Sermon Tone Analysis

Overall tone of the sermon

This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.14UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.11UNLIKELY
Fear
0.6LIKELY
Joy
0.19UNLIKELY
Sadness
0.53LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.61LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.49UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.74LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.9LIKELY
Extraversion
0.3UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.93LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.68LIKELY

Tone of specific sentences

Tones
Emotion
Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
Language
Analytical
Confident
Tentative
Social Tendencies
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Emotional Range
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
ATTENTION:
God has enlisted us in his navy and placed us on his ship.
The boat has one purpose-to carry us safely to the other shore.
This is no cruise ship; it is a battleship.
We aren’t called to a life of leisure, we are called to a life of service.
Each of us has a different task.
Some, concerned with those who are drowning, are snatching people from the water.
Others are occupied with the enemy, so they man the cannons of prayer and worship.
Still others devote themselves to the crew, feeding and training the crew members.
Though different, we are the same.
Each can tell of a personal encounter with the captain, for each has received a personal call.
He found us among the shanties of the seaport and invited us to follow him.
Our faith was born at the sight of his fondness, and so we went.
We each followed him across the gangplank of his grace onto the same boat.
There is one captain and one destination.
Though the battle is fierce, the boat is safe, for our captain is God.
The ship will not sink.
For that, there is no concern.
There is concern, however, regarding the disharmony of the crew.
When we first boarded we assumed the crew was made up of others like us.
But as we’ve wandered these decks, we’ve encountered curious converts with curious appearances.
Some wear uniforms we’ve never seen, sporting styles we’ve never witnessed.
“Why do you look the way you do?” we ask them.
“Funny,” they reply.
“we were about the ask the same of you.”
The variety of dress is not nearly as disturbing as the plethora of opinions.
There is a group, for example, who clusters every morning for serious study.
They promote rigid discipline and somber expressions.
“Serving the captain is serious business,” they explain.
It’s no coincidence that they tend to congregate around the stern.
There is another regiment deeply devoted to prayer.
Not only do they believe in prayer, they believe in prayer by kneeling.
For that reason you always know where to locate them, they are at the bow of the ship.
And then there are a few who staunchly believe real wine should be used in the Lord’s Supper.
You’ll find them on the port side.
Still another group has positioned themselves near the engine.
They spend hours examining the nuts and bolts of the boat.
They’ve been know to go below deck and not come up for days.
They occasionally are criticized by those who linger on the top deck, feeling the wind in their hair and the sun on their face.
“It’s not what you learn,” those topside argue.
“It’s what you feel that matters.”
And, oh, how we tend to cluster.
Some think once you’re on the boat, you can’t get off.
Others say you’d be foolish to go overboard, but the choice is yours.
Some believe you volunteer for service, others believe you were destined for the service before the ship was even built.
Some predict a storm of great tribulation will strike before we dock, others say it won’t his until we are safely ashore.
There are those who speak to the captain in a personal language.
There are those who thing such languages are extinct.
There are those who think the officers should wear robes, there are those who think there should be no officers at all, and there are those who think we are all officers and should all wear robes.
And oh, how we tend to cluster.
And then there is the issue of the weekly meeting at which the captain is thanked and his words are read.
All agree on its importance, but few agree on its nature.
Some want it loud, others quiet.
Some want ritual, others spontaneity.
Some want to celebrate so they can meditate, others meditate so they can celebrate.
Some want a meeting for those who’ve gone overboard.
Others want to reach those overboard but without going over board and neglecting those on board.
And, oh, how we tend to cluster.
The consequence is a rocky boat.
There is trouble on deck.
Fights have broken out.
Sailors have refused to speak to each other.
There have even been times when one group refused to acknowledge the presence of others on the ship.
Most tragically, some adrift at sea have chosen not to board the boat because of the quarreling of the sailors.
Ouch! Reading things like that can cause all kinds of reactions among believers:
NEED
For one thing it can just leave you dumbfounded.
Quite frankly the divisions within the body of Christ are mystifying.
If He is Who He said He was, and He started this Church like He said He did, how come we are so divided?
I went online and guess how many churches I counted just in our immediate area?
44 all of them claiming to be preaching the truth about Jesus Christ.
Does that mystify you?
Ever wonder how we could be unified?
Listen this morning and maybe you can discover an answer.
Division in the church may dumbfound you, or it could be even more destructive.
It might discourage you.
When you hear that statistic that I just gave: 44 churches in the wilson area, you begin to doubt.
When you got saved, you thought you would discover unity in this body you united with, but since you’ve joined the voyage, you’ve discovered that there’s a lot of fighting on the boat, and you’re beginning to wonder if it be better to abandon ship.
Well, I want to tell you that those aren’t your only options.
Unity is possible.
But there’s one more thing division may do to us.
Not only can it dumbfound us and discourage us, but it also can distract us.
I’ll tell you this is the most dangerous effect of disunity.
The church today spends so much money and so much energy fighting one another; wrangling over insignificant issues that have no eternal impact that we lose sight of our mission and while people are dying all around us, we’ll argue about whether we should use this type of music or that type of event to reach them.
It’s like standing on the deck of the titantic, discussing which life preserver we should throw out in the ocean to rescue drowning men.
Our division distracts us.
We must learn how to be unified so that we can get on with what God called us to do.
BACKGROUND:
The church Paul wrote to in the book of Ephesians was called to be involved in a great mission too.
Paul knew how easy it would be for them to be divided.
After all, this church sought to meld into one body two groups who were mortal enemies: Jews and Gentiles.
It would be so easy for these groups to find fault with one another and to separate from each other.
Maybe that’s why Paul makes it clear to them that unity is the key to their success.
In fact, it is the only way that they will ever be ale to impact their world.
He told them in chapter 4 of Ephesians
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Throughout this book, Paul emphasizes over and over again the need for unity.
More than that, he reveals that a realization of who we are in Christ makes unity inevitable.
It is so important to him that some commentators consider the theme of unity to be the main focus of Ephesians.
I want to take you through this book this morning and show you two requirements Paul gives us for unity.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9