The Right Teacher

“It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.“ John 6:45 ESV

Last week I had the privilege of opening the Word with more than 20 ladies from eight different churches in the New England area. Ministry leaders from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont gathered in a living room to seek the Word of God and to unite in Kingdom purpose.

Denomination didn’t matter. Nor did the size of the churches they came from.

Only Jesus mattered.

I sensed God’s pleasure over this gathering, the result of one woman’s obedience to the prompting of the Spirit. Her mission? Encouraging women to unite and support one other in ministry. And because she discerned and trusted God’s voice, August 17, 2015 marked the first Women’s Leadership Summit in her home in Plaistow, NH.

I don’t believe it will be the last one.

The Spirit of God moves to unite His people, beloved. Will you move with Him?

I know. That’s the hard part, isn’t it? Moving.

We readily join with others who agree with us. But when unity means we may have to reconsider our opinion about something, we want to dig our heels in.

Churches have spent years arguing why they’re right and everyone else is wrong.

Perhaps this is a good time to remind us of scripture’s challenge in Ephesians 4:1-6.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Scripture repeatedly challenges the body of Christ to work toward unity. After all, we are one body with one Spirit, submitted to one God.

But let’s be honest. We have a difficult time doing that within our own churches, never mind among diversified churches that choose to defend differing beliefs.

We must remember, dear one, that God is over all and through all and in all. If we will seek Him and tune to His voice, He will lead us to truth and unite us in Him.

And right there is where we get into trouble. We allow people to shape our ideas of who God is and what He desires instead of letting Him do it. Beloved, God wants to reveal Himself to us. We need to open up the scriptures and humbly invite Him to give us understanding of His Word.

In our opening scripture, Jesus quoted a message given through the prophet Jeremiah concerning our days, “And they will all be taught by God.” Then He added,

“Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.“

Are you hearing and learning directly from the Father, dear one? Are you allowing Him to whisper His truth into your heart and give you understanding of His Word?

We will never experience the unity God desires without humbly submitting our hearts to the Lord and allowing Him to teach us. Jesus gave us an incredible gift through His sacrifice on that cross. He opened the way to intimacy with God again. He poured out His Spirit to dwell within our hearts and teach us God’s ways.

Yet we spend most of our time ignoring Him and letting people tell us what’s right and wrong. We fight over interpretations, building up walls to keep others out that we don’t find agreeable. It never occurs to us that we may be the ones who have it wrong.

The Lord is One, beloved.

The Lord is One. Only a united church can reveal Him. Click To Tweet

We cannot experience unity without humbly submitting to the Spirit. He’s the only one who truly knows God’s heart, and He’ll never point us in the wrong direction.

But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. 1 John 2:27

Beloved, what the Spirit teaches is always true. If you sincerely have a heart to know truth, He will make sure you discover it.

Open the Word of God, dear one, and invite God’s Spirit to show you who He is. You will discover He’s so much more than you ever imagined. And as He unites your heart and beliefs with His, you may just discover something beautiful about believers you once feared.

Precious one, Jesus calls His body to unite in His Name. Perhaps it’s time we humble ourselves and allow Him to lead.