hebrew mindset.

The Greek word for “unity” is “Henotes” it does mean “unity”, the distinction is different to the Hebrew word “Echad” for unity.

Kata Yunani untuk “persatuan” adalah “Henotes” yang berarti “persatuan”, perbedaannya berbeda dengan kata Ibrani “Echad” yang berarti kesatuan.

While the Hebrew word for unity is “Echad” it refers to ‘one-ness’ in reference to the nature and character of God and to man’s relationship to God. Given its inherent connection to God, this word can only correctly be related within a spiritual context, not a physical or earthly context. The Greek word for unity “Henotes” means unity more in the sense of unanimous agreement among others, rather than “one-ness” with God.

Meskipun kata Ibrani untuk kesatuan adalah “Echad”, kata ini mengacu pada ‘kesatuan’ yang mengacu pada sifat dan karakter Tuhan serta hubungan manusia dengan Tuhan. Mengingat hubungannya yang melekat dengan Tuhan, kata ini hanya dapat dikaitkan dengan tepat dalam konteks spiritual, bukan konteks fisik atau duniawi. Kata Yunani untuk kesatuan “Henotes” berarti kesatuan lebih dalam arti kesepakatan bulat di antara yang lain, daripada “kesatuan” dengan Tuhan.

Importantly the Hebrew word for unity is “Echad” and has the idea of being organically connected to something (in this case God) and growing together in Him. The result is an intimate union that creates wholeness. The Biblical perseptive of holiness is wholeness and or completeness, without having any defects.

Yang penting, kata Ibrani untuk kesatuan adalah “Echad” dan memiliki gagasan terhubung secara organik dengan sesuatu (dalam hal ini Tuhan) dan bertumbuh bersama di dalam Dia. Hasilnya adalah kesatuan intim yang menciptakan keutuhan. Persepsi alkitabiah tentang kekudusan adalah keutuhan dan atau kelengkapan, tanpa cacat sedikit pun.

We need to know the Greek “Henotes” comes close, but it does not capture the revealed Hebrew word for unity as “Echad” does.  In the New Testament, in every instance where unity is called for, it is referring to man’s relationship with Jesus (Yeshua), not with other men.

Kita perlu mengetahui bahwa kata “Henotes” dalam bahasa Yunani hampir sama, namun kata ini tidak menangkap kata Ibrani yang diwahyukan untuk kesatuan seperti halnya “Echad”. Dalam Perjanjian Baru, dalam setiap hal yang menuntut persatuan, yang dimaksud adalah hubungan manusia dengan Yesus (Yeshua), bukan dengan manusia lain.

The Hebrew word concept for unity is “Echad” and is about each individual person’s union with Jesus christ (Yeshua). Unity flows from man to Yeshua, not from one Believer to another Believer. The Hebrew word gives insight for unity in “Echad” and is about coming into union with the mind and person of Jesus Christ as head of the Church. The ‘one-ness’ with the Father that Jesus prayed for in (John 17:11) “so that they may be one as we are one.”

Konsep kata Ibrani untuk kesatuan adalah “Echad” dan mengacu pada persatuan setiap individu dengan Yesus Kristus (Yeshua). Persatuan mengalir dari manusia kepada Yeshua, bukan dari satu Mukmin ke Mukmin lainnya. Kata Ibraninya memberikan pengertian kesatuan dalam “Echad” dan berarti bersatu dengan pikiran dan pribadi Yesus Kristus sebagai kepala Gereja. ‘Kesatuan’ dengan Bapa yang Yesus doakan (Yohanes 17:11) “supaya mereka menjadi satu seperti kita.”

The Greek mindset in this concept of unity causes confusion when compared with the Hebrew mindset that has led to much disagreement in the body of Christ. This disparity amongst congregational members is not Biblical disunity, but like most disagreements in the body can be a sign of a healthy congregation. We should never shut down a congregational member just because they express an alternative point of view.

There should be plenty of freedom in the Lord’s house for a variety of views, especially on the more vague and challenging parts we find in Scripture, of which there are plenty.

The early Church was in ‘one accord’, and I believe that unity was one of the reasons why the blessing and the power of God were upon the early Church. The believers had one mind, one purpose, and one heart for God, and this contributed to their spiritual growth and success. If we want to see the power of God manifested in our churches today, we need to be a people that is of ‘one accord’, a church based upon the unity that the Spirit of God brings.

We are in a spiritual battle for unity like no other time in history and Paul encourages us: “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints “— (Ephesians 6:18)

The Bible says that the Lord commands His blessing on the Church and that God’s blessings come’s upon the people of God that are united in Him. People, who come from all walks of life, transformed by God’s power, living in unity, hallelujah that is powerful!

I believe that the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is emerging into the blessing of unity for today’s harvest. The Church while not yet fully recognized as the Bride, is being transformed into His Image to be the light in this lost World that we hardly recognise as our earthly home anymore.

There are three areas that will accelerate today’s Church into that kind of unity that was seen in the early Church. I see the shaking and moulding is what is needed for us to come into unity of the faith and into the fullness of Christ.

1) United in Prayer (2 Chronicles 20:1-29).

1) Bersatu dalam Doa (2 Tawarikh 20:1-29).

2) United in Vision and in Purpose for the Harvest (Acts 2:1).

2) Bersatu dalam Visi dan Tujuan Penuaian (Kisah Para Rasul 2:1).

3) United in Faith (Acts 5:12).

We read what Apostle Paul said: “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;” (Ephesians 4:13)

3) UNITY dalam IMAN (Kisah Para Rasul 5:12). 

Kita membaca apa yang Rasul Paulus katakan: “Sampai kita semua mencapai kesatuan iman dan pengetahuan tentang Anak Allah, menjadi manusia sempurna, dan mencapai tingkat pertumbuhan yang sesuai dengan kepenuhan Kristus;” (Efesus 4:13)

Diterjemahkan oleh Joshua Ivan Sudrajat