Individuals in Unity

 The following practical and vital observation is from Bill and Shirley Lees' book Is it Sacrifice?  Experiencing Mission and Revival in Borneo:

"The important lesson that we learnt was that God treats us as individuals.  We are not identical and he will not give us identical experiences.

"Our conversion experiences are different.  Our experiences of the Lord as we move on will be different.

"Our gracious heavenly Father will give us special experiences.  Let's thank him for them.  He will answer our prayers to reveal himself to us.  Let's thank him and go on with him,

"Whatever the way in which God deals with us, whatever our theology of one-stage, two-stage or multiple-stage blessing, the important thing is that it is through love and true unity and not uniformity of experience, that the world is going to know that we are Jesus' disciples.

". . . Each of us has a contribution to the other and to the health of the body [of Christ], provided each is living in submission to the Head.

"Whether we like it or not, we are all part of the body.  We need to recognize and accept our differences and live together in loving unity, and not demand uniformity of one another.

"If the devil can drive a wedge between us on the basis of thinking that uniformity is unity, then the world will not see that the Father sent the Son, as Jesus prayed in his high priestly prayer:  'May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me' (John 17:23)."