There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

 

Last month, I was privileged to meet Rev. Joel Dopico, President of the Cuban Council of Churches at a conference in Port Perry, Ontario.  Joel, who describes himself as a Charismatic Presbyterian, presides over a rather diverse group of churches and ministries ranging all the way from Pentecostal to Anglican with Evangelicals, Reformed and Baptists in the middle!

 

Needless to say I was quite curious about how such a broad representation of denominations in the theological spectrum could even agree to be lumped together in the Cuban Council of Churches.

 

His answer? The only criterion we demand for belonging is belief in the Trinity. If you can pray to God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you’re in 🙂 Here is what you see on their official website:

“It is a fellowship of churches, ecumenical groups, and other ecumenical organizations which confess Jesus Christ as Son of God and Saviour, according to the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and seek to respond to their common calling, to the glory of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

 

They are driven by a passion to see Cubans come to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord. They all have a commitment to serve the community. They engage in dialogue with one another and co-operate with one another in every possible avenue that is open to them.

 

If I was curious before talking to Joel, I was stunned when I heard his answer.

Especially in view of what happened when one of my pastor friends tried to get some other pastors in town together for a prayer meeting. He was peppered with questions re. the format of the meeting, the way God would be addressed in prayer, whether some would pray in tongues or not, ad inquisitum, I meant, ad infinitum. Net result? Only a handful attend these gatherings with any kind of regularity.

 

We learned that Joel had just ordered a million Spanish Bibles in anticipation of the great harvest of souls that the Cuban Council of Churches sees coming into the Kingdom. After listening to this amazing man of God, I have no doubt that Cuba’s Christian population will increase by millions over the next few years.

 

Isn’t it incredible what unity among the various denominations can accomplish? I could just see Jesus smiling at what is happening in Cuba.

 

Perhaps it should not surprise us that in the verses leading up to the aforementioned oft-quoted passage from Ephesians 4, Paul writes: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (v. 2-3)

 

The New Living Translation renders v. 3 this way: “Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”That’s what it will take for us to also experience this unity in our context, amen?

 

As we decree unity in the Body today, we pray that when denominations come together, we will “confess our sins to one another and pray for one another” and experience the healing promised in James 5:16.

 

Let us also decree that the fivefold ministers (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) will realize that “their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such UNITY in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13) This is also a key requirement for such unity to manifest itself in maturity within the Body.

 

Are you ready? I DECREE UNITY IN THE BODY WITH FIVEFOLD MINISTRY.