Unity and Love among God’s People

By Samantha Francis
Capital Community Church
Ashburn, Virginia

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments.  It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing life forevermore” - Psalm 133:1-3, New King James Version (NKJV).

So true is this scripture to the lives of the saints that God goes on to command a blessing in that place because of it.  As a resident of Loudoun County for almost a decade now, I must say that I have been impressed to see the efforts of the diverse churches coming together in a spirit of unity and love for the benefit of the Kingdom and the well being of the community in which we live. 

From faith groups and events such as the Shepherd’s Table and the Bible Reading Marathon, Intercessors For America and Transformation Leesburg, there has been a focused effort by the Christian community to make headway across denominational lines, which brings a blessing indeed.  I pray that these and other avenues of cooperation continue in this county.  There is no doubt that God takes notice of the effort, and this area is being stalked by the spirit of revival. 

“Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you.  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also must love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” - John 13:33-35 (NKJV).  Christ left this command with his disciples, who themselves were jockeying for positions, that they were to love one another.  This is the mark of Christ’s true disciples. 

Love is the hallmark of the children of God and such a strong witness to the world of Christ’s Lordship over us.  Just in case we have forgotten what biblical love looks like, the Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13 (NKJV) that “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails… And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  God himself is love, and we are like God when we love. 

The church should be under no illusion by now that the world is watching us closely to see whether we really believe the things that we preach.  They watch for this love and unity, along with other virtues of the Christian faith and take note when we fall short.  I have great faith that the churches in Loudoun County will be a wonderful example of unity and love, which in turn can inspire other communities to come together in a similar manner to reflect love and support to each other.  No doubt this is also one of the keys to revival in this region, along with much prayer and holiness.  This will certainly be accompanied by great blessings as the LORD proclaimed in Psalms 133.

As the church heralds the good news of the salvation and love of God to the world around us, let us also demonstrate this same love to those who are members of the Body of Christ.  One of the best ways to express love to the body of believers is to pray.  Ephesians 6:18 commands us to be, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”  As the departing Prayer Coordinator of Capital Community Church in Ashburn, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of prayer.  Prayer is the vehicle that moves heaven.  Without prayer at the center of the church, we are bound to be anemic and ineffective in the generation.

Colossians 4:2-3 (NKJV) tells us to “continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word”...  Let us continue in love, unity and a spirit of prayer as we look toward the return of our King.  It has been my honor and pleasure to serve this county over the past eight years of my residency here at Capital Community Church and I look forward to witnessing what God will do with the saints here as they work together for Him in a spirit of love and unity. 

Note: Samantha Francis is moving to South Florida in August to be with family. She plans to assist in establishing an orphanage to serve the poorest people on earth, the orphans of Haiti.  The ministry seeks to provide a loving home and safe environment in which children are nurtured and trained spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically with the aim of seeing them grow and develop into well rounded adults that will, with the help of God, transform their nation in their generation.  Samantha can be reached at wild4god4ever@yahoo.com.

A Prayer Warrior is an intercessor, with a gift to do battle employing a strategic mindset, bringing God’s strategy for victory on to the field of battle with an authority that allows them to identify the appropriate weapon(s) required and the know how to get heaven involved.  Prayer warriors may pray for individuals or for an entire city, state, nation or nations.