How Unity Can Benefit: You, the Family, the Church, Teams & Nations

By Anthony Bright Atwam

This book is the product of my experience and research on the importance of unity. Years ago, my marriage was not working the way I wanted. Upon careful thought, I realized my wife and I were not
Experience and research have shown that if six conditions can be met in any relationship, church, organization, or a nation, unity can be achieved and maintained. This book will show you all!
If your relationship is not working well, dont give up, strive for unity. If your church is not growing or doing well dont give up, strive for unity. Even the almighty God is also working hard to unite all people to himself! This book would be good for couples, singles, Pastors and their church members, managers, Politicians and individuals.
The reader will also learn that there are three main things to pursue in life in order to have a satisfactory, meaningful and complete life. Many people are not happy these days, some even end up committing suicide, this book can help! You will also learn some of the mistakes the man or the woman makes that can destroy unity in the relationship and how couples can set up financial and other guidelines in the family to bring about unity. The kind of leader a country gets depends on the lifestyle the people aspire? If the citizens want good life, they will get a good leader; if the citizens desire immoral bad lifestyle, they will get a bad leader! The book also enlists some of the mistakes church members, and Pastors make that hinder their blessings, growth, and unity in the church. How to know you have been called by God to be his servant, a pastor, a prophet, find out more! The reader will also discover that this world is heading toward a condition of harmony, peace, and unity, but science and many people have not been able to understand this process so far. Why? This is because science is limited although useful. Individuals, families and nations will benefit greatly if they turn to God for help than to live without the influence of God!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Apr 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481787741

Anthony Bright Atwam

The Author, ANTHONY BRIGHT ATWAM, an ordained minister, holds a Masters degree and is the founder and Overseer of Central Harvest Church. He is also the founder and Director of Jubilee Bible College. Anthony received his call to ministry in 2003, since then, he has diligently endeavoured to follow this call through church planting, preaching, teaching, counselling, raising and training of leaders. Anthony believes that individuals, families and nations will benefit greatly if they turn to God for help than to live their lives without the influence of God. In view of this, it is his ambition in life to study the Holy Scriptures, practice it, teach others, train more Pastors & missionaries, and help plant churches worldwide. His research interests are in the areas of Practical Theology, Christian spirituality, Engaging Evangelism and Ministerial Formation. He is married to Enyonam; they have three children, Anthony Jr., Nathan & Dorcas. They live in London, United Kingdom.

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© 2013 by Anthony Bright Atwam. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/09/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-8770-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-8771-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-8774-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

All scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing house. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS

I. Notes From The Author

II. An Overview Of The Book

Part 1: Unity In The Family: How To Have And Maintain A United Family Or Relationship

1 Introduction—According To Research, Support From The Family Is Very Important When It Comes To Heart Problems And Social Life

2 Mistakes The Man Makes That Can Destroy The Unity Of The Family

3 Mistakes The Woman Makes That Can Destroy The Unity Of The Family

4 Mistakes The Child Or The Children Make That Can Destroy The Unity Of The Family

5 How You Can Mend Your Broken Marriage Or Relationship, Overcome The Hurts, The Broken Heart And The Disappointments

6 How Couples Can Set Up Financial Guidelines And Other Measures For Love, Progress, Unity, And Peace To Prevail In The Family

7 What To Look Out For When Choosing A Marriage Partner

8 The Origin And Benefits Of Marriage

8.1 The Origin And The Nature Of Marriage

8.2 Benefits In Marriage

9 The Issue About Same Sex Marriage

Part 2: The Individual Responsibility: The Three Pillars That Make Your Life Meaningful, Satisfactory And Complete

1 Introduction—The Three Pillars Of Life—Your Career Or What To Do To Get Income, Your Family Or Someone To Love, The Salvation Of Your Soul And Your Spiritual Life.

2 How To Know What To Do In Life For Income To Feed Yourself, Your Family, And Others

2.1 Practical Tips For Those Who Want To Set Up Their Own Companies

2.2 Practical Tips For Those Who Want To Learn A Trade

2.3 Practical Tips For Those Who Want To Study To Become Professional People

2.4 Practical Tips For Non-Professional Career Or Job

3 Twelve Qualities Or Secrets Of Those Who Were Able To Achieve Their Dreams And Finished Life Well.

World’s Richest Man

4 Pursuing Family Life Or Someone To Love In A Descent Relationship, As One Of The Pillars Of Life

5 The Salvation Of Your Soul And Your Spiritual Life

6 You Can Do Greater Works Beyond Your Natural Strength, Abilities And Talents If You Believe In Jesus Christ, The Saviour Of The World.

Part 3 Unity In The Nation: How Your Country Can Be United

1 Introduction

2 The Type Of Leader A Country Gets Depends On The Lifestyle The People Aspire.

3 According To World History, Nations And Individuals Who Relied On God Prospered But Later Declined And Fell When They Rejected God. Can We Learn Some Lessons?

3.1 Alexander The Great And The Greek Empire

3.2 The British Empire

3.3 The United States Of America—A Country Which Once Relied On God

3.4 Why Developed Nations Reject God

4 Our Democracy Is Paralyzed… Something Is Missing

The Remedy—A Return To God

5 How Can Nations Remove Corrupt Leaders From Office Without Shedding Blood Or Jeopardising The Unity And Stability Of The Country?—Unity And Stability Is What We Need Not Just Removing Someone From Office.

6 Ethical Issues In The Nation That Promotes Unity And Development

6.1 The People Must Be Taught The Vision And The Policies Of The Country At All Levels Of Daily Life.

6.2 A Struggling Nation Should Welcome External Assistance And External Influence But With Great Caution: No Struggling Nation Should Allow Foreign Powers To Destabilise Them

6.3 The Poor And The Less Privileged In The Country Should Not Be Neglected. There Should Be Fair Treatment And Equal Opportunities For All The People.

6.4 Access To Knives, Guns And Other Weapons Must Be Restricted In Every Country Which Desires To Be United.

6.5 Patriotism Can Promote Unity And Stability In A Nation

Part 4 This World Is Heading Towards Unity, Harmony And Peace, But Science And Many People Have Not Been Able To Understand This Process So Far

1 Introduction

2 The Search For Purpose And Meaning In Life

3 Towards A Peaceful And Harmonious World—What Do We Expect The World To Be Like?

4 Science And Human Endeavour Have Been Very Useful But Very Limited

5 Five Reasons Why There Is Suffering And Problems In Our World

6 People Should Not Limit Themselves… Because There Are Other Sources Of Information Which Must Be Tested And Utilised

7 What Is The Significance Of The Church In Our World Of Science And New Age?

Part 5 Unity In The Church

1 Introduction

2 Some Of The Mistake Ordinary Church Members Make That Hinder Their Blessings, Growth And Unity Of The Church

3 How Can You, The Church Member Know You Have Been Called By God To Be His Servants, A Pastor, A Prophet, An Evangelist, An Apostle…

4 Mistakes Deacons, Elders, And Junior Pastors Make That Deprive Them Of Recognition, Promotion, Blessings And Unity In The Church.

5 Mistakes The Senior Pastor Makes That Can Make His Work Difficult And That Can Also Destroy The Unity Of The Church—He Or She May Even Lose His Ministry Because Of These Mistakes.

6 Every Church Is Unique And Different But The Same Spirit, Therefore Every Church Need A Unique Criteria For The Senior Pastor To Use To Select The Right Deacons, Elders And Junior Pastors

7 How The Senior Pastor Can Identify A Disloyal Deacon, Elder, Or Junior Pastor

7.1 Signs Of Disloyalty

8 How The Senior Pastor Should Deal With Or Manage A Disloyal Deacon, Elder Or A Junior Pastor Or Any Leader In The Church

9 Guidelines Are Needed In Your Church For Unity—How Churches Can Have Guidelines For The Senior Pastor, Deacons, Elders, Junior Pastors And The Ordinary Church Members

9.1 Ethics For Joining The Church And Leaving The Church:

9.2 Ethics For The Senior Pastor:

9.3 Ethics For Deacons, Elders, Associate Pastors And Other Supporting Leaders:

9.4 Ethics For Church Members:

10 Every Local Church Will Continue To Grow If She Continues To Follow The Commandments Of Jesus Christ, The Head Of The Body Of Christ

10.1 The Nature, Doctrines And Duties Of The Church

10.2 The Nature Of Christian Leadership Of The Church

11 The Effective Way Church Members Should Deal With Their Corrupt Bishops And Senior Pastors.

12 Deacons, Elders, And Junior Pastors Who Are Faithful Are Rewarded And Receive Eternal Life But The End Result Of A Rebel Or Opposition Deacon, An Elder Or Junior Pastor Is Disgrace, Curse And Death

12.1 Some Faithful And Loyal Deacons, Elders And Pastors In The Bible Who Serve As An Example For Us

12.2 Some Rebels And Disloyal Characters In The Bible

I. Dedication And Thanks

II. About The Author

III. Consulting Books

IV. Notes

I. NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR

This book is about unity, how unity benefits those who pursue it and how it makes families, churches, teams, political parties, and nations stable, productive and attractive. I have come to realize that unity is very very important in every aspect of life.

Years ago, my marriage was not working the way I wanted, upon careful thought; I realized my wife and I were not strongly united in heart and in purpose. Again when I was setting up a church and a training college in 2004 and in 2012 respectively, I also realized during these periods that, it was not enough for me to have a dream or a good project, I also needed a united people to support me and the project. So I began to research on the subject of unity, and came to the conclusion that Unity is very important in every aspect of life. This book is the product of my experience and research on the importance of unity.

During my research, I also found out that those who helped build united families, churches, organizations or nations were stronger and useful, while those who were destroying the unity in their families, church, or teams were becoming weaker and weaker. For example women who worked hard to keep the family or the relationship together were far stronger and resourceful than those who were destroying their families through negligence and selfishness. I found the same result in churches as well. Church members and leaders who were committed to their local churches were far happier and content in life than those who were lukewarm or uncommitted. Unity is good for your personal development and wellbeing. Strife for unity anywhere you find yourself.

No two people or a group of people can achieve their objectives without unity in purpose, heart and mind. If you are working or doing something as two or more people and your performance is low, the first thing to work on is unity in the team. If your marriage or relationship is not working well, don’t give up, strive for unity. If your church is not growing or doing well don’t give up, strive for unity. If your team or organization is not doing well don’t give up, strive for unity. This is why even God is also working hard to unite all people to himself.

It is not enough to invest money, human resources, equipments and sometimes prayers into your relationship, church, team or organization, Unity is needed before any satisfactory results can be achieved. But if unity is so important then why aren’t more families, churches or teams more united, you might ask? Why are there so few great families or teams and so many average and dysfunctional families and teams? The answer is simple. It’s not easy to bring people together. Agendas, egos, politics, power struggles, negativity, energy vampires, poor leadership, mismanagement, complaining, and a lack of vision, focus and purpose all prevent a family, church or a team from uniting and performing at their highest level.

So how can people be united to achieve their objectives? Experience and research have shown that if six conditions can be met in any relationship, church, team, organization or nation, unity can be achieved and maintained. The reader is encouraged to read the full discussion in this book; however I have briefly stated these six conditions below:

1. Every team member must avoid certain mistakes.

2. Every team member including the leader must give hundred percent love, strength and skills, towards the vision of the team.

3. Every team member must respect, listen to, and submit to the leader of the team.

4. There must be cooperation, understanding and agreement between the leader and the team members.

5. Any team member including the leader who becomes unfaithful or disloyal must be dealt with appropriately.

6. The aim of the group must be good not evil; nature does not support evil agenda or project, God does not support or bless evil agenda, nothing good can come out of an evil agenda or project. Good agenda attract united people, and will definitely succeed.

Without these six conditions there can be no unity in any relationship, church, team, organization or a nation. Even if just one of the conditions is missing there can be no unity.

In this book I have shared how couples, church members, political parties, and individuals’ can avoid certain mistakes that break down unity. Many people are unaware of these mistakes that break down unity in their relationships, churches, work place or organization. For example a father or mother ignorantly make a mistake that breaks down the very family they love. Pastors and church members make certain mistakes that destroy the very church which is meant to be a blessing to them. This should not be so. Only few of these mistakes are listed in this book, the reader is encouraged to think about some of the mistakes he or she can make that can destroy their family, churches, teams or nations.

This book is very relevant in today’s society because many families and relationships have broken down because of lack of unity between the couple; many churches are collapsing because of lack of unity between the head pastor and the church members. Prime Ministers and party leaders are also looking for faithful party members who can join hands as a united team so that they can win elections and govern the people. Nations all over the world are crying for unity, stability, and development.

According to some party officials, the labor party in Great Britain for example was defeated in the 2010 elections because there was no unity among the leadership. The same thing happened in Ghana, in 2008. The National Patriotic Party (NPP) was defeat by the National Democratic Party because there was no unity within the ranks of the NPP. Presently, the coalition government in UK is struggling to govern the people due to lack of unity between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats. This mistake or problem is seen in countries all over the world.

And even what happened in Iraq after the US-led coalition invasion in 2003, the insecurity in Libya after Gadhaffi was forcefully removed from power, the aftermath of the revolution in Egypt and even what is happening in Syria where thousands of innocent people have died, have led many people including world leaders to ask the question: How can nations remove corrupt leaders from office without shedding blood or jeopardizing the unity and stability of the country?’ This book offers some practical solutions which policy makers and the ordinary citizen will find very useful. The subjects of gun control and same sex partnership can easily destroy the unity of any society. These have been discussed in this book objectively.

There are not many books on the subject of ‘Unity’; however what makes this book different from all other books on Unity is the fact that this book covers unity in all aspect of life. In just one book the reader can learn how they can have unity in their family, for those who are Christians, they will also learn how their churches can be united, and political parties can also learn how they can maintain unity in the party and in the nation. Managers, team leaders and those who have a dream to pursue can also learn how they can organize united people to work with them.

So what would the reader take away from this book? In addition to all these, the reader will also learn that he or she has a personal responsibility to ensure that his or her life is meaningful, satisfactory and complete. Many people are not happy in life these days, some even end up committing suicide for various reasons. This book can help!

We can learn a lot from history. The reader will find that in some cases I have quoted a historian because their statement affords a ready and forcible presentation of the subject under discussion.

I have never seen the planet ‘Pluto’ before, but a group of people have seen this planet in the 1930s and have documented their observations in a book whose content is taught in schools, colleges and universities. In the same way, not everyone has seen God before or heard from Him directly; nevertheless some people have had an encounter with God and have also documented the experience they had with God in a book called the Bible. What they documented in the Bible has relevance for the world today.

So in some cases I have quoted portions of the Holy Bible to either explain an issue, or as the basis of an argument, or as a discussion point. God has communicated to men and women the knowledge necessary for salvation and good life. This is one area scientists are yet to discover. All these information and many more can be found in the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines and the test of experience. All scripture is God-breath and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training. Find out more about the benefits of the Holy Bible.

Unity can benefit you; It builds strong families, churches, teams, nations and greatly benefits those who pursue it.

The proceeds from the sale of this book would be used to train more Nurses, schools Teachers, Pastors, Missionaries, and charity workers to help needy people all over the world. Copies of this book are available to order or purchase at www.authorhouse.co.uk or your nearest book store.

Anthony Bright Atwam

II. AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK

This book is about unity. Unity is defined by the Merriam- Webster dictionary as oneness; a condition of harmony; continuity without deviation or change (as in purpose or action). Looking at this definition, we all need unity in every aspect of our lives, in the family, at the work place, in our relationships, in the church, in your country, in our world. Also, every person has a responsibility to ensure that his or her life is in a condition of harmony without deviation or failure. These are all discussed in this book, alongside other important issues of life. This book has been arranged into five parts, with several chapters under each part. The reader is encouraged to start reading the book from the part or chapter which interest them.

Part 1 of this book deals with unity in the family: recent research has shown that Social and family support is an important issue when it comes to heart health. This book will show you how you can achieve a stable and united family, heal your broken marriage or relationship and overcome the hurts and the disappointments.

Single people can learn what to look for when choosing a marriage Partner in this book. I have also discussed some of the mistakes fathers, mothers and the children in the family make that can destroy the unity of the family. Nearly half of relationships break down because of financial problems, this book will show you how couples can put in place simple financial guidelines, and other measures, for love, unity, and progress to prevail in the family. A family which has no guidelines cannot be united. The issue of same sex partnership is also discussed in the book objectively. Many people get into marriage without adequate knowledge about the nature of marriage and some of the benefits they can get in marriage. These and other vital marital and relationship issues are all discussed in part one of this book.

A careful study of people’s lives, past and present have showed that there are three main areas in one’s life which must be pursued simultaneously, for the human personality to be happy or satisfied. I called these three areas, ‘THE THREE PILLARS OF LIFE’.

Part 2 of this book deals with these areas, which are:

1. your career or what to do to get income,

2. someone to love or family life (when necessary)

3. The salvation of your soul and your Spiritual life

The human personality is designed in such a way that money or source of income alone is not enough to guarantee happiness or satisfaction, although money can be an answer to most things in life. As one becomes an adult, the need to have someone to love or a family of your own becomes very important because of your sexual needs and the longings for trusted and secured friendship or relationship. The human personality has a soul and a spiritual life which must be attended to. If the soul inside you is not happy or satisfied, your whole personality will not be okay. This book will show you how you can take care of your soul.

I have also shared 12 top qualities of men and women who were able to achieve their dreams and aspirations, and finished their lives well. Many companies have collapsed because of disloyal employees and sometimes the employers themselves. Many people have also abandoned their dreams because they couldn’t get united people to support them. How you finish your life in this world is more important than the beginning. Many people end their life or become paupers before they die, some even commit suicide. There is however a better way you can finish life, this book will teach you that. The human personality is limited in ability, knowledge, and power, it is therefore very important that you seek extra strength, abilities and resources elsewhere to help you achieve your dreams.

Part 3 of this book deals with Unity in a nation, how nations can be united, without unity there can be no stability and development in any country. Nations all over the world are on the verge of collapse politically, economically, spiritually and morally. What is the way forward? Political parties and incumbent government can easily be defeated if any traces of disloyalty is not dealt with appropriately. The labour party in Great Britain was defeated in the 2010 elections because there was no unity among the leadership, according to some party officials. The same thing happened in Ghana, in 2008. The National Patriotic Party (NPP) was defeat by the National Democratic Party because there was no unity within the ranks of the NPP. This mistake is repeated in countries all over the world.

Without unity there cannot be the needed collective strength for continuity, sustainability, expansion or development. There is leadership crisis all over the world, nations, political parties, corporate institutions; churches are all looking for the right leader. History has shown that the type of leader a country or any institution gets depends on the lifestyle the people aspire to have. If the citizens desire good life, they will get a good leader, if the citizens desire and aspire to lead immoral and bad lifestyle, they will get a bad leader. Democracy seems to be the preferred forms of Government in these days across the entire world, but the level of immorality and other social problems we see in democratic countries suggest that there is a missing element.

According to world History, nations and individuals who relied on God prospered but later declined and fell when they rejected God. Can we learn some lessons? In part three of this book, I have discussed how Greece, Britain and the USA prospered because they relied on Godly principles centuries ago, but what do we see today? Also how can nations remove corrupt leaders from office without shedding blood or jeopardising the unity and stability of the country?—Unity and stability is what we need in our countries not just removing someone from office. In addition to this, there are some ethical issues, if encouraged or practiced can promote unity, stability and development in your country. These are all discussed in Part 3 of this book.

This world is heading towards a condition of harmony, peace and Unity, but science and many people have not been able to understand this process so far. Science although useful is misleading many people when it comes to this and other important issues of life. This is because science and some people sometimes draw wrong conclusions presumptuously.

The whole world is about to be united; that is, to have a condition of harmony and peace where everything in this world including the human race will have answers to their questions and aspirations, but Science is misleading many people in this area.

People make decisions and live according to the information they have, this is where the problem is. If people are limited to information or look to only one source of information or knowledge, this can have a very serious adverse effect on how they live.

I believe the reader will find this very insightful because, many people lack the knowledge about other equally important issues of life such as the salvation and the cleansing of the human soul, life after death and how people can be set free from the work of Satan in their lives, just to mention a few. People lack such knowledge because they are looking up to science alone for understanding, instead of looking to other fields of study such as Theology or the Christian religion, something the British Prime Minister, David Cameroun has been calling the nation’s attention to.

During a speech in Oxford on the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, the prime minister called for a revival of traditional Christian values to counter Britain’s moral collapse. Cameron told the people gathered in Oxford that a return to Christian values could counter the country’s moral collapse and blamed a passive tolerance of immoral behaviour for last summer’s riots, extremism, City excess