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Strange… during the last two or three weeks I thought about writing another blog, but I was either too busy with visiting our family members who live scattered in Bavaria or I felt no inclination to start writing on the computer because of summer time. Many plants (about 130) on our two balconies and inside our flat need to be cared for, too. Honestly, I like gardening more than being on the internet and swimming in the outdoor public pool (s. picture above) was more attractive to me as well. It is only in water when several body pains disappear and therefore I swam more than I walked lately. 😉 In Germany we experienced a first heat wave in April, which was VERY unusual, and it seemed hot summer did not want to take a break in May, either. Eventually, today it began to rain a bit which has been much needed by nature and so I sat down in front of the computer, wondering what I was doing here. 🙄 Again, no inclination to write. As I checked the latest file on my thumb drive which is called “New Post”, I saw that I had written this very thing beneath on May 25th already. Forgetful Susanne! 😊 So, now here you are… the rest of it at least… which means I deleted some details that did not speak to me today any more.

Have you ever tried to work together with someone who again and again disagreed with your suggestions or decisions? If you have, you might know that it is not possible to cooperate on this ground for a long time. How much easier it is to succeed in collective efforts if ALL who have a horse in the race aid one another IN THE SAME SPIRIT. That does not necessarily mean that we will agree with everyone on everything from day one. But it means that those concerned, here Christians, have the same heart and mind that submits to Christ in any given case of doubt and disagreement. Most Christians who are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit still listen to their flesh’s likes and dislikes due to a lack of spiritual discernment. However, if we are spiritual people who long to be led from the inside through Christ’s Spirit, we already share His mind to some degree.

Indeed, dear brothers and sisters, we cannot fellowship with those who are of a completely other spirit. Whether it is a worldly or a religiously bound spirit, we can only accept these people and love them as far as that goes, but we won’t be able to touch their very hearts and preach the gospel unless God’s timing to do so has really come. The prophet Amos asked rightly,

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3 KJV)

I would say, it is primarily a heart agreement (aka agape love) that is needed here. Believers whose hearts belong to God are more interested in what God has to say than what (their old) man could contribute to the conversation. To enlarge upon what I just said, I offer you an excerpt from an article on oneness by T. Austin Sparks below.

“One thing which characterised the Church at its beginning was oneness. They spoke the same things, they were all of one mind and one heart, and what ground the enemy lost! But, as soon as the enemy began his secret ‘fifth column’ work of propagating internal doubts, suspicions, prejudices, he very soon brought the Church down out of that realm of reigning life and scattered its power. Oh, we must pray the Lord that the one Christ, the one Spirit, shall be in the ascendant in us! We shall not be living either upon the ground of what we are naturally – for we shall always be affected by what we are naturally, but upon the ground of what there is of Christ in one another; neither let us be dwelling upon the ground of possible error, possible false teaching, and possibility of it being there all the time and almost looking for that more than anything else. Oh, we must trust the Lord about this matter! I do believe, beloved, that the safest way, the way of our protection from error, is to go on with the Lord. Our position must be – I am going on with the Lord where I find the Lord, and I am going to trust the Lord in the matter of error, and, as we walk with the Lord, we shall sense, without looking for it, where the error is, and we shall be warned by the Spirit, we shall know. We must move on the positive basis, that of the Lord Himself, and that is glory in the Church, when it is the Lord. “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

“We know quite well, in simple ways, that this is true. We meet one another, we have never met before. We discover very quickly by our spiritual sense that we belong to the Lord, and then we have a very blessed time simply on that ground. We flow together because we are the Lord’s, and, if only we stood there, we would go on having a blessed time; but presently we begin to discuss some doctrine and find we do not agree. All the glory goes out, the fellowship breaks down. Oh, the Lord hold us into Himself!”

https://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/000920.html

“In keeping with T. Austin-Sparks’ wishes that what was freely received should be freely given and not sold for profit, and that his messages be reproduced word for word, we ask if you choose to share these messages with others, to please respect his wishes and offer them freely – free of any changes, free of any charge (except necessary distribution costs) and with this statment included.”