The Christian community gathering for the Feast
of Passover could be the DOOR to celebrating Christian unity.
Why? Because we have a common bond with each other through Messiah's
blood which is upon each of our hearts. Hebrews 2:11-12 says,
“For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified
are all of one, for which
reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
If we have invited Jesus into our hearts to come and dine with
us, how can we in good faith shut each other out? Yet this is
exactly what we do when we fail to walk through the door of opportunity
for close fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
Passover was intended to be a family
affair! The Christ
our Passover event celebrates our common heritage through
the blood of Jesus. This feast day is not man conceived, it is
God ordained and biblically defined to give focus to the all-important
blood of Jesus as our basis for unity and forgiveness. John 1:7
says, “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His
Son, purifies us from all sin.”
Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him
and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)
Jesus really longs to have fellowship with each of us personally
and with His body corporately. The problem is one of trust
in “opening the door.” We are often fearful that if
we really get close to Jesus, He may not like us or be looking
for an opportunity to correct or judge us. This is not the case.
What Jesus really wants to do is to be a friend in whom we can
confide because He too was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3).
Regrettably this same lack of trust holds true among us - His
followers. Too many Christians fear rejection from other Christians
because of our differences or because of an attitude of spiritual
superiority. We must remember that salvation is through the shed
blood of Messiah Jesus, and keeping this focus is the best way
we can have unity without compromise.
We do not have to compromise our doctrinal positions in order
to acknowledge brotherhood in Jesus. He shed His blood for our
unity as he prayed, “May they be brought to complete unity
to let the world know that you sent me.” (John 17:23)
In Israel at the first Passover God told Moses, “Speak
ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day
of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according
to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And they shall
take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on
the upper DOOR post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it."
(Exodus 12:3,7)
Why the blood on the door posts? Why not the window? The door,
as a symbol, is profound. The blood placed upon the passage way
is even more so. It was the shed blood of a lamb that was placed
on the doorposts of every house that saved them individually as
well as corporately. Israel as a nation had a common bond through
the blood, regardless of their tribal identity. Today,
the body of Christ has the same common bond through the blood
of Jesus on the doorposts of our heart, regardless of our denominational
identity.
To the faithful church in Philadelphia God said in Revelation
3:8, “I have set before you an OPEN DOOR, and no one can
shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and
have not denied My name.” It seems the annual Christ Our
Passover banquet has proven to be an open door for unity in the
body of Christ. The spirit of unity without compromise increases
each year. God's people want to see the denominational walls come
down and brothers and sisters demonstrating love and acceptance
of each other through corporate worship and a fellowship meal.
2 Chronicles 30:12 says, “In Judah the hand of God was
on the people to give them UNITY OF MIND to carry out what the
king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the
LORD.” This unity of mind only comes when we have mutual
love one to another. Our sincere prayer is that the Christ Our
Passover unity banquet will serve as the door to help contain
the love that is being developed here in His church at Huntsville.
If you would like to be a part of the Christ Our Passover on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, then please reserve your tickets early by either calling (256) 882-7651, performing an online registration, or puchasing the tickets via our home page link(planned availability by February 01, 2012).
