"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."  (Ephesians 4:1-6, emphasis mine)

Recently, I had an opportunity to come along side my brothers in Christ in the little town where I pastor and do a community wide service.  Our heart and vision for this little community is to see it transformed from a little community comprised of four different mainstream Christian denominational churches with four different vision and mission statements to four different mainstream Christian denominational churches with one vision and mission statement.  This community service was the first step in that direction.

Much like most things in life, people go to a particular denominational church based on preference.  Perhaps it is the pastor and the message that they bring, the music, the outreach and ministry programs or any other variety of reasons.  And while personal preference is completely understandable and normal, advancing the Word of God into the community and reaching out to those who have not heard or do not yet believe shouldn't have anything to do with personal preference but rather simply the advancement of the Kingdom.  Unfortunately, that has not always been the case in this little community where I serve and what has been promoted is the denomination and not the Kingdom.

One of the reasons why I support and participate in Knight Vision Ministries is because, like many of you, I recognize that the enemy has done a very good job in blinding us to the truth and leading us down paths that keep us from fully focusing on the glory of God.  And while I believe that there are many other communities throughout the world that are experiencing the same kind of battles, I was truly amazed when I began this appointment to see how divided this little town was.  Thanks be to God that my brothers in Christ who pastor the other churches in this community had eyes to see the same things that God was showing to me...

The words of the apostle Paul were shared to those in attendance at this community wide service and the response to those words received an overwhelming and unified "Amen".  The truth is that we do serve one true God and that this God, through the precious blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and communion by the Holy Spirit, is God of all people and it is His Kingdom, His Word, His truth, His hope and His salvation that we seek to advance.

For far too long, the enemy has kept this little community bound in the advancement of doctrine and denominations.  With this small step, however, we begin the process of healing the wounds that the enemy has brought through division and focus our eyes, our hearts and our efforts towards "unity of the Spirit" and the Good News of Jesus Christ.

During this season, please remember us and pray for us as there is much work yet to be done.  The light of Christ is beginning to shine within this community.

Your brother in Christ,

Jim