To the Churches: For we are all one in Christ

By David W. Rozendal

As the children of God, we should stand together as one in the power of the Holy Spirit:

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 (NKJV)

In the si

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Oct 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9798887380025

David W. Rozendal

David W. Rozendal was called by God twenty years ago to proclaim the gospel and the Word of God. He has a ministry called Ministry United. David has been tested in both patience and perseverance. He understands the carnal mind is weak, but he also understands the power of the Holy Spirit. It is because of the Holy Spirit and the anointing gift therefrom that this book has been written, To the Churches.

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God and Savior of the world. We (the entire world) would all be in a hopeless situation full of evil and darkness if it were not for what God did for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. If I were to list all the things that were accomplished and the promises, blessings, and hope that we have in Christ in this dedication, it would be longer than the book itself. Therefore, please allow it to be sufficient that I am beyond thankful for both the mercies and the graces of God bestowed upon us all through the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Psalm 40:5 (NKJV)

Acknowledgments

To all the faithful in Jesus Christ, both anointed and called by God: my thankfulness and acknowledgments are to you. To all those who have faith, to all those who have love, to all my brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world: I am thankful for you. For without each other, we stand alone, but with each other, we stand united as the children of God. Blessings and peace be with you all. In advance, I thank you for standing with me in the faith and in the love of God.

I would like to thank my wife for her faith, her walk with the Lord, and her steadfastness with the Lord and me. I cherish her love, support, words of encouragement, and understanding of the importance of this book and how beneficial it can be for all. She is a true blessing for which I am very thankful.

I would also like to thank my family, who has stood by my side throughout the process of writing this book and the many years of blessings and also during times of trials and tribulation. I thank them for their faith in God and for believing in the Lord working in me, for standing with me and understanding the message of unity and love within and among the churches, and for realizing the importance of helping others understand this as well.

I would like to thank God for all He has done for me: for strengthening me when I had no strength, for having mercy on me when I did not deserve it, for filling me with the Holy Spirit, for redeeming me and keeping me according to His own purposes and power and glory, for considering me faithful because of His faithfulness towards me and entrusting me with the riches of truth and grace in Jesus Christ.

Praise and glory be to God for all that He has done and shall continue to do.

Preface

To all who are partakers of the faith of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: greetings and peace be with you all from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. This book is written primarily for the purpose of uniting our hearts, minds, and spirits together as one in peace, the love of God, and the patience of hope, in accordance with the will of God that is in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

My name is David W. Rozendal; I was called by God twenty years ago to preach the fullness of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which includes (among all other things) the unity of the Spirit, our calling into the kingdom of God, and eternal life. Tested in both patience and perseverance, I am a servant and certain messenger of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ through the revelation and power of the Holy Spirit in, and in accordance with, the truth and eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, had promised before time began.

[…] according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began (Titus 1:1–2, NKJV).

If you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then this book is for you. Before you start reading the book, it seems important to mention that the use of multiple Bible versions was done primarily to be able to better engage and communicate with more readers. For instance, some people might not want to read a book that does not contain verses from their preferred Bible version. (If this book does not contain verses from your preferred Bible version, please do not allow that to stop you from reading.) Several Bible translations were utilized within the text; this effort was made so that more people could relate to the manuscript.

The predominant Bible version used is the New King James Version (NKJV). However, there are several other Bible versions quoted, including the King James Version (KJV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the New International Version (NIV), the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPCE), and the author’s translation, or author’s paraphrase, (AP). The author’s paraphrase is permitted according to the Christian Writer’s Manual of Style, fourth edition, and is used only once.

Although the book is intended to be as clear, streamlined, and uniform as possible, the use of several different translations was still necessary. Because of the extremely high volume of Bible verses utilized, the copyrights of Bible translations also had to be taken into account. Written permission has been obtained from Thomas Nelson for the use of the New King James Version quotes. All other Bible translations used fall under the gratis-use guidelines, which, generally speaking, allow for the use of up to 500 verses amounting to less than 25 percent of the total work (although this can vary from each copyright holder).

Also, it is important to note, and this is mentioned within the book, that when translating any text from one language to the other, it seems best to read and review a few different translations (especially in areas that seem slightly confusing, to begin with) in order to be able to fully and properly understand what the writer of the original text was saying. It seems, however, that the only way to truly and fully understand the Holy Scriptures is with and from the Spirit of God and the revelation of the Holy Spirit; to fully understand the Scriptures is simply not only an academic endeavor.

Introduction

I would like to thank God and also you for your consideration of reading such a book as this. This book is not intended to be used to establish doctrine or promote personal opinions but rather as one of the various forms and means of communication between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit unto the churches and people of God. The topic, therefore, in itself is that which God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ would have to say through the Spirit. I’m persuaded that the focus will be primarily on the commandments of our Lord and Savior that we heard through the apostles of the early church and the days of Jesus Christ, which were to love one another: as He loved us, we also should love one another. This love that we are commanded to have towards one another includes, among other things, the fruit of the unity of the Spirit, produced by being one with each other and with God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ through the power and working of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. For we all know that even if we understand all mysteries and have all faith to move mountains, if we do not have love and charity, those other things mean nothing.

I’m persuaded that this book will be written in an effort to further build and establish the love of God in our hearts towards one another while establishing the unity of the Spirit among ourselves and also to resolve some of the problems that are in and have crept into some of the churches: division and even hatred and condemnation and accusations towards our own brothers and sisters in Christ. Some of this results in what I call Christian exclusion, and it is a form of delusion that various Christian groups and denominations can fall victim to if it is not held at bay. It is commonly known when a particular group of believers in Christ isolate themselves from the rest of the churches and believe and are taught that they are the only group of people that God wants or is interested in. Exclusion doesn’t necessarily, directly or intentionally, teach hatred towards other brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, but hatred, even if it is at only a subconscious level, is the result of exclusion doctrines, in whatever form, fashion, or magnitude it is in.

This book will both reveal some of the things that are done and taught and bring them to light so that those who do such things are without excuse and do the first works of repentance towards God and His holy kingdom. It will bring to light some things that are done in the darkness and offer the correct path, approach, and steps to take to realign our minds and spirits to the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ in their fullness. I love all brothers and sisters who are in Christ Jesus, and I even love my enemies. If I didn’t have love towards the people of God and the entire church in general and love for God, then I would not take such a direct step not only to address but also make efforts to resolve many problems and issues among ourselves. For blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9, KJV).

I, who wrote this book, am, what you could call, a nobody. I am fine and content with that, for, to me, humility is worth far more than pride, which in my opinion, is to be avoided at all costs. I am currently a forty-year-old married man with whom God has been dealing mightily from the time I was nineteen years old until now. I was called by God twenty years ago to deal with such things as this and with those who preach the gospel and with various Christian groups and denominations and doctrines and beliefs among the churches in general. I have suffered many things at the hands of men thinking that they were doing God a service; I have been persecuted, made fun of, openly slandered, accused of being a worker of iniquity, et cetera. As the Scriptures state, We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! (1 Corinthians 4:10, NKJV). Has not God chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and has not God chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty? But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty (1 Corinthians 1:27, KJV).

This book will serve as a benefit to all people, churches, groups of churches, denominations, nondenominations, and the independent, Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox, Protestant, Baptist, Pentecostal, and all other faiths based on the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, who is here with us on this day and at this very moment and time as we are reading this. And He has not forsaken us, nor will He ever forsake us, for it is written: I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5, NKJV). This book can help mend families that have been broken or separated over various Christian-based teachings or beliefs. This book can mend, repair, and restore divisions between various Christian groups and churches. This book can bring love and unity and respect to our brothers and sisters who are in Christ throughout the world and within our local communities and neighborhoods, households, businesses, and organizations. This book is light, for that which makes manifest is light (Ephesians 5:13, NKJV).

For instance, there is a Christian group apparently assigned to me by God to help them see the light beyond the cloud of the darkness of hatred and exclusion that they teach towards all other Christians who are not directly associated with them and under their ministry. Their severe doctrines of exclusion have generated a hatred in the hearts of the people and caused them such a delusion that they believe they are the only group or church that God wants or is interested in. I love them (as I do all), and therefore, I have gone to great lengths to help them and others who have been blinded by their own hatred towards other brothers and sisters in Christ. For as it is written:

Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

1 John 2:8–11 (NIV)

Therefore, if the Lord will allow them to both see the light of the truth of the gospel and receive it, they too can lay down their hatred and condemnation towards the rest of us and walk in the light, as He (the Father) is in the light. Amen.

My advice is to take action now. Arm yourselves with the