Oneness In Spirit, The Role of the Holy Spirit in Unity
Bishop Henry Fernandez Preached on 7/1/2024Ephesians 4:3-6, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
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27:26
Summary
Bishop Henry Fernandez explores the vital role of the Holy Spirit in fostering unity within families and the church, emphasizing that true peace requires active effort, forgiveness, and a commitment to communal servanthood.
Key points
- •Unity is an active pursuit that requires the power of the Holy Spirit; it cannot be achieved through human effort alone.
- •Peace is the 'bond' that holds unity together, and sometimes achieving peace requires silence rather than demanding one's own way.
- •Healthy family units require clearly defined, Spirit-led roles where men lead with respect and women support without belittling, avoiding the pitfalls of dysfunctional cycles.
- •True spiritual oneness in the church involves recognizing that every member is essential to the body, regardless of their age, status, or role.
- •Bitterness and lack of forgiveness are direct enemies of unity that can spiritually and physically exhaust a believer.
Scripture
Holy Spirit
Family
Community
Peace
Discipleship
Life application
Identify one relationship-either in your family or at your job-where there is currently discord. This week, consciously choose to 'be silent' during a potential argument and ask the Holy Spirit to bring peace into that environment rather than trying to force a resolution yourself.
Reflection questions
- In what areas of your life are you being 'passive' about unity rather than 'making every effort' as Paul commands?
- How does the metaphor of the church as 'one body' change the way you view people in the congregation who are different from you?
- Are there 'cycles of dysfunction' from your upbringing that you are still allowing to affect your current home or church life?
- Is there a 'secret bank account' or hidden area of your life that is preventing you from being truly one with your spouse or community?
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Full transcript
0:00I just want to talk to you about Oneness
0:02in spirit the role of the holy spirit in
0:06unity at the end of the day listen to me
0:09at the end of the day God wants us to
0:13embrace the spirit of unity but you
0:16cannot do it without the Holy
0:19Spirit you will never have unity in the
0:22family if you don't have the Holy Spirit
0:25you'll never have Unity on that job
0:27unity in the church unity in in your
0:30business if you do not have the Holy
0:33Spirit so it's important for you to
0:35understand that what keeps what keeps a
0:38family together is the spirit of unity
0:42and what keeps a church unified as one
0:45body is the Spirit uh of unity now let's
0:52go to Ephesians
0:534 beginning at verse three here are the
0:57words of the Apostle Paul he says make
0:59every effort make every effort make
1:02every effort that mean you have to push
1:03to do
1:05this under normal
1:07circumstances you you can't be
1:10passive when it comes to the subject of
1:12unity he says make every effort to keep
1:15the unity of the spirit through the bond
1:17of
1:18Peace So what Paul is telling us here it
1:21is peace that keeps Unity together so
1:25when there's chaos in your family when
1:27you've got that one person who always
1:30create drama in the family you have to
1:33understand for the family to be United
1:36the family cannot uh dwell on Discord
1:41and and toxicity and so forth the family
1:44has to embrace peace and sometimes to
1:48get peace you have to be
1:55silent some of you think that to get
1:57peace you have to demand it and you have
1:59to yell and you have to scream and you
2:01have to fight and argue sometimes the
2:04greatest way to invite peace in the
2:06environment is to be
2:09silent then he says here for therefore
2:12or there is one body and one Spirit he's
2:16talking about Unity here just as we are
2:19called to one hope when you are when you
2:22are called one Lord One Faith one
2:25baptism one God and Father of all who is
2:29all over all and through all and in
2:34all you can't get more unified than
2:37that he says as a church all of us and
2:41this applies to the family also we need
2:43to understand we are one
2:46body one body so when the church fights
2:50and argue and and have our differences
2:54and hate on people and treat people bad
2:57and when we make the church
2:59uncomfortable before hurting people to
3:01come in and people are seeking God we're
3:04not walking in the word of God because
3:06Paul says we are one body we're one
3:09Spirit just as you were called to one
3:12hope one hope when you were
3:16called so I hope all of us this morning
3:19whether we're dealing with our family
3:21whether we're in this ministry or
3:23whatever situation you find yourself in
3:26that you must allow the Holy Spirit to
3:28create Unity in
3:31you Unity keeps the peace in the
3:35home when you're United it keeps peace
3:38in the
3:39church you know what the devil want in
3:41your house as husband and wife you can't
3:43get along with children you can't get
3:45along you can't get along with in-laws
3:47you can't get along with cousins and and
3:49nieces and nephews you can't get along
3:51with
3:52people because he doesn't want the unity
3:55in that home he doesn't want the unity
3:58in this church
3:59the last thing the devil want is for
4:01this church to continue the devil want
4:04to get into Henry Fernandez for him to
4:05think no I built this thing this is my
4:08thing and I'm going to die with it I
4:09ain't giving it to nobody any that's
4:11what he would want he wants this to
4:14become a Henry thing he wants this to
4:17become a thing where Henry gets jealous
4:19because okay new younger people are
4:22coming in and this is why you ministers
4:24got to be
4:25careful when you see these younger
4:27people that I'm selecting to be trained
4:29as minister ministers you got to watch
4:30your
4:32attitude you got to embrace them you
4:36can't look at them and what they think
4:38they are you know who they think they be
4:39you know coming up in here and acting
4:41like they minister they ain't no
4:43Minister look at them they not equipped
4:45for
4:46it
4:48no we have to be
4:50United what the devil want is for pastor
4:53tman to come and now it's a
4:56competition now it's division
5:00some of you like tman some of you don't
5:01like me some of you like me some of you
5:04won't like him that's
5:07division I'm fully aware I've been
5:09pastoring this church for 33 years and I
5:12know not everybody in this building
5:14likes
5:16me but you know why it doesn't bother me
5:19because when I come on this
5:21stage I don't want you to like me this
5:23is not my assignment about
5:26me you was you're wasting your time not
5:30liking
5:31[Applause]
5:34me I am like the US Postal Service uh
5:38people my job is to deliver a letter I
5:41don't care if you like me or
5:45not I'm a man on an
5:49assignment so don't let the devil get
5:51into your spirit man and create Discord
5:55with you and your family sometimes you
5:56just got to love your cousin from a
5:58distance
6:00you got to love your uncle from a
6:02distance your come on now your auntie
6:04from a distance sometime you got to love
6:06your parents from a
6:11distance because in every family there's
6:15always that one crazy
6:20relative
6:22always and they may be sitting right
6:24next to you
6:26but I'm not going to say nothing
6:30so the holy spirit is working in and
6:33through all of us the holy spirit is
6:35working in and through all of us look at
6:381 Corinthians 12 and it says at verse 12
6:42just as one body through one or though
6:44one has many parts but all its many
6:50parts form one body but all its many
6:54parts form one body so it is with Christ
6:59for for we are all baptized by him one
7:02spirit so as to form one body where the
7:07Jews or Gentiles slave or free and we
7:10were all given the one Spirit to
7:15drink even so the body is not made up of
7:20one part but many very
7:23one as a family the man has his role the
7:28female has a role
7:30the children have their role in a church
7:34the bishop has this role the pastors
7:36have their role the elders have their
7:39role the staff the volunteers you the
7:43congregation you the virtual uh viewers
7:47we all have our role but we're one
7:51body we are one body that's how we keep
7:54peace the bond of
7:57Peace but we cannot say well okay
7:59because Henry is the head he's better
8:02than the pastors the elders I'm above
8:07the
8:08members that's not
8:11Oneness the Trinity doesn't argue who's
8:14greater than the
8:17other cuz actually they're
8:21one can you imagine the power and the
8:24effect we could have in our homes and in
8:26this church when we embrace
8:30the unity of
8:32Oneness verse 27 says now you are the
8:36body of Christ and each one of you is a
8:40part of
8:41it you matter to God every one of you
8:45you are a part of the body of Christ you
8:48matter to God in your home everybody
8:52should matter to
8:54you there's several scriptures where the
8:57word of God encourages us us how to have
9:00the family structure strengthened that
9:02means women you need to understand this
9:05look at the man and I and I know I could
9:07hear many of you going to kick back at
9:09this but according to the word of God
9:12the man must be a leader one who can
9:16lead his family and I know we have
9:19failed at this so many
9:21times I get
9:24it I get it many of you sisters are
9:26struggling with us men
9:30because we failed the leadership test so
9:34often we're not standing up to a
9:36responsibility in the
9:38home you know we disrespect you the
9:42things we say to you we hurt your
9:45feelings we we we just say words that
9:49nobody should be saying to a human
9:52being and some of you brothers are even
9:55using your hands on women
9:59you're physically abusing your
10:04woman and I'm I've got to tell you man
10:08you you have to start
10:09thinking is that a man of
10:12God is that somebody that you think your
10:15God will be proud
10:17of why would you even want to hit a
10:21woman
10:22why cuz you're
10:25angry it's only a weak man
10:32only a weak
10:35man would put his hands on a
10:41woman and that tells me if you are
10:44physically abusing your woman you need
10:46to get some help
10:51today get some
10:53help cuz most of these women are looking
10:56for
10:57leaders they're tied of struggling and
11:00carrying two
11:01roles they have their role as a
11:04woman they have their role to develop
11:08the family to carry our
11:10babies and to make sure we give them
11:13watch this a house they make it a
11:16home that in most cases if you treat the
11:20woman right the very thing you want
11:23she'll give it to you but she's just
11:25looking for a leader the problem is we
11:28fail so many times s because we're not
11:31leading and guess what these sisters
11:34ain't waiting around for you to
11:37lead not in the 21st
11:41century they will move you out of the
11:45way and they'll go on about their
11:48business to accomplish their goals so if
11:51you understand your position as a leader
11:53you're a
11:54provider you're a
11:56provider go out there and work man
12:00don't be sitting home and your wife out
12:02there
12:03hustling and you sitting at home how
12:06could you be a
12:07man to let your wife be working working
12:11working working and you don't go out
12:13there to
12:15work that's not the image of a
12:19leader that's taking advantage of a
12:22woman how would you like somebody to do
12:25that to your daughter
12:31so because the man is out of leadership
12:33he has created Discord in the house
12:35there's no peace cuz when you lack money
12:40it invites
12:43arguments when the woman is out of place
12:46she challenges the leadership of a man
12:48and some of you sisters please hear me
12:52you have to examine
12:54yourself and some of you need to change
12:56your attitude
13:02need to change your
13:05attitude because your mouth is
13:08belittling that
13:10man and although you're asking him to
13:13step up to be a leader you're using your
13:16mouth to handcuff
13:19him cuz you don't respect him forget the
13:24Oneness and how do you become one you
13:27can't do by yourself
13:29many of you are coming from
13:30dysfunctional
13:32homes so the only way you can break the
13:37cycle that is in your family is when you
13:40let the holy spirit guide
13:42you let him guide
13:45you so you can break the cycle in the
13:48home and you become that woman that when
13:52your man comes home he doesn't feel like
13:54he's coming home to a
13:57prison he doesn't feel like he's coming
13:59home to a burning
14:02[Applause]
14:04house that man should be driving saying
14:07I can't wait to get
14:13home that man should not be driving
14:15around the city of Fort
14:18Lauderdale in a
14:21circle cuz he doesn't want to go
14:24home because the moment he enters the
14:27house he's catch in Hell on the job he's
14:31going through drama but the moment he
14:33comes to the house you're going to shoot
14:42him they are many good men in this room
14:46and good men who are streaming listen to
14:49me there are many of them oh yeah they
14:53got issues
14:54yes dysfunctional
14:57yes but but many of them are good and I
15:00know some of you won't like this now
15:02verse 27 you are the body of Christ
15:06listen to me you are the body of
15:09Christ you may say that man is not a
15:11Christian he ain't saved you can't be
15:15born again because the stuff you do all
15:17that kind of a stuff but please hear
15:20me there's an old saying that's saying
15:23and I know a lot of you not going to
15:24like
15:25this and it goes for both male and
15:28female
15:30one man's
15:32trash is another person's
15:40treasure what you may throw
15:43away and you think is no
15:47good when they're placed in the hands of
15:50someone who's a
15:56caregiver so every one of you spouses
15:59you should be asking yourself the
16:01question who's in your
16:03hands who are you holding how you
16:07treating that person I close with this
16:10Acts 2 verse 42 we going to pray for you
16:13because Unity was in the early church it
16:15says they devoted themselves verse
16:1842 to the apostles teaching and
16:20fellowshipping to to the breaking of
16:23bread and to prayer everyone was filled
16:26with awe at The Many Wonders and signs
16:29performed by the apostles all of the
16:32Believers were together and had watch
16:34this everything in common they sold
16:37their possession or property and
16:39possessions to give to everyone who is
16:42in
16:43need every day they continued to meet
16:46together in the temple courts one of the
16:50practices of the early church is that
16:53they would meet on a weekly basis like
16:55us so be careful when you as a body
16:59think you don't need
17:01this there's power in
17:05Oneness verse 46 for every day they
17:07continue to meet together in the temple
17:10courts they broke bread in their homes
17:12and they ate together with glad and
17:15sincere Hearts praising God and
17:17rejoicing and enjoying the favor of all
17:21the people and the Lord added to their
17:24number daily those who were saved so the
17:27church according to the word of God
17:31grew because there was
17:35Oneness there was
17:38Oneness they broke bread together not
17:41just the bread of meal but communion
17:44that's why we do that we have
17:47communion they broke bread together and
17:49watch this everybody have a
17:52need I can't tell you how many times in
17:55this church there are people who had
17:57needs and I ask you guys and you stepped
17:59up to the plate and and
18:01helped that's what the church is
18:03supposed to be about nobody should walk
18:06into this building and have a need and
18:08we not pulled together be careful listen
18:11to me be careful that we become so
18:14selfish and
18:16self-centered that all we do is walk in
18:19these doors or log on and all we want is
18:23God give me a blessing
18:24today just bless me God and we don't
18:28embrace the spirit of
18:31servanthood the spirit of loving people
18:33praying for people the spirit of
18:36servanthood serving people going to our
18:38D to Care Center one Saturday a month or
18:42per quarter and say look there are
18:46hundreds of hungry people in our
18:48community you don't need to know them
18:50they they don't need to Pat you on the
18:51shoulder you don't even need to give the
18:54food we've got the food your offerings
18:56are providing that
18:59your offerings are providing hundreds of
19:02people every week at our food bank the
19:05least you could do is just say Lord let
19:07me just go and
19:08serve let me go and serve when you come
19:11on property you walk in the lobby you
19:13keep the unity hey how you doing God
19:15bless you you don't have to know people
19:17to say
19:21hi it's just good
19:24manners I grew up that way there not you
19:28you can save a life by just saying hi
19:30you have no idea the bad day that that
19:33person is going through so I say to you
19:37today we need to be
19:39one we need to be United how is that
19:42going to happen Holy
19:45Spirit Holy Spirit man if you let him
19:48work in you watch this to get rid of the
19:51bitterness some of you are so bitter I'm
19:53telling you you're going to go to hell
19:54with that
19:56bitterness I'm telling you
20:00I don't care what somebody did
20:02you you need to stop that bitterness and
20:06angry anger in you
20:09and I ain't going to forgive them you
20:12got to stop it it's going to kill
20:15you you're stressing yourself just let
20:20It
20:23Go Let It
20:26Go just Let It Go
20:29and let God use you you have a lot of
20:32thing to
20:33do a lot of thing to do when you leave
20:36this building when you go to your
20:38workplace
20:40tomorrow stop saying all those negative
20:42things about your
20:45company it may be true but stop it why
20:48would you try to
20:51destroy and hurt the hands that's
20:53feeding
20:55you don't be stupid
20:59you're Salt and Light so don't go to
21:01that job and you become the ring leader
21:04to keep gossip in the company and they
21:06know you go to
21:10church don't let your family members
21:14say that you are the one that's causing
21:16the problem in the
21:18family and you go to
21:21church don't do
21:23that
21:25unite unite Let It Go
21:29whatever it is whatever hurt you
21:32whatever your parents did to you years
21:34ago that you just can't forgive them off
21:38whatever the situation may be Let It
21:42Go and become
21:45one your family will go a long way a
21:50long way if you got two income in the
21:53house you're never going to go further
21:56when you hide your money she hide her
21:59money he hide his money you hide your
22:03money you cannot Prosper when both of
22:07you are
22:12hiding you
22:16can't you can't have a secret bank
22:19account that she don't know
22:21about not not if you're in the body of
22:27Christ can't be high and all that cuz
22:29you're not going to go any
22:31further come on
22:33now how can a house
22:35stand if it's divided well you know
22:39Pastor I hear that I understand what
22:41you're saying you know but the reason
22:43why I got to hide it cuz they'll spend
22:45it and they'll steal it then why are you
22:48with a thief
22:49[Applause]
23:01if you are with someone that you have
23:04done
23:05everything possible I'm not talking
23:07about you lying to yourself if you have
23:10done everything you know to do to work
23:13with a person listen to me
23:15carefully and you've been working
23:17working working working working working
23:20it's been years and that person is not
23:22working with you is bringing you down at
23:26some point in time you got to decide
23:29and I know we don't want to talk about
23:30this in the
23:33church cuz we believe a lie that you
23:36need to sit into something forever till
23:39the day you die because that's God's
23:44will so you're in your 30s and you're
23:47going to spend the next 25 years of your
23:49life into something that's
23:54dead if there is no Unity
23:58it's not
24:00going to
24:03work and sometimes watch this sometimes
24:07your happiness comes from making some
24:11difficult
24:12moves and zip
24:16it you don't need to explain things to
24:20nobody let everybody form their
24:23opinions but you walk in the will of God
24:26and when you do that I promise you
24:29God will bless you bow your heads with
24:30me
24:34please someone under the sound of my
24:36voice on the internet you're streaming
24:39in this
24:41building you are not one with the body
24:45of Christ ministers please take your
24:47positions only ministers
24:50please you're not one with
24:54God you're
24:56not Unified di you're not in
25:01Christ and I'm telling you if you're not
25:04a part of the kingdom of God you're
25:07taking a big risk with your
25:09life I want to give you an opportunity
25:11to turn your life over to Jesus this
25:14morning because maybe you will be the
25:17salt and the light that God will use to
25:20bless your family to spread light in
25:24that family's
25:26home to change the traj Dory of your
25:30family if that's you this morning
25:32whether you're here or you're streaming
25:34and you don't know the Lord as your
25:36personal savior meaning you've never
25:37prayed the sinner's prayer yeah you go
25:39to church thank God you're here
25:41physically you're streaming but you want
25:43to become a part of the Oneness that we
25:45have in Christ would you repeat after me
25:47the sinner's prayer and say Lord
25:50Jesus I'm a
25:52sinner I Repent of my
25:55sins I embrace the free gift of
25:57salvation
26:00and today I am born again today I Bor
26:04again in Jesus name in Jesus amen father
26:08thank you that they have now confessed
26:10and according to your word once they
26:12believe in their heart they're now born
26:14again may you bless your
26:17people may every one of us find our
26:20place here at the Faith
26:22Center because this is
26:26home this is home
26:30home help when we go home to our various
26:35homes your presence will be
26:38there that as we anoint them
26:41today they will take the bond of Peace
26:46home so that you can have your way in
26:49that
26:50family because the best is truly yet to
26:53come and the devil knows it there's so
26:58many many good things you have planned
27:00for that family and all he's trying to
27:03do is to distract them have your way
27:06with the families now and even for those
27:08who are streamen who were not physically
27:11able for us to lay hands on them may you
27:14bless strengthen them also give us an
27:18incredibly blessed and prosperous week
27:21and we give you praise for it in Jesus
27:24name amen