One as the Sum of its Parts/Gathered into a Whole

 Gathered into a Whole:

Consolidation; think about it. Two synonyms for consolidation are strengthening, and reinforcement. There is not a day where someone, somewhere, is not reorganizing what they have to make it better. A farmer weeds his garden and it is better. That which is pruned grows back stronger and more robust. Consolidation is a process that includes not only removal but also replacement. I used to own VHS movies and cassette tapes. When CDs and DVDs came along, I replaced the old with the new. I had everything I had before and more. I had it organized in a smaller space that allowed me to go out, buy more, and add it to my collection. In Christ's parable of the pearl of great price, we see that God uses the same process that we use. Matthew 13:46 “Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

It is a process of elimination. We only need what we need. More than that is, ultimately, a hindrance. The needless gets in the way. How many of us have closets filled with stuff that we are forced to move out of the way? All of us begin with much, out of which we consolidate that which best suits our needs. Think about reorganization on a spiritual scale. God filled the earth with many nations. He chose one for himself. Then he removed that which did not please him. Around that new core, God is gathering to himself much more. He picks from other nations, other tongues. He chooses people with which to build the One. The parameters of oneness are constantly shifting; old pearls are dropped while newer, greater pearls are added. One increases. Acts 17:26 “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth.”

Jesus came from God to man teaching that certain men are gathered into God while others are rejected. Jesus taught the consolidation of oneness. He spoke to the new core about the increase that oneness sought. Judaism was exclusive. It did not allow for increase. The new core of Christianity allowed for increase. God sought greater pearls, and he would take them from Judaism, Islam, and the Gentiles. God seeks his own, not someone else's. If you are one of God's own, it does not matter that you began as a Jew or a Muslim. It does not matter that you began as a Buddhist, or an Atheist. If you are one of God's own, he will take you out of the general herd and add you to his private stock. John 10:16 “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”

It does not happen overnight, but there is a proven method by which God achieves increase. The proven method is the favored method; there is no substitute for it. The very nature of the method is the very nature of the oneness. It is not found in exclusive attitudes and behaviors. It is not seen in differentiation or rejection. The very nature of oneness is found solely in God-likeness. Jesus is Christ because he has that nature. The very nature of the method of inclusion into oneness is found solely in Christ-likeness. God's own will be gathered through and gathered by Christ. That is the favored method. As we see in black and white, it is an ongoing process both on earth and in heaven. So then, whether we are on earth or in heaven, the path forward is clear. To be one with God requires Christ-likeness. Ephesians 1:10 “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him.”

There is not a single nation or people that may lay claim to God exclusively. The Jews may not, neither the Muslims, Buddhists, or any of the other national religions. None of them may say their God is bigger or better than the god of the others. Neither debates nor wars will settle the matter; it simply does not work at a national level. It works only at the individual level. One is either a child or one is not. A child mirrors the father in every respect. The natures are identical. That is how Jesus could say that when his disciples saw him, they saw his father. If you are a child of God, two things will be true and evident. One: your nature and God's nature will be identical – thought for thought, deed for deed. Two: your nature and Christ's nature will be identical – thought for thought, deed for deed. Think of the world, the millions and millions of souls. Somewhere among the Gentiles, among the Muslims and Jews, there are people with natures identical to the nature of Christ. If that is the case, Christ, himself, will come for you, and gather you into One. John 11:52 “And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.”