Call To Obedience

Call To Obedience Call To Obedience is a monthly letter from Pastor Reimar Schultze.

03/26/2025

- EXCITING UPDATE -
CTO for the Next Generation
now Vine and Branch Connections, Inc.

Dear CTO Friends,

Greetings in the name of our Savior, who carries the peoples of the world in His heart. We are thrilled to announce the formation of Vine and Branch Connections, Inc. (VBC) to continue the work of Reimar Schultze. Our articles of incorporation are filed, a bank account opened and a mailing address established. We are now ready to build on the remarkable foundations laid by Kokomo Christian Fellowship, Bruce and Marilyn Buddenhagen, and the various translators and indigenous pastors and laborers in Egypt, the Baltic States, Russia, India and more.

OUTREACH AND TRANSFORMED LIVES AROUND THE WORLD
I am absolutely awestruck with what I am learning about the work of God spreading throughout various parts of the world through the ministry and writings of Reimar Schultze (Daddy).

Latvia: Inga oversees the birth of new CTO groups which are transforming lives of people who often struggle with alcoholism, lawlessness and poverty in a post-Soviet state. Earlier this year there were 365 churches in Latvia, but they continue to divide and grow. She loves to go into new villages and join the community choir or some community group to make friends. Usually within three weeks, a new CTO group forms and more lives find refuge, “family” and are transformed. She is currently starting CTO groups with the youth of the school at which she works. God is working with these young people!

Russia and Siberia: Lately, I have been chatting with Inga and learning about the fascinating CTO works in these areas. I will share more about them in our next letter.

Egypt: Ibrahim's team has translated Abiding in Christ, The Law and You, and the Now That You Are Born-Again: What Next? booklet into Arabic. CTO funds have helped them faithfully print 200 copies of the CTO letter since 2011. They are printed monthly for key leaders to use with their people in Egypt, Sudan and other Arabic communities. They would like to increase this to 500 copies monthly. As of this writing, Ibrahim is to speak at a conference for Sudanese refugees in Egypt. They plan to distribute 100 books but wish they could do more. He wrote to me: “Books in my country are considered our first missionary. They reach places and persons we never ever dare to approach.” Five new national missionaries were sent off in December, 2024. Doors are now opening in Morocco and Somalia.

India: Years ago, Atwood Christian Fellowship (formerly known as Mentone Christ Fellowship) began supporting a work in India that protects female babies from gendercide (the intentional killing of baby girls). Then they began helping people financially support themselves with sewing machines, vegetable carts, etc. After a while, they got Daddy involved. A Hindu man was paid to translate Daddy's The Law and You book and was gloriously saved. They now estimate that 180,000 of those books have been printed over the last several years along with 10,000 What Next? booklets. Countless lives have been rescued from a religion with millions of gods that are hard to please, to the One true God that loves them and gave Himself for them.

Amish: Since the November letter, Robert and I have been in at least 19 Amish homes in four communities across two states. Many of these home gatherings had around 20 - 30 Amish who brought in food and then wanted us to share stories of the Kingdom of God. They have become some of our dearest friends and we feel more than honored to have been invited into their lives. Daddy’s books are continuing to move through these communities. They love to read and share our letters and his books. They are fascinated and stirred to discover that God loves us and can speak to us personally.

Testimony – Ripples from the Baltic Sea: I joyfully and tearfully remember my Daddy telling me of his riding in a van to the Baltic Sea for a baptismal service during one of two visits to Latvia. During the long van ride, there was singing and earnest spiritual fellowship. One man got into the van not knowing Jesus and got out of the van saved and ready to be baptized! On that van ride, they picked up a car thief fresh out of jail, a gypsy with little education, a drunk and another person who had been in prison for making homemade alcohol. They were all baptized with the others. Can you even imagine my awestruck joy and wonder just last October, about 20 years after this Baptism, to receive the following testimony from…the car thief!

Dear brothers and sisters in Kokomo,

I just wanted to write and tell you that Pastor Reimar’s work in Latvia bears much fruit in Latvia and especially in my city Liepaja. I got to meet and hear Pastor Reimar in Liepaja many years ago. I was involved in church for just 2 months. I came out of prison where I spent 2 years for car theft. I was young and foolish. I was a new convert. Just started my walk with Christ.

When Pastor Schultze gave his testimony, it was so moving. I still remember many things he told us about his life and how the Baltic Sea was special to him. We had water baptisms the same day. I received baptism. My life was never the same. I have studied God’s Word every day. I have read and studied all CTOs and have all of Pastor Reimar’s books. They all have been an enormous blessing and instrumental in my growth in Christ. I got married in church and already have 3 children who love God. I am responsible for the CTO ministry in my city. I have started 87 groups through the years.

It has been a blessing to be part of such an amazing, growing ministry. Last week, I was informed that Pastor Reimar went to be with the Lord. What a legacy he left for the next generations. The written word will help many generations after us. My deep condolences to Pastor Reimar’s wife, Marcia, and his entire family.
Vasily Fedorov

The drunk? He is still serving the Lord, and both of his parents have since been saved. The “moonshine” fellow is married, has children and they all are serving the Lord. And the gypsy? He had a 5th grade education and didn’t know what to do with his life. He talked with my Daddy for several hours, and Daddy encouraged him to get an education. He now has two degrees and is high up in the army with a security clearance, stationed in Belgium.

While there, Daddy also did training at a youth leadership conference. Now years later, many of them are in ministry. The ever-widening ripples from this life lived solely for God continue in ways we will never fully understand until heaven.

VISION FOR THE FUTURE

Friends, it is with utmost joy that we take steps to build upon the foundation of God’s authentic work through Reimar Schultze. We aim to strengthen these works of God with finance and in-person visits, including meetings, training or even summer camps for children. We invite you to support this continuing work with prayer and financial donations. Donations can now be made to Vine and Branch Connections, Inc. at PO Box 372, Fayetteville, WV 25840. At this time, we can only receive donations by check. We will establish other methods of payment later. All donations will be tax-exempt once our non-profit status is finalized.

Thank you to all who have supported my Daddy’s ministry in the past and to all who will continue to support it by joining us on this exciting journey! If you would like to connect by email with any questions or to sign up for more frequent updates, contact us at [email protected]. Stay tuned for the first VBC letter with more information!

Esther Morey
Reimar Schultze’s Daughter, Founder of Coda Mountain Academy, and Pastor’s wife

Jerry Richardson
Treasurer of Kokomo Christian Fellowship

03/21/2025

Principles of the Christian Work Ethic #520

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 7:12). This verse is often referred to as the Golden Rule. It could also be called the foundation of the Christian work ethic.

The Bible is a wonderful book, and it contains the work ethic for the working man and woman. If you are a Christian, you are not to act like the non-Christians at your workplace and you are not to copy the ways that they work. Christians should be governed by the law of God and by His voice even at their places of work. You have a distinct Christian work ethic to take with you to your workplace. You need to meet with God every morning in prayer and then, because of God’s grace given to you, your actions and your attitudes at the workplace will reflect that you have been with God.

If others in your company go on strike, it does not mean that you should also go on strike. Being a Christian, you have a work ethic to consider. If and when others complain, you should not complain. A Christian should never take a sick leave day unless he is sick. If others take sick leave when they are not really sick, you should continue to go to work unless you are sick. Being a Christian, you will not abuse the privileges that your employer provides. A Christian will not lie. A Christian will not take advantage of the company he works for. A Christian will not steal. You will not take anything from your workplace that does not belong to you: not a machine part, not a tool, not a pencil, not a notepad—unless you have permission to do so or you are required to do so.

If you are a Christian, you will be punctual. You will not create any anxiety in your boss which will cause him to wonder whether you are going to show up for work or not. Because you are a Christian, you will not stretch your coffee break or your lunch break another five or ten minutes. You will not use the telephone at work for personal calls unless it is an emergency or unless you have permission to do so. Because you are a Christian, you will be working and not loafing when you are at your workplace. You will diligently put yourself into the assignment that has been given to you and you will go the second and third mile when appropriate. Ask God each day to give you wisdom and the energy to work as unto the Lord because the Bible commands: In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground... (Gen. 3:19).

Working diligently and sometimes to the point of sweating is the first principle of the Christian work ethic. Man was not made to be a loafer. Men and women who loaf on their jobs violate natural and spiritual laws, and they will come apart within themselves. They will not have the blessing of God. When man no longer works or he no longer has clear-cut responsibilities that advance the common good, he loses his dignity, his self-esteem, his self-worth and his inner strength. He not only becomes a burden to society, but he becomes a burden to himself. He will suddenly discover that he does not know what is wrong with himself and why he is not happy. He will be miserable. His problem is that he is violating God’s law requiring him to work diligently and sometimes in the sweat of his brow.

So dear ones, you must work. If you are on disability, give yourself to doing something that can help others in your community. Give yourself to some worthy cause and do not allow your personal pleasures, your family affairs or your grandchildren to get in the way. Even though you may be a volunteer worker and do not receive any pay for the work you do, treat that work as if your life depends on it. It is a tragedy that so many retired people allow their lives to circle around socializing with their relatives or grandchildren, or around their own whims and wishes. This is not God’s plan and purpose for you as a Christian. If you are not responsible to anyone and you can do whatever pleases you from morning to night, day after day, you will begin to disintegrate within yourself spiritually and emotionally. As a Christian, you can give yourself to the work of the church, to the work of prayer, to the work of teaching or encouraging others. Ask God to show you how you can be a helper and then do it.

The second principle of the Christian work ethic comes from the words: till you return to the ground. This does not mean that you are only to work until you retire or until you are sixty-five, but it means that you are to work until the end of your life. Because of this admonition, I have a great concern with people retiring at forty-five, fifty-five or sixty-five. Many of these people then begin to live a life of loafing during the rest of their lives. This type of lifestyle does not fit the Christian work ethic. You may say to yourself: “Well, I have worked hard all those years. I have earned my retirement.” But you need to first consider that you may have not worked nearly as hard as your parents may have worked. And secondly, even if you have, you are still supposed to work hard until you return to the ground because that is what the Bible says. Of course, your pace may have to slow down as you get older. You will not have the same strength that you had when you were younger. Some of you may have debilitating physical ailments. Some of you may have to retire when your employer makes you retire, but that does not mean that you have liberty to waste the rest of your life and only do what your Self wants to do. God is looking for thousands of men and women who will pray faithfully each day for revival. As a retired Christian, will your work that you are doing now be pleasing to God and Jesus on Judgment Day?

The Golden Rule: Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them... (Matt. 7:12), describes the third principle of the Christian work ethic. You should do your work for others as you would like for them to do their work for you. I have been told that the five most spoken words at the work place are the following: “This is not my job.” And I would say because Americans are often saying these words, there are now many foreigners moving into the United States and taking those jobs. They are buying up land, buildings, stocks and bonds, and they are even building their factories in or near many small towns and cities. As an employer, foreman or supervisor, you may have asked one of your employees to do something and they have answered you by saying: “This is not my job; I wasn’t hired for this; I am not getting paid to do this.” If you are an employee, do everything the boss tells you to do with a smile as long as it is moral and never, never say “This is not my job.”

Following is the fourth principle of the Christian work ethic is: ...be content with your wages (Luke 3:14). This is what John the Baptist said to the Roman soldiers. Apparently, the soldiers had been striking or they had been murmuring about their pay and therefore John told them to repent. “Repent of what?” was the question. The answer was that they needed to repent of having a murmuring, striking or complaining spirit because they were not embracing: ...be content with your wages. The Apostle Paul said a similar thing when he said, ...be content with such things as you have... (Heb. 13:5). Here is the point: remember that as a Christian, you do not really work for your employer, factory, hospital, lawyer or other entity. You are working for God. God is your boss. You are working in your workplace, first and foremost, for the glory of God! God is the one who made you. God is the one who has given you the job, and He is the one who will give you a raise when He thinks it is called for. In the meantime, remember: Now godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Tim. 6:6). That means that you are gaining ground for God’s kingdom with the help of the Holy Spirit as you are working.

The fifth principle of the Christian work ethic is: Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest... (Ex. 23:12) even as God rested; Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (Ex. 20:8); and Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy... (Deut. 5:12). It is nearly impossible for you to build a strong Christian home when you, as the father or mother, are working on Sundays. Firemen, policeman, hospital personnel and ministers need to work on Sundays, but there is no need for Christians with other types of employment to work on Sundays. Six days of work has been the norm for centuries. You must be careful that all of your days belong to God.

Certainly, there are other aspects of the Christian work ethic, but above are some starters for you to consider. Pray that your work will glorify God and your attitude towards your work will be pleasing to Jesus.

02/28/2025

Do You Live On Quail Or Manna? #519

Reimar A.C. Schultze

The people asked, and He brought quail, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven (Ps. 105:40) In this passage, you can learn that there is a permissive will of God and that there is a perfect will of God. To state it in the context of this verse, God’s permissive will was quail and God’s perfect will was manna.

Quail represents what Self wants and manna represents what God wants. A wind of the Lord blew in quail from a bird migration route (Num. 11:31), whereas manna was created new each day, except on the Sabbath, by God Almighty. Quail had seeds of corruption and death in it. Manna had the seeds of life and health in it. There was nothing harmful to man in manna. Nothing! The manna contained no bacteria, no viruses, nothing infectious and there was nothing imperfect within it. Nothing needed to be removed from the manna before it was prepared to be eaten. When it was delivered, none of it had ever touched the earth before the morning it was collected. None of its ingredients were from the earth because it was not grown in the earth. All of it was from heaven. Hallelujah! It was all good, all pure and all perfect—until it was mishandled. When it was mishandled, it bred worms and stank (Ex. 16:20). This fact leads to another lesson that you can learn: when God’s perfect will is mishandled, beware!

Israel asked for meat, and God gave them quail. There is more in quail that you cannot eat than you can eat because they have bones, feathers, beaks, claws and intestines. To enjoy eating a quail, you must cut off its head, wings and feet, pluck off the feathers (or skin the bird) and then remove the stomach and intestines. All of these inedible items have to be discarded somewhere or buried. If they are not buried, these waste products will soon be full of maggots and flies resulting in undesirable odors in just a few days.

But, dear ones, the fact of the matter is that most religious people have been wanting quail, the permissive will of God, ever since the Fall—and man has been having trouble properly disposing of the refuse of quail ever since sin entered into his heart. God’s people have polluted the church with quail and so there are maggots and flies in practically every religious institution of man: The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven. The Psalmist says that Israel asked [for meat] and God gave them quail. How badly did Israel want meat? They wept in the ears of God for it (Num. 11:4, 13, 18). They wanted it so badly that they wore Moses down with their crying after it. Many ministers are worn down and worn out simply because their congregations are lusting for meat (quail). The fact that most true servants of God need frequent times away from their flocks indicates that there is much weeping in the ears of God for things that satisfy the flesh of their parishioners. Israel asked God for meat, and God gave them quail. God was unable to do much with Israel until He had given them their desire. There was no further progress possible until the children of Israel had gotten beyond their desire for meat. God sent the quail to satisfy Israel’s lust for meat and to teach all the rest of mankind a lesson.

Many times, someone will want a certain spouse, or a certain house, or a certain car, or a certain vacation—and their desire for that person or item is so great that there will be no spiritual progress in their life until their desire is either crucified or fulfilled. If they are not willing to take their desires to the cross and look for God’s perfect will, God will meet their desires as He met Israel’s desire for meat by sending quail: Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp (Num. 11:31-32). Ten homers is equal to 80 bushels. Do you think the children of Israel were praising God and jumping for joy because God had answered their prayers, exceedingly, abundantly, above all they could ask or think?

Well, dear ones, I have been a Christian for many years and I have heard many answers to prayer in church testimony meetings like the following: “The Lord has heard our prayer. He has provided exactly what we asked for: a lovely home with three bedrooms in the country.” For someone else it was perfectly matching furniture, just the colors they wanted. They had looked for it all across the country and finally found it at half price. Or take this testimony: “I just found that tall, young man I always wanted!” Someone else found the car they always wanted. Yes, they received what they wanted. Praise the Lord!? Seldom have I ever been able to share the joy of those believers who, through prayer, got their heart’s desires. How can I rejoice when people sleep in quail pajamas, put on quail shoes, wear quail suits, drive quail cars, live in quail homes, eat at quail tables, watch quail television programs and go on quail vacations with quail spouses? You need to seek what God wants and not what Self wants.

Wonderful things and marvelous things are waiting for those who seek His kingdom first (Matt. 6:33). But, dear ones, you must wait on God so that He can lead you to those people or things which will bless you. Ask Him to help you to avoid those things containing seeds of corruption and death. Oh, how great it would be if you were married to a manna spouse, lived in a manna house and drove manna cars. But to get manna, God’s perfect will, you must stop lusting. If your heart is not entirely sanctified, you will be asking for things which will bring leanness to your soul: But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague. So he called the name of that place Kibroth hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving (Num. 11:33-34). They received their heart’s desire. Again, unless you are entirely sanctified, your heart’s desires are dangerous—those desires carry within them the seeds of disappointment, corruption and death. Israel had to learn that by experience, but you do not need to learn that by experience. You can learn from history! Oh, how blessed you are when you learn from history rather than experience.

God’s perfect will for Moses was that he would speak to the rock and it would bring forth water (Num. 20:7). In anger, Moses struck the rock twice and water then gushed out so that the congregation and animals could drink. Because Moses disobeyed God’s command, he was not permitted to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land (Num. 20:12). Only eternity will reveal all the material things, all the revelations, all the blessings and all the ministries that God’s people were shut out of because they accepted God’s permissive will instead of seeking His perfect will. Every time you get into God’s permissive will by lusting, by pressing, by impatience, by anger or by self-interest, you are shutting yourselves out of things that are better and more wonderful: ...Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him (1 Cor. 2:9). It is a serious thing to be in the middle of God’s permissive will. If you do not choose the cross while seeking God’s perfect will, you will suffer the consequences of your choices for doing God’s permissive will. If you give a testimony, be sure it is a testimony of God’s perfect will happening in your life and not of your unsanctified desires having been met.

I believe that about 70 percent of all of man’s troubles are the result of him not seeking to do God’s perfect will. You will all experience troubles and God will send them your way so that you can learn to press through and gain victory over them. God will spare you from most of them if you keep your eyes fastened upon Him.

In closing, I must give you a word of encouragement. Even though you may be standing in quail three feet deep when it comes to your life—your car, your home, your marriage or your job—God can help you. God cannot or will not erase the consequences of your wrong choices that you made in your past because of your desire and persistence in seeking His permissive will. You will reap what you have sown. That is both a natural law and a spiritual law. But you can: 1) repent; 2) stop sowing bad seed; 3) receive God’s grace to bear the scars of your past; and 4) learn to be perfect in the midst of quail. The situations and the circumstances in your life may be due to wrong choices your ancestors made decades or centuries ago resulting in repercussions. If that is the case in your life, you must then settle for God’s permissive will in those areas. But if your motives are pure, God will bless and sanctify you even when you are in the middle of His permissive will, and there will be many other choices you can make to invite more and more of God’s perfect will into your life. Make the best of every situation in your life and do not add more quail to your life than you already have. Seek to do the perfect will of God which will bring satisfaction to your life forever.

01/25/2025

Greater Works Than These... #116/518
Reimar A. C. Schultze

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father (John 14:12). This verse has puzzled many believers because Jesus did not say exactly what these greater works would be. The greater works that the believers would do after Jesus’ ascension and after the Holy Spirit has come are certainly not any of the works that Jesus did while He was with His disciples. The greater works are works that Jesus did not do. So then, from this passage we can classify the works of God into two categories: first, there are the works which Jesus did on earth with His disciples which we shall also be able to do; and second, there are the greater works which He did not do while on earth with His disciples that we shall be able to do through the help and power of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps we would do well to first consider what these greater works are not!

1. Healings. All who believe in Jesus have the authority to do miracles of healing as Jesus did. Since Jesus did them while on earth, they cannot be included in the greater works. These works of healing included: healings from blindness, from leprosy, from diseases of the blood, from diseases of the ear and the tongue, from infectious diseases, and from crippling and paralyzing conditions in the body caused by birth, disease, accident or sin. They also included the raising from the dead (Matt. 11:5) and whatever other diseases there were among the children of Israel (Matt. 12:15). Jesus was also ...healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people (Matt. 4:23). So then, dear friend, any healing of any disease is not part of the greater works category. These greater works do not include healing of bodily infirmities. The greater works would come after He had gone to His Father. Further, notice that even though Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, His disciples were not. His disciples did miracles of healing without having the Holy Spirit because Jesus ...gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1-2). Miracles of healing are wonderful and anyone who has ever been healed from a painful or disabling affliction appreciates the tremendous blessing of divine healing. Hallelujah! But remember, healings are clearly not part of the greater works that shall be done!

2. Casting out demons (exorcisms). Jesus’ twelve disciples were able to cast out demons when they were sent out two by two (Mark 6:13). They were able to do this even though they were not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, their hearts were yet hardened and they often quarreled among themselves about which one of them was the greatest (Mark 9:34; Luke 9:46 & 22:24). Again, casting out demons and devils cannot be part of the greater works that shall be done.

3. Other miracles which defy natural laws. First notice that bodily healings and exorcisms may be classified as miracles defying natural laws, but there are also other miracles pertaining to the body, the soul and nature. All natural laws are an expression of God’s faithfulness. The fact that objects always fall down is a sign of God’s reliability and mercy. God has created an orderly universe with principles that can be utilized to build things and His faithfulness provides benefits allowing science and industry to develop tools, machines and gadgets that make life easier. Yet, the same God who created and sustains this orderly universe also has power to deviate from His laws at any time He chooses to do so for your benefit and for His glory. This is what happened when Jesus changed water into wine, fed thousands with five loaves and two fishes, walked on water and stilled the storms. There is scant evidence that the disciples did any miracles defying natural law prior to Pentecost. After Pentecost, several miracles happened because of prayer and because of God’s power: so that they brought the sick out into the streets... that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them... and they were all healed (Acts 5:15-16); and Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them (Acts 19:11-12). Although these happenings are miraculous, they are not part of the greater works that shall be done.

Healings, exorcisms and other miracles were some of the works that Jesus did while He was preaching about the kingdom of God. These are some of the works that His followers would do and He also told them that they would do ...greater works than these. The greater works have to be something else: ...Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9). When you see or hear about faith healers causing people to throw their crutches away, you are not seeing or hearing about the greater works of God; when you see people delivered from devils, you are not seeing greater works of God or when you see sudden, miraculous changes in the weather, you cannot classify them as greater works of God because they were commonplace with Jesus and His disciples. What then comprises the greater works?

Greater Works

Perhaps the greatest clue you have anywhere as to what Jesus considered the ...greater works than these which you shall do after He went to His Father is found in His high priestly prayer in John 17. The primary work, the greatest work that you can do as a believer and that the church should be doing is: that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me... I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me (John 17:21-23). Jesus desires that you and the church be in one accord. Before His crucifixion, Jesus healed people, cast out demons and performed miracles as He preached. He was not able to bring His followers to oneness because the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. He told His followers that they would do ...greater works than these. They would accomplish what He could not accomplish: Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name... (John 17:11-12). These scriptures are proclaiming that the cry of Jesus was that they may be one as We are. Are you able to perceive that He is talking as one who has already left the world? As He was preparing to leave the earth, He was praying for oneness that the world may believe. Dear ones, whatever work is required to help people to get to oneness, that is the greater work.

On the day of Pentecost, Jesus’ prayer was answered for the first time: When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place (Acts 2:1) This was the first-fruit of the greater works! The disciples came to oneness, the power fell and the world began to believe. Thousands were immediately saved, sanctified and prepared for heaven. The power, the love and the presence of God was so great that material things lost all significance to the new believers. They sold all they had and gave away all that they received so that this greater work would never stop. Healings, exorcisms and other miracles can make life on earth more pleasant, but they are not able to bring the body of believers to oneness. Multitudes were healed by Jesus during His three years in Israel, but many of them eventually forsook Him and then had Him crucified. It was oneness that caused the Holy Spirit to be poured out on the disciples on the day of Pentecost. The greater work of God is not for a cripple to walk again, but for that cripple to walk with God! The greater work of a church is that all her believers ...speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1 Cor. 1:10). This is the focus of Jesus’ high priestly prayer. This is what Jesus is ever living to make intercession for even now. Seek sanctification and become one with your brothers and sisters in Christ and then you will become part of the glorious church because you are doing the greater works.

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