SUNDAY THOUGHT -10  from dear Jogy Bro
UNITY IN WORSHIP
Text: Psalm 133
 
Though we can worship God individually, most often, community worship has given significance in the Bible. The angels in heaven worship God as a community. During the days of Enosh people (plural) started worshipping (call on the name of) Jehovah. The people of Israel were delivered from Egypt to be a worshipping community of Yahweh. In Israel, the worship pattern was focused on community worship. The Church is intended to be a worshipping community. In John's vision of the heavenly worship, he sees worship of the redeemed community. So, one significant fact about worship is that it is collective and to be done in community.
 
One of the marks of the worshipping community is unity. David was observing the people of Israel ascending to the Mount Zion to come into God's presence to worship. He heard the songs they sing as they climb the road to Zion; the joy they had when they are together in the city. Then he said, "Behold, How pleasant and how good it is that brethren dwell together in unity" (Ps. 133:1).  Worship, then, is beautiful when there is unity within the people of God. In contrast to this, worship is not perfect when no unity or disunity exist within the community.   
 
Satan's rebellion caused disunity among the worshipping community in heaven! God dealt with the problem by expelling Satan from His presence. Disunity over an issue of worship resulted in Cain killing Abel. Very often sin led to disunity among the people and paused disturbance among the worshipping community in Israel.
 
So, unity within the community is important in the worship of the community. Two areas where unity becomes crucial in order for us to offer acceptable worship today are the following.
 
1.      Unity in Doctrine. 
 
'Doctrine' refers to the teaching of the Scripture and thereby of the Church. So unity in doctrine means agreement on the whole of what the Bible teaches. This I would say is an essential matter in offering acceptable worship before God. Churches today differ each other in their teachings which are developed from the same Scripture. Some churches find it difficult to accept certain teachings of other churches. In such scenario, coming together to worship, forgetting the doctrinal differences becomes painful. 'I love Jesus, you love Jesus, let's worship together' approach is not workable often. The N.T. churches had same doctrines. But the 21st c. churches do have a variety of doctrines, unfortunately.  Our approach today is like the saying, 'birds of the same feather go together.'   Churches or communities who hold particular teachings find it easy to worship together and fellowship together. This has become an 'unavoidable paradox' in Christianity.  As an excuse we think like the Samaritan woman said, "When the Messiah comes, he will tell us all things!" (Jn.4:25).We expect the Lord to settle all these differences. Communities coming together for worship, having distorted teaching of the Scripture, would not be a pleasing thing to God, I suppose. So, a genuine attempt to identify the essential teachings of the Bible to uphold them should be seen in our churches today in order to have doctrinal unity and thus to offer acceptable worship before God. If there would be agreement on all the essential teachings of the Bible between churches, what a difference would have been evident in the worship of the church!? 
 
2.  Unity in Relationship
 
A strained relationship, weather it is between members of the same family or the family of the church, is a hindrance for true worship. As David exclaimed, it is really good and pleasant before man and before God when people of God come together having unity in relationship. When we worship God having unity in relationship, I am sure God would joyfully accept our worship.  Unity in relationship includes unity of heart and spirit. When Moses asked the people to give for and participate in the construction of the tabernacle, in unity of heart and mind they did so. And God was pleased in it and He blessed them (Ex.39:43). So also, for the construction of the temple, during the days of Solomon. Where there is unity in relationship as David says rightly, 'there the LORD commanded the blessing-life forevermore'.(Ps. 133:3). This unity in relationship might be necessary between husbands and wives or parents and children or between in-laws; it might be necessary between church members.  Do we have unity in relationship with the people of our community as we prepare to worship God this week? Let's also remember Jesus' words in Matt. 5:23,24. 

Yours in The gloriuos ministry of God
Joji George Abraham

“I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands.”

"I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands."

- Haggai 2:17

How destructive is the hail to the standing crops, beating out the precious grain upon the ground! How grateful ought we to be when the corn is spared so terrible a ruin! Let us offer unto the Lord thanksgiving. Even more to be dreaded are those mysterious destroyers-smut, bunt, rust, and mildew. These turn the ear into a mass of soot, or render it putrid, or dry up the grain, and all in a manner so beyond all human control that the farmer is compelled to cry, "This is the finger of God." Innumerable minute fungi cause the mischief, and were it not for the goodness of God, the rider on the black horse would soon scatter famine over the land. Infinite mercy spares the food of men, but in view of the active agents which are ready to destroy the harvest, right wisely are we taught to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." The curse is abroad; we have constant need of the blessing. When blight and mildew come they are chastisements from heaven, and men must learn to hear the rod, and him that hath appointed it.

Spiritually, mildew is no uncommon evil. When our work is most promising this blight appears. We hoped for many conversions, and lo! a general apathy, an abounding worldliness, or a cruel hardness of heart! There may be no open sin in those for whom we are labouring, but there is a deficiency of sincerity and decision sadly disappointing our desires. We learn from this our dependence upon the Lord, and the need of prayer that no blight may fall upon our work. Spiritual pride or sloth will soon bring upon us the dreadful evil, and only the Lord of the harvest can remove it. Mildew may even attack our own hearts, and shrivel our prayers and religious exercises. May it please the great Husbandman to avert so serious a calamity. Shine, blessed Sun of Righteousness, and drive the blights away.