Return to Unity | Derek Prince

Summary

Derek Prince argues that the Church of Jesus Christ is one body, made up of people who acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord, regardless of denomination, nationality, or culture. He says the Church began in unity in Acts but has since become divided. In his view, the Church must return to the spiritual unity for which Jesus prayed.

The Church’s Original Unity and Its Future

• Prince points to Acts 2 and Acts 4, where believers are described as being together, of “one accord,” and “of one heart and one soul.”
• He stresses that the early Church was not divided into denominations. He cautions against treating any part of Christ’s Church as the possession of a particular leader or group.
• He believes Jesus will return for one united Church, described as His bride—not separate denominational “brides.”
• Drawing on Acts 3, he describes the present era as a time of restoration: God putting things back in their proper place and condition. He compares this spiritual restoration of the Church to the restoration of Israel to its inheritance.

A Four-Stage Process Toward Christ’s Return

Prince presents four stages, all beginning with “RE”:

1. Repentance Repentance is a decision to change direction—not merely an emotion. It means turning from self-directed living, submitting to God, and being willing to do what He says. Prince says people cannot return to a right relationship with God while avoiding repentance.

2. Refreshing Repentance leads to renewed spiritual life and strength. Prince says refreshing can make Christian life and worship feel alive again, but it is not the final goal.

3. Restoration Refreshing is meant to prepare believers for broader restoration. Prince includes the restoration of the Holy Spirit’s gifts and ministries, the full “gospel of the kingdom,” and—especially—the unity of the Church.

4. Return Heaven retains Jesus until the time of restoration, after which He will return. Prince sees restoration as preparation for that return.

What Unity Means

• Unity does not mean that all Christians must join one worldwide denomination.
• Prince interprets Jesus’ prayer in John 17 as calling believers to a unity of relationship, patterned on the relationship between the Father and the Son and made possible through the Holy Spirit.
• He says Christians may not agree on every theological detail but should share fundamental convictions. He lists seven core beliefs:
  • Jesus is divine.
  • Jesus was born of a virgin.
  • Jesus lived a sinless life.
  • Jesus died an atoning death for humanity’s sins.
  • Jesus rose physically from the dead.
  • Jesus ascended to heaven and is seated at the Father’s right hand.
  • Jesus will return in power and glory to judge and establish His kingdom.
• The cross illustrates the connection between relationships with God and with other people: Prince says that a distorted relationship with fellow believers also damages one’s relationship with God.
• He warns that making doctrinal precision or loyalty to human leaders the basis of Christian identity can produce division. He does not say doctrine is unimportant; he argues that doctrine is not the foundation of unity.

Unity as a Witness to the World

• In John 17, Jesus connects believers’ unity with the world believing and recognizing that the Father sent Him.
• Prince therefore presents unity as a powerful collective testimony—one that can reach the world in a way individual evangelists cannot.
• He uses Psalm 133’s images of oil flowing from the high priest’s head and dew descending on the mountains to portray unity as a blessing that comes from above and spreads through the body.
• He says unity involves more than gathering for services: it includes sharing life and building relationships.
• Because unity is pictured as flowing from the head downward, Prince assigns church leaders particular responsibility. He says leaders’ divisions can keep congregations separated.

The Root Cause of Disunity and Its Remedy

• Prince argues that the root cause of division is carnality—the unredeemed, self-centered nature—not theology itself.
• From 1 Corinthians 3, he points to envy, strife, divisions, and allegiance to human leaders as evidence of spiritual immaturity.
• He categorizes the works of the flesh in Galatians 5 as sexual immorality, occult practices, division, and self-indulgence. He emphasizes the many forms of division in the list.
• He identifies selfish ambition—leaders promoting themselves, their platforms, or their institutions—as a major cause of division.
• The remedy, drawing on Romans 6 and Galatians 5, is to “crucify” the flesh: deny selfish desires and ambitions and apply what God has made possible through Christ.

Love as the Practical Test

• Jesus’ command to love one another is not optional. Prince says Christian unity must be expressed in the kind of self-giving love Jesus demonstrated.
• He argues that the world can judge the Church’s credibility by whether Christians love one another.
• Love must be practical: if believers can meet another believer’s material need but refuse to help, Prince questions whether God’s love is truly at work in them.
• Citing 1 Timothy, he says the goal of Christian instruction and ministry is love arising from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. Teaching or religious activity that does not produce love has missed its purpose.

How Unity May Be Restored

Prince describes three sources of action:

• The Church: Believers must repent of attitudes and actions that sustain division, including accepting disunity as normal.
• God: God’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit is essential. Prince says unity of the kind Jesus prayed for is possible only through the Spirit, and that the Spirit’s work has already crossed some denominational barriers.
• Satan: Prince argues that Satan’s activity may also serve God’s purposes. He describes two pressures:
  • Pressure from outside: Persecution can force Christians to recognize their shared identity and draw closer together.
  • Pressure from inside: Prince interprets the coming apostasy as a rejection of fundamental Christian truth. In his view, this will distinguish those who remain loyal to Jesus from those who deny Him, and will ultimately separate the faithful Church—the bride—from a false church.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Derek Prince — the sermon’s speaker.
• The Bible — the main source throughout the teaching. Passages cited include Acts 2:1, 2:16–18, 2:44–47, 3:19–21, and 4:32; John 13:34–35, 15:12–13, and 17:20–23; Psalm 133; 1 Corinthians 3:1–4; Galatians 5:19–24; Romans 6:6; 1 John 3:16–17; 1 Timothy 1:5–6; Matthew 24:9–13; 2 Thessalonians 2; and Revelation 2–3 and 17.
• Other people referenced by Prince but not identified by name: a Catholic theologian, an Anglican rector, a Greek scholar, and a Jewish young man. Prince also refers to audience responses during the sermon.