The prayer of Jesus in John 17 was that His Church would be one, and that together we would display the glory of God to a lost and dying world. Our unity would prove our message. Sadly, we’ve badly missed the mark.
Bishop Robert lifts the veil on what the Holy Spirit has been doing across the globe, enflaming hearts of believers everywhere to fulfill Christ’s prayer. Today, God is moving His Church to the place of unity we see in John 17! Count to One lays a simple and compelling foundation every believer can stand upon, examining the issues and answering the questions everyone asks about overcoming the barriers to genuine Christian unity.
God gave Bishop Robert an interesting task one day in prayer, telling him “I am teaching you to count to one!” The lesson was to be found in a simple truth revealed in the pages of the Scriptures. The Lord’s determination to see the unity of His Body restored and His desire to see the power of His glory displayed to a lost and dying world will strike you with deliberate force as you take in the message of Count to One.
Christ desires to see His Body as one—a powerful and life-changing reflection of His own ministry on Earth, and Bishop Robert lays out the principles that every believer in Jesus can use to begin breaking down the barriers, which have held them back and building bridges of unity within the Body of Christ. Using a combination of fascinating historical insights and refreshingly simple applications of Scripture, Bishop Robert leads you down the path to real freedom to love your brothers and sisters in Christ in a new and effective way.
Read the book and meet the family you never believed you had. Welcome home!
For more information, please visit www.BishopRobert.com
Could you please tell us a little about your
book?
A few years ago, the Lord arrested me as I was reading Ephesians,
chapter 4. I use the term arrested
because, day after day, regardless of my planned reading program, I found
myself returning to the same chapter and re-reading those same words. Even when I would decide that I had spent
enough time in Ephesians 4 and deliberately started to study a different book
or began a specific topical study, the Lord’s conviction would come upon me and
give me no peace until I turned back to what had, by now, become a very
familiar passage.
This continued on for several months. Finally, I decided to
directly ask the Lord what He was doing.
I am not one who frequently speaks of receiving a message from God. I am
very careful before I declare that He has said a specific thing prophetically
or directly, because I don’t want to be guilty of putting words into His mouth.
But in this instance, His answer was clear, direct, and frankly, a bit
unsettling. He simply said,
“I am teaching you to Count to One!”
I’ll be the first to confess that my mathematics skills are not
the stuff that legends are made of. In fact, my feeble attempts to do all but
the simplest math in my head are sort of a running joke in my family.
Thankfully, the Lord wasn’t really talking about math. He was
talking about unity. The light of understanding dawned as the words of
Ephesians 4:4-6 flooded my mind ….
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one
hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father
of all, Who is over all and through all and in all.
The Lord’s determination to see the unity of His Body restored,
and His desire to see the power of His glory displayed to a lost and dying
world struck me with deliberate force. He desires to see His Body as one—a
powerful and life-changing reflection of His own ministry on Earth.
The prayer of Jesus in John 17 was that His Church would be one,
and that together we would display the glory of God to a lost and dying world.
Our unity would prove our message. Sadly, we’ve badly missed the mark.
In Count to ONE, I lift the veil on what the Holy Spirit has been
doing across the globe, enflaming hearts of believers everywhere to fulfill
Christ’s prayer. Today God is moving His Church to the place of unity we see in
John 17! Count To One lays a simple and compelling foundation every believer
can stand upon, examining the issues and answering the questions everyone asks
about overcoming the barriers to genuine Christian unity.
Christ desires to see His Body as one – a powerful and
life-changing reflection of His own ministry on earth, and I lay out the
principles that every believer in Jesus can use to begin breaking down the
barriers that have held them back and building bridges of unity in the Body of
Christ. Using a combination of fascinating historical insight and refreshingly
simple applications of scripture, I lead readers down the path to real freedom
to love their brothers and sisters in Christ in a new and effective way.
The Word of God is clear that we are called to work as one body,
our diversity, rather than being a reason for division must be celebrated and
we must recognize that it is because of our diversity we can reach the world.
We also must realize that together we can do things that individually we could
never accomplish. The book is a call to the Body of Jesus Christ to embrace our
diversity and come together to focus on the Great Commission.
I tell the readers, “Read the book and meet the family you never
believed you had. Welcome home!”
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on the following books:
• Five
Smooth Stones,
Life Lessons from David’s Victory Over Goliath
• Working
for Saul – Serving like David,
Finding Victory When The King Has Gone Mad
• Living
the Nicene Creed,
The Key to Harmony Among Followers of Jesus
Do you have any advice for writers or readers?
The thing that most influences my writing is my passion for the
subject and the message. I believe passionately about Christian Unity and the
Body of Jesus Christ working across denominational barriers to accomplish the
Great Commission. Pursue what inflames you.
What do you feel has been your greatest
achievement as an author?
I do not consider myself to be primarily an author. The book, Count To One, is more of a beginning
treatise on a message that I passionately believe in. I am called to share the
message and engage the body in both dialogue and action toward the cause of
unity.
What do you feel is your biggest strength?
I’ve spent the last 8 years working with a former diplomat. When I
began, the Lord told me, “I’ve got you working with an ambassador to teach you
how to think like an ambassador.” I love
how the Lord developed an ability to break down walls and build bridges with
other people.
What is the most important lesson you have
learned from life so far?
Nothing matters unless it has eternal significance. I’ve walked
the ancient ruins of Jerusalem and stood in the place where Solomon built a
magnificent temple. I’m confident that he felt it was among his greatest accomplishments.
But the words of wisdom he wrote remain with us today and are still impacting
lives; the temple is only a memory.
Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?
Many, many things in both categories. But the key to being
“successful” in life is to fulfill the ultimate purpose of your life. The apostle
Paul puts it this way in Philippians 3:12-14 – “Not that I have already
obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is
ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Emphasis added)
Is there anything else you would like to share
with us?
The cover of the book presents a picture of unity.
I knew that I wanted a photo from an event in Washington, DC
called “TOGETHER 2016”. This was an
event that I spoke at attended by over 300,000 people and it encapsulated the
focus of the book, Christians coming together across denominational lines to
worship and serve.
Bishop Robert is a voice for unity in the Body of Christ. His heart’s cry is the prayer of Jesus in John 17, that followers of Jesus may be one, and so proclaim the message of the Gospel in the power of His glory.
God gave Bishop Robert an interesting task one day in prayer, telling him “I am teaching you to count to one!” The lesson was to be found in a simple truth revealed in the pages of the scriptures. The Lord’s determination to see the unity of His Body restored and His desire to see the power of His glory displayed to a lost and dying world will strike you with deliberate force as you take in the message of Count To One.
Bishop Robert serves as the President & Chief Executive Officer of Count to One, a ministry which exists to promote greater unity in the Body of Christ worldwide. Christ said that our love for one another would be the way the world would know that we are His disciples. As followers of Christ forgive one another and love one another - we will be in a better position to serve Jesus and fulfill the Great Commission.
God gave Bishop Robert an interesting task one day in prayer, telling him “I am teaching you to count to one!” The lesson was to be found in a simple truth revealed in the pages of the scriptures. The Lord’s determination to see the unity of His Body restored and His desire to see the power of His glory displayed to a lost and dying world will strike you with deliberate force as you take in the message of Count To One.
Bishop Robert serves as the President & Chief Executive Officer of Count to One, a ministry which exists to promote greater unity in the Body of Christ worldwide. Christ said that our love for one another would be the way the world would know that we are His disciples. As followers of Christ forgive one another and love one another - we will be in a better position to serve Jesus and fulfill the Great Commission.
