C4 Connextion Corner

  Psalm 133 Behold, how good and how pleasant  it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2  It is  like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. 3  It is  like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the  Lord  commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.   Dwell Together in Unity! If I told you of a sure-fire way to be blessed, would you listen?  If I told you how to have the anointing of the Lord be upon you, would you be interested?   Learn to Live together, Learn to Love together, Psalm 133 tells us it is pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity!   Sounds simple, doesn’t it?  This simple command is the very thing the devil hates and fights against the most among believers. This simple command is the very thing Christians sometimes struggle with doing.  Unity in th...

  Being a Brother 101  by: Steward Sydnei Bethea   “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony.” Psalm 133:1 NLT   “I need you, you need me, we’re all a part of God’s body…” *sways and sings with Hezekiah and choir* We’re taught general behaviors with siblings, cousins, and classmates to ‘share, play nice, work together.’ As early as adolescence, we struggle as contention arises when things do not go our way. Despite our never-ending challenges, the principles of Christianity instill morals which advise us as a brotherhood to love, forgive, unite, pray, and spread the Gospel to others. There is no greater example of brotherhood than Christ’s life: As no other brother would, He gave up divine privileges and humbled Himself. Christ literally yielded His life for us. Even after, He still responds to the destitute and intercedes when we do not know the words. Like a school project, seldom few volunteer to do all of the work, and typic...

What do you think of when you hear “unity”? Military soldiers in formation, a colony of ants, Rihanna’s back up dancers tearing up the stage during the Super Bowl halftime performance? What about a group of black men and women arms crossed, holding hands and swaying side to side singing “we shall overcome”? What does that word make you feel? Are you empowered? Does it make you lose a sense of self? Or does it trigger you to focus on yourself? Unity reminds me of science class. 4 random students to a table assigned to be lab partners. The challenge for the individual is to trust three other people’s ideas while trying to mesh with different personalities. 4 students who barely know one another have to count on each other to earn a good grade. Ultimately striving towards a common goal. It is putting yourself aside and deciding to work towards something that is bigger than you. On youth and young adult Sundays, there’s many different elements uniting together to ensure that service is...

                                                                                          Our House Rules   Matthew 12: 25 (NIV) Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them,  “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.   Good leads the way…no that extra o in good is not a typo—rather the slogan of United Airlines. A company geared toward uniting people. Well, church it’s adequate to say, the only way we blood-bought believers can be united is if God leads the way.   Ask yourself, what is unity? Go ahead I’ll wait as you think (cue the Jeopardy music). But all joking aside, teamwork, togetherness, and uniformity ar...

Blessed Unity of the People of God by Bro. Taji Brown Focus Scriptures:  Psalm 133:1-3             "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." (Psalm 133:1) U. N. I. T. Y. that's a unity. I wonder if Queen Latifah really knew what she was saying back in 1993? "Behold!" This word translates into "Don't miss this!" The psalmist was a true lyrist himself I might add. He knew how to grab our attention right from the "get go." If you ask me, he was letting the reader know that something impressive and remarkable was to follow. Sure enough! The idea of brothers and sisters living amongst one another harmoniously came immediately after. "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." (Acts 2:1) As God's holy nation, we have to be agreeable in spirit and be joined together as a whole similar to Jesus's disciples. We can achieve this oneness when we...

  Scripture: Psalms 133:1 KJ V   Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!   Dwelling Together in Unity   As a child, I was not a fan of having a sibling; and much worse an older sibling. My brother and I would spend our days doing anything from watching cartoons to pl aying outside but it would lead to us fighting each other. We were not the kids who loved on each other all day long . We drove our parents crazy because we could not be left alone for more than an hour without us fighting. Between his attitude and my smart mouth, there would be some issue within a short matter of time. Because of this known behavior of ours, we were forced to share a room f or most of our childhood. Despite there being an additional bedroom in the house, my father forced us to share the same living space. He said we needed to learn how to be together and at least tolerate each other. Granted, anyone who lived outside our home who had...

  Advent Week 4: Greater is Coming: Love 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. What’s love got to do with it? Most people can recite or are familiar with the 1984 smash hit by Tina Turner. And while she expressed love as a secondary emotion, it is the crux of our walk with Jesus.  The word love is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible. God (all three members of the Trinity) is love ( 1 John 4:16 ) and before Jesus departs, He gives us a new command centered around love ( John 13:34-35 ). Suffice it to say, love is highly valued in the sight of God, so much so, that He gave the world His only begotten son.  To truly appreciate the Advent season, we must embrace the totality of Jesus’s mission to completely save us ( Hebrews 7:25 ).  We cannot mention the birth, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, but neglect to shed light on his return and rule ( 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 and Revelation ...