Unity in the Church
Notes
Transcript
Unity in the church
Unity in the church
What do I want them to know? We are to be unified
Why? Unity brings peace
What do I want them to do? Be unified in actions, beliefs, and covenant
Why? It brings peace
ME/WE
We are being divided as a country and not as a country but Christians are being divided against Christians. Christian brothers and Christians sisters are canceling each other out.
This should not be, but why is it happening
Sin....sin brings division
But let’s go deeper
how has this sin manifested itself?
It has manifested itself by us believing a myth that is being taught by CRITICAL THEORY, IDENTITY POLITICS, AND INTERSECTIONALITY THAT IS IS BEING TAUGHT IN OUR SCHOOLS, WORKPLACES, AND SADLY SOME CHURCHES (MANY TIMES WE DO NOT KNOW IT BECAUSE IT IS BEING DISGUISED OR KEPT SECRET)
THE MYTH THEY ARE TEACHING IS
Life is a battle between good people and evil people
We have seen this CREEP into CHURCH in numerous ways but I will give us THREE WAYS
You are either a REBUPLICAN or DEMOCRATE (depending on your view you will either like someone or dislike or hate someone based on their political belief)
Masks vs no-masks people (people have become divided over this)
Race…this group is demonizing different races or the way people believe about race.. ....Race is social construction, not a Biblical idea, created by man to created different classification of people that brought division which Charles Darwin put gas on the fire for this idea.
This is ideology and theology that is driven not by love but hate and a lust for power
THIS SHOULD NOT BE US CHURCH
“LIFE IS not A BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD PEOPLE AND EVIL PEOPLE”
to believe this brings DIVISION
I am glad for most part God has been gracious to us, God has been gracious to Renew WE ARE GOING TO SEEK GODLY UNITY
but IT WOULD BE EASY FOR US TO FALL INTO BELIEF “LIFE IS A BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD PEOPLE AND EVIL PEOPLE”
TENSION
HOW DO WE ELIMINATE, CONQUER THE TEMPTATION TO FALL IN LINE WITH CULTURAL, HOW DO WE BECOME COUNTERCULTURAL, HOW DO WE BECOME GOSPEL CENTER PEOPLE? HOW DO WE HAVE UNITY AND NOT DIVISION?
THIS IS WHAT PAUL WANTS TO SHOW US IN THE ABCs of unity
Actions of Unity
Beliefs to unified around
Committed to Unity
GOD
Actions that lead to unity
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
What does Paul say?
If you want unity, there are 4 things you must do. 4 actions that promote unity and not division.
What are they?
Humility
Gentleness
Patience
Bearing with one another in live
But what does it mean to be humble, gentle, patience, and to bear with your brother or sister in Christ?
1. Humility
This word humilty was not a highly valued word, humility was for the weak, pride was for the strong
What does that mean to be humble?
Don’t be arrogant? Don’t be prideful? Yes but it is more than that
Does it mean to think less of yourself....I am a piece of garbage…I have nothing to offer....is that true for those who are in Christ.
Does God call His children garbage? Pieces of junk....no
You are His child, dearly loved, value, gifted, called, redeemed, made righteous by the blood of the lamb.
So what does it mean to be humble?
As C.S. Lewis says, “Humilty is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.”
Humble people are about the other, not themselves....it is not about me, it’s about you
How often do I need to hear that? How often do I think about what I want? I want to watch that TV show, I want to eat this or that, I want to do this or that.
Humilty says what about you
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
We are to be humble and when we think about you and not me it brings unity..
Humble people think about what do you need and it brings unity.
2. Gentleness
We are not live into values of cancel culture....We are not to participate in violent retorts against one another like we are seeing in social media and media.
- Is this the way Jesus is with us when we are wrong?
it is harshness that leads to repentance?
Romans 2:4
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
we are not to call out violently on social media or in a group text but follow Matt 18 and Gal 6:1
Go to them (do not blast them personally or publically, go to your brother or sister so you might when them over)
If they do listen bring another brother or sister in Christ with you
If they still do not listen bring it to the elders of the church that they might be restored....(and if they do not listen we are to treat them as a Gentile or tax collector....why is this done? For meanness? No, in hopes they would repent.....but often we want to go to step 3 before step 1
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
How are we to restore? What posture are we to have? Be like a mean judge?
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
But warning we as brothers and sisters in Christ are not to be so gentle that we do not lovely and gently challenge, question or confront our brother or sister....
We do not come with the rod but with love
What does this practice of gentleness do to the unity of the church? Does it bring more unity or less?
MORE
Why? because we know our brother and sister cares about us so much that when we are in sin they are going to GENTLY restore me
For some of us one of defining moments is when a brother or sister gently confronted us and it changed us.
3. Patience and bearing with one another
Who loves having to be patient? not many people
BUT WHO LOVES THAT GOD HAS BEEN PATIENT WITH ME and HAS BEARED WITH ME
How many of us have wondered away in our way? Done our own thing?
As the famous hymn says, “Prone to wander Lord I feel it”
And yet God has been patient with me....
God I wander away again
Who loves the most referenced in all the Bible? Do you know?
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
God says to the people of God you are to act like me
We are to be patience with one another
Bearing with one another
We are a family
ONE OF THE WAYS WE BEAR WITH ONE ANOTHER IS WE WE ARE TO FORGIVE EACH OTHER
We will not have unity without forgiveness
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
This current cancel culture is absent of the Gospel....I see over and over people on FB say now that you said that I am deleting you as a friend.
WOW
No gentleness, no bearing, no patience
Here’s the deal all of us at some point have done something that if we follow cultural standards where we should be cancelled.
But this is not what SAINTS are to do, those who are forgiven are not called now not to forgive.
Why are to forgive? Because God has forgiven us and we are to act like him and IT BRINGS UNITY
PEOPLE SAY THAT’S the place that forgave me.
I jacked up and hurt them but they forgave me.
THEY LOVE ME AND ACCEPT ME EVEN WHEN I MESS UP
BUT WE NEED MORE THAN ACTIONS
WE NEED UNITY IN OUR FOUNDATIONAL BELIEFS, not minor beliefs
Such as mode of baptism, sprinkling or immersion
Or style of worship music contemporary or traditional
2. Unity in foundational beliefs
Why? Because WE LIVE FROM OUR, our beliefs are core to who we are....they are the foundation of our house…if part of the family of God’s cornerstone is not Jesus we will not have a unified solid foundation
Use illustration of being off tilt
Would we have unity if our foundational beliefs stated white people are superior to black people?
Would we have unity if our foundational beliefs stated Jesus is ONE way not the only way to heaven?
NO
Unity in our foundational beliefs is so CENTRAL to our faith that we see God instituting a prayerS and practiceS that helped the Jewish people stay grounded foundational in a correct belief of God in the
ONE OF THE PLACES WE SEE THIS IS IN DEUT 6 IN THE Shema prayer
This is the prayer Israelites would pray twice a day to keep them grounded in God.
Shema
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Do you see what the Shema is saying?
It is reciting of some of the foundations of our beliefs
The Lord God is the One God…It is not the gods of Egypt or Marduk…YAHWEH…you are to Lord God with all your heart
Not only that
We are to teach this everywhere we go....we are to teach our children…we are not to buy into the belief of I am going to let my children choose to do what they want....
This one of the reason children are being lost in the world and why we do not have unity in the church.
This is what Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus in Eph 4:4-6
7 things to line up on foundatonally…he uses the word one
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Do you see what Paul is saying? We have a foundation to be unified on.
7 things we are to one on
One Body
One Spirit
One hope
One Lord
One Faith
One Baptism
One God and Father of all
One Body
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
WE are not evil people vs good people
or as Critical theory and Intersectionality states some people are better than otheres
We are all one in Christ.
No one is greater than another
No one is more superior to the other
No one is gifted and the other is not
We are not divided, we are apart of the same family and all are called God’s favorite.....what about her “she’s God’s favorite” what about him, “he’s God’s favorite”
Your skin color does not give you more or less value in God’s family
Your bank account does not give you more or less value in God’s family
Your intelligence does not give you more or less value in God’s family
One Lord
Our Lord is not the president
Paul is saying their allegiance is not to Caesar but to God…Jesus is King, not Caesar....
The same is true for us....our President is not King, not the past President or present President, or future President.....
Yes we are to care about the election
One God and Father
There is only One God, it’s the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.
He is the One who sent His son into the world to save and redeem us.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
It is not Jesus is one option.....Jesus is the only way.
One other places we can look to is the Apostles Creed
In early church before they were baptized asked if they believed the Apostles Creed
here’s the truth we cannot have unity with another Christian if he or she does not believe the basics, it is not going to work
Here’s what the church always tends to do throughout history is we want unity so bad with another Christian that we will bend or disguard God’s standards for the sake of fake unity.....we see churches do this with pastors and leaders....you don’t believe Jesus is only way…that’s ok....
God standards is the foundation…not the fake foundation we make…it is a a false foundation that will fall apart.
Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
If we are unified on our foundational beliefs we will have unity
Actions that lead to unity
Unified in our foundational beliefs
Lastly
3. Committed to Unity
unity does not happen by accident…there are worldly powers such as Critical Theory that try to tear us apart....not only that we do not naturally gravitate to unity at times because we want wants best for me not we
Knowing this Paul writes
eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Spoudazō
Spoudazō
Eager: do it now!
σπουδάζωb; σπουδήb, ῆς f : to do something with intense effort and motivation—‘to work hard, to do one’s best, to endeavor.’1
Paul is saying do whatever you can....work hard in your actions and beliefs to maintain unity.
It does not come natural spoudazo
God is calling your to spoudazo in your actions, spoudazo in your beliefs
WHY?
Unity
Because the presence of unity brings the presence of peace
The presence of unity brings the presence of peace, wholeness, goodness, everything rightness,
it is the absence of strife, hate, sadness, despair, anger
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
Oil symbolizes God’s presence
Faithlife Study Bible Psalm 133
Implies God’s presence.
Provision of God
UNITY BRINGS PEACE, WHOLENESS, WHAT WE ALL WANT.....It does not happen through division but unity....
Not only that it becomes a way we bear witness to the world that Jesus is Lord
- it Proclaims Prince of Peace to the World
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
What makes the church so attractional in a good way to the world, is not the lights, or cool environments, big churches....it is the churches ability to love each well....I want some of that people say....the Prince of Peace is here
It is Proclamation of the Jesus in Deed and Word
US
Unity this is what God is calling us to do today....It our witness to the world and love for each other.
How have you been doing in unity?
Where can you SPOUDAZO?
When we do PEACE COMES
Announcements
We have been blessed by World Vision through Cleveland Vineyard that World Vision is providing a semi-load of food boxes for local church then to distribute for 5 weeks at their churches.
This will be starting next on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday on the week of Oct 4.
We are looking for volunteers to help us pick up the boxes at Vineyard Cleveland and to pass out the boxes here at Brooklyn
Small Group Questions
What did God speak to you today in the worship service?
Why is it important that we follow the ways of Jesus not the ways of the world?
How can we be more humble, gentle, patience, and bearing with one another?
Why is important that we have unity on our foundational beliefs?
5. What does God what you to spoudazo on?