Isolation vs. Divine Union wk.12-1

Friends, family, our God is great and greatly to be praised week 12. Wow! Friday,

March the 20th, 2026. My name is Arjun and I welcome you to another episode of God is faithful and just with all things

being relational. And indeed, family, next week, the week after this week, week 13, our last week contrasting the life

under God posture and the life with God posture. In fact, good Friday starts our 14th week or week 1, if you will,

love the second quarter of our 52 week series of remaining in His presence. And you know, and I also want to say that my spring break is over

today. He glory to God. And you know, I was able to look at the syllabus yesterday and it is pretty intense. Therefore, family, keep me, keep me in your prayers,

I was concerning my mental, physical, and spiritual ability to stay aligned with what God is doing in this season of my life. And you know, I was, I was listening to a teaching yesterday and

and I took away a question that was asked and I that I would like to present to you. This question is, when you finally get to see Jesus face to face,

what will be your first words? My God, for me, well, I'm still allowing the answer to well up in me because thinking of that question leaves me speechless. However, you know, as we as we go into prayer,

my desire, what I want is to really focus in my mind, that I am really talking to the Lord, my God. You know, as we, as we walk out these next two and a half weeks or so before, before Resurrection Sunday,

my hope is to see Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, as, as vividly as this human capacity will allow me and become one with him through prayer, emotions and activities, glory, hallelujah.

Father God, hallowed me thy name. You are God and worthy to be praised, glory, hallelujah.

And as we enter Father God, as we enter week 12 and draw closer to Resurrection Sunday, we pause their God to remember the depth of your love.

Hallelujah. I love that they did not stay distant. I love that they did not remain theoretical, but I love that took on flesh, walked among us and laid us up down for our redemption. Hallelujah.

Lord God, these, these next couple of weeks, they, they are sacred, hallelujah. They invite us to slow down to, to breathe deeply and to reflect on the heart of the gospel.

And that so, you loved us so much that you sent your only begotten Son, and so that Jesus loved us so much that he gave his life and that the Holy Spirit loves us so much that he now dwells within us, hallelujah.

And as we go into this new week and focus on the words of Jesus, where he prayed that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you.

Help us to recognize Lord God that this deed was his heart before the cross.

Oneness. Oneness with you. Oneness with him. Oneness with one another. Hallelujah. Lord God, we, we confess that life, life, it often pulls us in the opposite direction of that oneness.

Responsibilities, pile up, schedules, tighten, relationship, strain, our minds, scatter, our hearts grow tired at times and sometimes even our faith, Lord God, we, we, we drift into isolation, trying to carry burdens alone and trying to be strong, alone.

Trying to grow alone, hallelujah. But you remind us that we were never meant to walk this journey alone.

You created us for community, for communion with you and with each other. You formed us for fellowship, you, you shaped us for shared life.

You redeemed us into a family, Lord God. So today, Father, God draws back into that place, into your heart, draws into the oneness Jesus pray for, draws into the unity that reflects your love to the world as we move toward the cross, Lord God.

Across some Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior, help us remember that, that Jesus didn't just die for us. He died to bring us to Himself, into His life, into His love, into His fellowship with you.

And as we move even toward not just the cross, but the empty tomb, remind us that resurrection life is not something we experience alone, Father, God is something we share in community, in unity, in love, in the Holy Spirit.

Lord, you have made us one colony. You have made us one with you abiding, resting, dwelling. You have made us one with Jesus, sharing His heart, His mind, His mission.

You have made us one with another, bearing burdens, forgiving, freely and loving deeply, and Father, God, in these next two and a half weeks or so as we meditate on your sacrifice and your love, let our hearts soften.

Let our relationships deepen, let our awareness of your presence sharpen, let our love for one another grow richer and more Christ-like.

Father, God, call it, we thank you, thank you for the cross, thank you for the resurrection, thank you for the Holy Spirit who makes us one.

And we thank you that the same love that held Jesus to the cross now holds us together in you.

You have made us one long God, one in love, one in purpose, and one in Christ Jesus, our Lord, and we will be ever so mindful to give you all the honor, all the praise and all the glory.

In the mighty and majestic name of Jesus, I will know, glory hallelujah.

My thought family is to pivot slightly and highlight our walk with Jesus to the cross and the implications of that to us as believers.

So our scripture to remember this week to meditate and live out is John chapter 17, verse 21, which says,

that they may all be one just as you, Father, are in me and are in you, that they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Glory hallelujah.

And our theme for this week will be moving from individual spirituality to shared union with God and one another.

This family I believe is Jesus prayer before the cross, where his heart was poured out.

And I believe it reveals the why behind his sacrifice, which is oneness with God and oneness with each other.

The contrast and comparison that the Lord has given us to extract from John 17, 21 is isolation versus divine union.

Glory hallelujah.

Remember the scripture said that they may all be one.

Yes, divine union.

And the pastors first to contrast and compare our life under God versus life with God.

The life under God posture thinks faith becomes individualistic.

Me, my obedience, my performance, my circumstances, my situation, where the life under God posture says faith becomes relational, union with God and unity with his people.

The portion of scripture the Lord has given us to fresh out this concept of isolation versus divine union is Acts chapter 2 verses 42 to 47, the fellowship of the early church.

It will be reading a family from the passing translation, Luke notes.

Every believer was faithfully devoted to following the teachings of the apostles.

Their hearts were mutually linked to one another, sharing communion and coming together regularly for prayer.

A deep sense of holy awe swept over everyone and the apostles performed many miracles, signs and wonders.

All the believers were in fellowship as one body and they shared with one another whatever they had.

Out of generosity, they even saw their assets to distribute the proceeds to those who were in need among them.

Daily, they met together in the temple courts and in one another's homes to celebrate communion.

They shared meals together with joyful hearts and tender humility.

They were continually filled with praises to God, enjoying the favor of all the people.

And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were coming to life.

Oh, I don't know, your family.

The early believers lived out the oneness Jesus prayed for.

Shared life, shared love, shared presence.

My Lord, my God, before Jesus went to the cross, family, He prayed for oneness, for unity.

Not productivity, not performance, not religious activity for oneness.

So what does this tell us? This tells us something profound and that is the heart of God is relational.

Life for God is never meant to be lived alone.

We are shaped in community, strengthened in fellowship and transformed in relationship.

So reflect on this family.

Where have I been walking alone when God is inviting me into community?

What does one this look like in my relationship right now?

And our challenge for this week for today?

Reach out to at least one person today.

Encourage them.

Pray for them or simply check in.

Holy Spirit, lead us guide us today, direct us.

Let our minds and our hearts be focused on that which you are doing so that we might be one with your plan, your purpose.

And that all that we say, all that we do, but reflect all that you are doing in us.

That you might get the honor, the praise and the glory.

So Jesus name you offer this prayer and this praise unto you.

Family, let these words marinate in your mind and in your heart.

And remember what Jesus is saying and what we are doing as we go through these next two and a half so weeks.

Jesus said that they may all be one just as you, Father, are in me and are in you.

That they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Grace and peace to your family.

We look forward to being with you here again on tomorrow.

And in the meantime, be that blessing to those around you.

Glory, glory, hallelujah.