United: The Staggering Message of the Kingdom is about the astonishing unity God desires to have with us if we will seek out and apply His teachings, depending on Him for strength. The chapters are full of stories and illustrations designed to make the subject matter clear and understandable. Discussion questions are included after each chapter, so the book is also a great resource for small group studies.
Chapter summaries:
Chapter 1: The All-Important Attitude - The all-important attitude that God desires is that we wholeheartedly seek to know and do His will, depending on Him for strength. When we do His will, the result is that we internalize the Holy Spirit in the form of Jesus’ words, since Jesus has embodied the Holy Spirit in His teachings.
Chapter 2: A Place for You - If we internalize Jesus’ Spirit as described in Chapter 1, then Jesus considers us as part of Himself, and, in turn, since Jesus and the Father are one, our unity with Jesus makes us one with the Father - the greatest treasure of all time.
Chapter 3: Jesus is Our Example - If we want to understand what it means to be one with Jesus, the unity Jesus has with the Father is a model of the unity He wants us to have with Him. This unity includes the following five areas: (1) the intimacy He has with the Father, (2) the works He does, (3) His suffering, (4) His resurrection, and (5) His glory.
Chapter 4: Guaranteed Answers to Prayer - Jesus promised that whatever we ask the Father for, in Jesus’ name, will be given to us. Asking in Jesus’ name means to ask as one with Jesus. That encompasses the idea that we ask in a state of full surrender to Him, and we ask according to His will. The opportunities are endless, if we can just figure out His will and pray according to it.
Chapter 5: The Least of These - If the Holy Spirit is within you, then the way that I treat you is the way that I treat Christ. Moreover, if the Holy Spirit is within you and the Holy Spirit is within me, then the way I treat you is the way I treat myself.
Chapter 6: The Message of the Kingdom - Jesus said that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to them, and then the end will come. This chapter reveals that the gospel of the kingdom is the message of unity with Christ. Therefore, the message of unity with God must be shared with the whole world.
Chapter 7: A Mighty Helper - We are not alone in our efforts to implement the all-important attitude that leads to the kingdom of God being established in our hearts. When we decide to do God’s will, God works mightily to help us carry out that decision.
Chapter 8: Taking the Kingdom by Force - In order to enter the kingdom of God we must exercise a super-aggressive faith in God’s authority, so strong, in fact, that it could be termed violent. We must forcefully submit to His authority and rely upon it.
Chapter 9: How to Know God’s Will - Following God’s will is an integral part of the kingdom of God; therefore it is of extreme importance that we know what God’s will is. The best way to discern His will is to gather the evidence. Five sources are especially significant, including the Bible, nature, godly counselors, circumstances, and our conscience.
Chapter 10: The Greatest Mission of All Time - The Great Commission is a charge to teach people to internalize God’s words and act on them. This chapter brings the book full circle, for the Great Commission is none other than a mandate to teach the all-important attitude described in Chapter 1. The Great Commission, if heeded, will lead the hearers into glorious unity with God.
