Never boast and say, “I have a home already. I do not care whether other brothers are wandering outside.” Something is wrong with our family if we do not feel this loss in our family. As long as a brother or a sister is still wandering in the denominations, our heart should ache and we should be sad. We should always have two attitudes. On the one hand, we have to uphold and maintain our stand. On the other hand, we must not be proud. We must stand on the proper ground and persevere in it. But while we maintain that stand, our heart must not become uplifted. We must not say, “We are the family. We are satisfied.” We must remember that there are still other members of the family who are wandering outside. We must humble ourselves and learn to petition on their behalf. We pray that they will all come home. The door is always open to them. Whether they will come home for good or for a short time, we must always maintain our stand as a family. We must never be so wrong as to think that the church does not exist today. There is no such thing!
Finally, I would like you to remember something. The oneness of the Body is a oneness not only among Christians, but a oneness with God and with His presence.
In the Old Testament, whenever God’s presence was manifested, His judgment was executed as well. The presence of God means the presence of judgment. God is holy. There is no question of judgment where His presence is not felt. But as soon as there is His presence, there is judgment. If we want to maintain Christian oneness, we must uphold His presence. His presence means judgment and the law. He executes judgment on everything that is wrong. Where His presence is lacking, the requirement is not stringent. But where His presence is manifested, no sin can be tolerated. If the church tolerates sin and covers things up, there cannot be the possibility of maintaining any oneness.
I would like to draw your attention to the basis of our oneness. This is fundamental. The basis of our oneness is the forsaking of sins. Please bear in mind that God’s children are divided today because of the problem of sins. The matter of sins is always implicated. Because of many sins, there are many divisions. Many of God’s children have a basic misunderstanding; they think that patience and forbearance are the basis of oneness. There is no such thing as this. The Bible never takes patience or forbearance as the basis of our oneness. The Bible always takes the forsaking of sins as the basis of our oneness.
If anyone wants to have fellowship with God today, he must walk in the light. We will have fellowship with one another when we are in the light. We may say that fellowship is the basis of our oneness, but the basis of fellowship is our dealing with sin and our removal of sin. When all of us are in God’s light, we have fellowship one with another. Other than this, there is no fellowship.
Second Corinthians 6 shows us that when we separate ourselves, God becomes our Father and we become His children (vv. 17-18). God’s fellowship with us is based on our separation. Do not keep men’s natural ties at the expense of God’s fellowship. This is where many people have failed!
Who are the vessels of honor in the eyes of God? They are those who have cleansed themselves from dishonor. If a man cleanses himself from dishonor, he becomes a vessel unto honor. Those who call upon the name of the Lord must depart from unrighteousness. Only those who depart from unrighteousness can call upon the name of the Lord. If a man cleanses himself, he becomes a vessel unto honor. If a man is a vessel unto honor, he can pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22). Only those who draw their swords and take a stand on God’s side to kill their own brothers are qualified to be Levites (Exo. 32:26-28).