EPHESIANS 4:1-6

MAINTAINING THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH

Part 1 - THE PLEA FOR UNITY
Intro: In verse 1 Paul calls the church to remember where we came from and all that
the Lord has done for us in Christ. He uses the word therefore to call to our minds
all that He has taught us thus far in the book of Ephesians. He has been writing about
doctrine, precept, and belief. Now, he turns his attention to duty, practice and
behavior. The phrase at the end of verse 1 that reads, walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith ye are called, is worth another quick glance.

The word vocation refers to a calling; or a career. It refers to a persons lifes

work. The calling we received from God to come to Christ by faith was not a call for
a weekend getaway. It was a call to live a radically changed life for the glory of God.
We are called on to live differently because we now know Jesus. We are live lives that
are worthy of what we have been given in Christ. The word worthy means, to
balance the scales. We are to live lives that prove we belong to the Lord. We are to
live lives that glorify Him in the world. We are to live such weighty lives that we
balance the scales with God.

Having told us what God expects of us, Paul now moves to tell us how to bring this to
pass in our lives. He teaches us in these verses how to walk the worthy walk. One of
the clearest ways the church can prove the reality of what it teaches is by living out
the essence of what Paul talks about throughout the book of Ephesians.

He mentions it in verse 3, and again in verse 13. It is the idea of unity. The word
means agreement. It simply means that we are to walk together as one in the Lord.
Let me just pause here and say that unity is Gods goal for His church.

The book of Ephesians is about Gods grace that reveals itself in our salvation. As a
part of that process is the idea of unity.

Consider the following truths.

Gods grace unites the Trinity in bringing us to God.
* The Father chose us unto salvation, Eph. 1:4.
* The Son redeemed us with His Own blood on the cross, Eph. 1:7
* The Spirit seals us for all eternity, Eph. 1:13
Gods grace unites Jews and Gentiles together in one body, the church, Eph.
2:11-15.
Gods grace in salvation reconciles us, or unites us to Him, Eph. 2:16-22.

Notice these verses that speak about the issue of unity:

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that
whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs,
that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of
the gospel, Phil. 1:27.
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye
all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that
ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same
judgment, 1 Cor. 1:10.
Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but
condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits, Rom.
12:16.
1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if
any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that
ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one
mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of
mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on
his own things, but every man also on the things of others, Phil. 2:1-4.

 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind,

live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 2 Cor. 13:11.

If the Lord is that interested in the unity of the church, then we should be interested in
it as well. In verse 3 of our text, we are called to keep or maintain the unity of
the church. I want to spend some time looking into the teaching in these verses. The
fact is, we are not always unified. We are not always on the same page. We are not
always pulling together for the glory of God. Too often we each have our own
agendas that compete against the good of the church. This text is a plea for unity.

I want to take these verses and share some challenges I see in them. I want to preach
about Maintaining The Unity Of The Church. These verses teach us how to walk
together as a redeemed family, the way God intended. Lets talk about Maintaining
The Unity Of The Church. We will begin today by looking at verse 3, which talks
about The Plea For Unity In The Church.

I. THE WORDS OF THIS PLEA

Paul says endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Several
words in that verse merit our attention.
Endeavoring - This word means, hasty, or zealous. It suggests that we
allow nothing to hinder us from speedily striving to secure the unity of the
church. It speaks of a holy zeal that demands constant attention.
Keep - This word means, to guard. Notice that it does not say create. We
cannot manufacture unity within the church. We cannot fake unity. We can only
protect, or guard the unity we already have.
Paul calls it the unity of the Spirit. This phrase reminds us that the unity,
the agreement, the common ground within the church is not the product of
our efforts to make unity. This agreement, this common ground, is that which is
produced within us by the Spirit of God.
We are to maintain this unity in the bond of peace. The word bond refers
to a band, or that which binds together. Peace speaks of tranquility,

harmony, concord. The belt that binds the church together in unity is peace.
When we are at peace with one another, we are able to keep the unity of the
Spirit.

I. The Words Of This Plea

II. THE WITNESS OF THIS PLEA

The church as no greater testimony than when we are united in Jesus in spite of our
differences. By the same rule, there is no greater slander against the cause of Christ
than a church family in which the members are at odds with one another.

Listen to what Jesus said:

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another, John 13:35.
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come
to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me, that they may be one, as we are, John 17:11.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me,
and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that
thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them;
that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast
sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me, John 17:20-23.

We are a diverse bunch of people. We are different one from another in every way you
can imagine. Physical differences, intellectual differences, economic differences and
spiritual differences all compete against the unity we are expected to have.

Yet, with all our differences there is common ground. When we came to Jesus, the
Holy Spirit took up residence in our hearts.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into
one Spirit, 1 Cor. 12:13.
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God
dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
his, Rom. 8:9.

When He is in you and He is in me, He can cause us to move passed our differences to
walk together in unity for the glory of God.

When we are at war one with another, we have lost our testimony with the world.
When we walk out of unity, we are telling them that we are no different that they are.
Down through the ages the world has formulated treaties, agreements, held
conferences and signed accords all in an effort to bring peace. Every single treaty
signed by men since the dawn of recorded time has failed. Why? There is no peace,
saith the LORD, unto the wicked, Isa. 48:22.

The world cannot find peace because they have no ground for peace. We are to be
different! The Spirit of God dwells inside every true believer to guide, direct and
cause us to produce the fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5:22-23, which always leads to
peace within the church. When we walk in the peace we have been given through the
Spirit, we magnify the Lord Jesus and show the world that there is something different
about us.

In verse 2 Paul speaks about humility, gentleness, patience and loving tolerance.
Everyone of these spiritual characteristics flows out of genuine love one for another.
Every one of them comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit within our hearts. We
will flesh those thoughts out in greater detail over the next few weeks. For now, we
need to know that Gods will for His people is that we walk in unity, all pulling the
same way, for the glory of the same God.

I. The Words of This Plea

II. The Witness Of This Plea

III. THE WISDOM IN THIS PLEA

Walking in unity does not mean that we always have the same ideas about the same
issues. We may have differences of opinion from time to time. That is both healthy
and good. There needs to be a diversity of thought and not an intellectual or spiritual
totalitarianism that dictates what every single person is allowed to think and believe.
Walking in unity does not means that we will always believe exactly the same
about every single issue where doctrine is concerned.
It does not means that we lose our individualism when we are saved.

It does mean that we are marked by a common purpose and led by a common
Savior.
It does mean that when the Lord gives us His clear direction, we put aside our
personal opinions and walk together for the glory of God and the good of the
Gospel.
It does mean that the unity of the church is more important than me getting my
way or yours.
It does mean that the unity of the church always comes ahead of my personal
agenda.
It does mean that the unity of the church comes before my feelings.

Nothing shows the world that we are different from them in our walk anymore than
our being different in this specific area. When they see us at odds, we can forget the
Gospel, because we will not reach them for Jesus. But, when they see us walking in

unity, as it is manifested in true humility, gentleness toward one another, patient

endurance of one another and loving tolerance for our differences, it will do more to
reach the world than any outreach program ever devised by man. Our unity says that
we are real! They may reject our truth, but they will not be able to get passed our
unity.

Chuck Colson, in his book The Body, says this about John Calvin: Calvin, who saw
that the Devil's chief device was disunity and division and who preached that there
should be friendly fellowship for all ministers of Christ, made a similar point in a
letter to a trusted colleague: Among Christians there ought to be so great a dislike
of schism, as that they may always avoid it so fast as lies in their power. That there
ought to prevail among them such a reverence for the ministry of the word and the
sacraments that wherever they perceive these things to be, there they must consider
the church to exist...nor need it be of any hindrance that some points of doctrine
are not quite so pure, seeing that there is scarcely any church which has not
retained some remnants of former ignorance.

Calvin was simply reminding us that we are all wrong at some point in our living and
in our theology. If we are right about Jesus Christ and the Gospel, that is common
ground from which we can operate together.

Its wrong for there to be a division between you and me just because we disagree
about some point of doctrine. It is wrong for us to allow our personal opinions and
preferences to drive wedges between us. It is wrong for me to hold so sternly to my
views, and my rights that I damage the church of the living God. We must never
sacrifice truth for the sake of unity. I am not preaching unity at all costs. I am
preaching that we are to allow the love of God, placed in us by the Holy Spirit, to
reign supreme in our lives and in our church, Ill.Rom. 5:5.

In the 17th Century an Archbishop by the name of Marco Antonio de Dominis wrote
this: In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas. This Latin phrase
roughly translates to, in necessary things unity; in uncertain things liberty; in

everything charity. That little saying speaks volumes! There are some truths that
must be defended to the death, even at the cost of unity. There are some things that are
open to interpretation. We are to give liberty to others in those areas and not judge
them for their actions or beliefs. In everything, whether we can stand together, or
whether we must separate over our difference, every action is to be motivated by the
love of Christ in us for the other person!

Conc: As a church we have seen our share of disunity over the past few years. With a
few exceptions, most of that has gone away. However, the scars of that turmoil are
still visible. Some people who used to be here are no longer with us. The church has
suffered financially. We have also suffered spiritually and emotionally. Yet, I am still
saved. How about you?

If we are saved, the Holy Spirit lives within both you and me. If we allow Him to fill
us with His presence and power, He will bring us to a place of absolute unity of
purpose for the glory of God. When He does, we will see the Lord work around here
is ways we could never imagine.

As need to gather as a church and ask the Lord to forgive us for our part in the
disunity of the past.
If we have offended a fellow believer, and we are aware of that, we need to
make it right.
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy
brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy
way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift, Matt.
5:23-24.
If we have been offended by other, we need to let it go and forgive those who
have offended us.
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against
me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee,
Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven, Matt. 18:21-22.

1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but
woe unto him, through whom they come! 2 It were better for him that a millstone
were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend
one of these little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against
thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. 4 And if he trespass against thee
seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent;
thou shalt forgive him. 5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our
faith, Luke 17:1-5.
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God
for Christ's sake hath forgiven you, Eph. 4:32.

Tonto and the Lone Ranger were riding through a canyon together when all of a
sudden both sides were filled with Native American warriors on horses, dressed for
battle.
The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and asked, What are we going to do?
Tonto replied, "What you mean we, Whiteman?

Thats the way some in the church think, but it ought never be that way. We are in this
thing together and all we have is the Lord and one another. There must be love. There
must be peace. There must be unity! Will you come and pray that God will help us to
work together to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?

Ephesians 4:1-6
MAINTAINING THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH - PART 2
Intro: In our last study of this chapter, we talked about the unity of the church. We
spoke specifically about the plea for unity issued by Paul in verse 3. In that verse,
Paul challenges the church to work toward the goal of unity, or agreement,
within the church. He goes on to tell us that this is only possible when we allow the
Spirit of God within us to cause us to walk together as one.

By the way, some listened to that sermon from Eph. 4:3, and came away thinking that
I was implying that there were problems in our congregation. If I gave that
impression, that was not my intention. My goal was to deal with the next text in the
book we are passing through, and to use that text to instruct our church concerning
one of the most important truths in the life of the church. The fact is, we do not have
to walk in absolute lockstep, but unless there is unity within the church, there will be
no power within the church! So, consider this teaching as preventive maintenance and
nothing more!

At the end of the day, unity in the church comes down to two great essentials. First,
we must love one for another like God commands us to, Matt. 22:39; John 13:35.
Second, we must yield to the control of the Holy Spirit Who dwells within every child
of God. When we submit to His control, He will cause us to live out the Fruit of the
Spirit, Gal. 5:22-23, which will cause us to walk together in love, peace and unity.

With that in mind, I want to probe deeper into this passage. I want to continue to talk
to you about Maintaining The Unity Of The Church. Having considered The Plea
For Unity, lets look next at The Problem Of Unity.

II. THE PROBLEM OF UNITY

I will just touch on this thought, because it is not explicitly mentioned in this text. It
is, however, clearly implied. In verse 3, Paul commands us to be about the business of
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. If we have to
work to guard the unity of the church, then it seems to me that this unity must be a
fragile thing. The unity of the church must be something that is easily forfeited.

Since we are commanded to work to guard the unity of the church, it stands to reason
that we are the ones who can cause the unity of the church to become fractured. The
problem with unity in the church is this: the church is made up of people. I have heard
it said, and have said it myself, if it werent for the people, the church would be a

great place. That is said in jest, because without the people, there is no church. To
put it plainly, the people are the church.

While the we the people are the church, we the people are also the problem. We, the
people who make up the local church, are the guardians of the unity produced within
us by the Holy Spirit, but we are also the greatest danger to that unity. Why is that?
Many reasons could be listed, but I will mention just a few for the sake of time.
We are all sinners who posses a fallen nature.
We are sometimes selfish, self-centered, and want our own way.
We are jealous when we see others succeed, get blessed or be promoted.
We get angry when we think we have been wronged.
We act out of spite hoping to hurt those we think have hurt us.
We fail to forgive the wrongs done to us by other.
We fail to love the Lord like we should, this we cannot love others like we
should. By the way, when you fail to give love, you are not in a position to
receive love either!
We allow our sinful natures to be manifested in all our human interactions.
We are brought together from different backgrounds, with different views about
right and wrong, and with different opinions about how things ought to be
done.
We have different agendas in life. That is, we have different opinions about
what the church should be, should do, and how it should operate.

To sum it up in a sentence, we are different one from another, and that is the greatest
threat to the unity of the church. That is always the problem in a nutshell.

I. The Plea For Unity

II. The Problem Of Unity

III. V. 2 THE PATH TO UNITY

Lets back up to verse 2 and talk about The Path To Unity. In this verse, Paul
mentions several characteristics that should be true of each of us. These
characteristics, if they are true in your life and mine, will go a long way to helping us
keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The only way we will ever fulfill the challenge of verse 1, which says, Ibeseech
you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, is to be sure that
the following characteristics are true in our lives. It is the only was we can ever hope
to balance the scales, which is what the word worthy means.

If we really want to live lives that are pleasing to the Lord, and that help the church
walk in unity, we must be sure that our lives are marked by the characteristics Paul
lists in verse 2. Since they are so vital, we will take the time to consider each of them
and what they teach us about the kind of people we should be for the glory of God.

Lowliness - This word means to think or judge with lowliness; to possess lowliness
of mind. It speaks of humility. This word, in its Greek form, was never found in
secular writing. It was a word coined by Christians. Roman and Greek society had no
concept of humility. The person who placed others ahead of self was considered weak,
a coward, and unnatural. They looked at anyone who was humble as being weak. So,
when Paul wanted a word to describe the humble person, he had to invent the word.
The Greeks and Romans believed that people should be proud and self-satisfied. They
believed that anyone who took a low view of themselves was warped. This word was
later picked up by some secular writers, and it was always used in a derogatory
fashion to describe Christians as weak.

The world might look upon humility as a weakness, but it is the most fundamental of
Christian virtues. Without humility we can never please the Lord. Without humility,
we can never be like Christ, Phil. 2:5-8.

Humility is the opposite of pride. Pride is defined as, a high or inordinate opinion
of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the
mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.

Pride is essentially thinking more of yourself than you have a right to. Ill. Romans
12:3, For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Our world is filled with pride. People talk all the time about being proud of their jobs,
their possessions, their families, their job, their children, etc. The world is all about
boasting and bragging and posturing. That attitude has even infiltrated the church. We
give awards, plaques, degrees and applause to one another, and its all done in a way
that makes pride acceptable to us.

Pride was at the heart of the first sin, Isa. 14:12-23.

Pride was at the heart of Adam and Eves sin in the Garden of Eden, Gen. 3:67.
Pride is soundly condemned in the Word of God, Pro. 11:2; 16:18; 21:4.
Pride will be judged by the Lord, Isa. 2:11; 3:16-26; Jer. 50:31-32.
Pride is at the heart of every temptation that comes our way from Satan,
because pride is at the center of his very nature. As long as we are in this flesh
we will battle pride. Satan will ever be seeking ways to cause us to rob God of
His glory by exalting ourselves.

 Pride is the sin of competing with God, Gen. 3:5-6. When we are proud of our
talents, our abilities, our education, our knowledge, our possessions, our
appearance, our skills, our wealth, etc, we are guilty of pride. We are guilty of
self-exaltation. We are guilty of sin!
Pride will cause you to dominate every conversation. Pride will cause you to
talk about yourself. One of your favorite words will be I. Pride will cause
you to be rude, thinking you are more important than everyone else.

Let me share with you some of the characteristics of pride. When any of these are true
in our lives, there is an issue with pride.
Being blind, unable to see pride. Pride envelops itself in smoke unless youre
in the mirror of Gods word and God, by His grace, allows you to see your sin
and its magnitude. Many people see the logs in other peoples eyes and maybe
the speck in their own. They may even say Im proud and then move right on
as if it were insignificant.
Being unthankful. Proud people think they deserve only what is good. The
result is, why should they be thankful? As a matter of fact, they may even
complain because they think they deserve better. They tend to be critical and
complainers. They may grumble, be discontent, see the downside of everything,
be quarrelsome and divisive.
Outbursts of anger, withdrawing, pouting, being moody or impatient because
ones perceived rights or schedules arent being met.
Perfectionistic-type persons who want to be the best at everything are also
proud. Why? Because its self-serving. They brag and talk about themselves all
the time. It reminds me of a cartoon of Garfield talking to Odie, the dog. He
says, Odie, Im tired of talking about me. You talk about me for awhile.
Some folk simply have an inflated view of their own importance, abilities, and
talents.
Seeking independence. Some proud people find it extremely difficult to work
under someone else, to submit. They have to be their own boss. They say, I
dont need anyone. I dont need accountability for my faith and doctrine.
Others cut themselves down with comments, but inwardly they crave selfsufficiency.

 Monopolizing conversations, being rigid, stubborn, headstrong, and

intimidating.
Being consumed with what others might think. Pride can cause you to become
a man-pleaser or a man-fearer.
Being devastated by criticism.
Not listening very well. They compose what they are going to say while youre
speaking.
Being unteachable. They know it all. Theyre superior. They cant learn
anything.
Being sarcastic, hurtful, jesting. Saying things like, Thats just the way I am.
Thats my personality. Im A-type. Im dominant, lion, beaver, mule.
whatever else you want to call them!
Wanting to be praised or to be coaxed to serve. Unwillingness to initiate or
commit to the right thing simply to please God. Such people are just consumed
with themselves, jealous, envious, not glad for others successes, deceitful,
covering up faults, rarely seeking help, fake, and hypocritical.
Being defensive. It cant be my fault! Then they attack one another.
Revenge, trivializing their sin, rationalizing it, justifying it, judging others by
their own self-made standards. Often proud people rarely admit their sin or ask
for forgiveness.
Lacking in biblical prayer, in service to other people, and in sacrificial deeds
of love. Thomas Watson said, We should pray without ceasing because
beggars beg. Instead, proud people are touchy, irritable, or ultra-sensitive.
Resisting authority, and being disrespectful toward others. We say he or she
has a submission problem. No, they have a pride problem. Its merely
displaying itself that way. This person is rarely concerned about the welfare of
others. They view and judge others in terms of how others support them and
their concerns. They voice their preferences at times, even when not asked.
When they do voice them, its without compassion or consideration for others.
They convey an unapproachableness. Even when someone points out a flaw,
theres always a quick retort, minimizing it and moving on.

I confess that I have, or have had, a problem with several items on that list. Pride is a
problem we will deal with unto we are delivered from these bodies, Rom. 7:25.

Pride is something that is easy to see in the lives of others, but nearly impossible to
see in self. Pride is at the heart of all our sin, and all our problems in human
relationships. It is the reason disunity arises within the body of Christ. It is the reason
our services are cold. It is the reason people dont pray, read their Bibles and attend
church like they should. It lies at the heart of every sin.

This passage is not about pride; it is about its polar opposite humility. What is
humility. The dictionary defines it as, the quality or condition of being humble;
modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.
The word used here for lowliness literally means, a deep sense of ones
littleness.

Lets talk for a moment about humility. Humility is elusive. When you reach the place
where you think you are humble, you just lost it.

Did you hear about the pastor who was voted the most humble pastor in America? His
congregation gave him a medal that said, To the most humble pastor in America.
Then they took it away from him on Sunday because he wore it.

Humility is something that we will never see in ourselves, yet it is something that
others see in our lives when it is there. When they mention it, the truly humble person
will not see it, because they are incapable of acknowledging it. If they acknowledged
the fact that they were humble, that would be pride and humility would be instantly
forfeited.

True humility involves two essential components.

First, it involves a proper view of oneself.
The truly humble person sees himself as he really is. Our human nature is to
exaggerate our own good qualities while we minimize the good in others. Our
nature is to make ourselves look better than we truly are.
The genuinely humble person knows and confesses that he is a sinner, 1 John
1:8-9.
The genuinely humble person does not compare himself to others, 2 Cor.
10:12.
The genuinely humble person realizes that he lacks the ability to do anything
by himself, but that everything he has and is has been given to him by the
Lord, 2 Cor. 3:5; John 15:5.
The first step in achieving humility is learning to see yourself as you really are.
Most of us are a long way from that goal today.
There is nothing more humbling than to see yourself as you truly are.

Second, it involves a proper view of God.

The truly humble person sees God as the source of salvation,
The truly humble person sees God as the source of all righteousness,
The truly humble person sees God as the source of all blessing, all success and
all ability,
The truly humble person sees God as He is, and that awareness of God causes
the humble person to respond in ways that demonstrate that humility.
Isaiah saw God and he was humbled in His presence - Isa. 6:1-5.

 Paul saw God as He was and was forced to see himself as he was, 1 Tim. 1:15.
Peter saw God as he was and recognized his own sin, Luke 5:8.
Job saw God as He was and he was forced to see himself as he was, Job 42:6.
The truly humble person understands that God accepts us in spite of our faults.
He loves us like we are, and that is a humbling truth.

We must all come to the place where we understand that God is not impressed with
our education, our fame, our abilities, our skill, our achievements, what we have done
or where we have been. All of that means exactly nothing to God. When we rely on
those things, instead of relying on God, we erect an impenetrable barrier between
ourselves and Him.

We must be honest about who we are. We are nothing, and there is nothing about us
that commends to God on any level. There is nothing in us that causes Him to be
pleased with us, to bless us or to save us. We can only be saved when we lay aside all
the pretense of our pride and become like a little child, humble before Him, Matt.
18:3. We will only be accepted by Him when we realize that He accepts us by grace
through fait, apart from any human effort, Ill. Luke 18:9-14. The truth of Luke
18:14 needs to be driven home in each of our hearts today, for every one that
exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

We are talking about humility and pride because they affect our ability to live like
Christ. Pride will cause me to live as if my ways are right. When I walk in pride, I do
what I please, when I please, with whom I please. When I am humble, I walk like
Jesus, 1 John 2:6.

Pride and humility also affect the way we function together as a church. When I walk
in pride, I will demand my own way. I will be offended when I do not get my way. I
will wear my feelings on my shoulders and get my feelings hurt easily. I will seek to
exalt myself, walkways talking about me, what I think, who I am, and what I have
done. All these things, and many more, certainly undermine the unity of the church.

However, when I walk in humility, I will realize that nothing in life is really about me,
about what I want, or about how I feel. I will realize that everything is about the glory
of God. So, I will not be offended when someone else acts in pride. I will not demand
my rights and my way. I will not trumpet my own accomplishments or talk about
myself all the time. I will not seek to dominate every conversation and turn it to
myself. I will put the good of others ahead of my own good. I will look for ways to
honor God with my words and my walk. I will yield myself to the Spirit of God and
trust Him to lead me in the right ways.

While God stands against pride, He has promised to bless the humble, Matt. 5:3,
James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:6. When we lose ourselves in Him, we will be used by Him and
blessed by Him. But, as long as we continue to walk in pride, we are doomed to
failure, and we condemn the church to continuing struggles with unity.

Conc: William Temple said this about humility, Humility does not mean thinking
less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your
own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself one way or the other at
all.
So, true humility is not thinking little of yourself and much of others. True humility is
not thinking of yourself at all! When we become truly humble, we cease to matter to
ourselves.

Andrew Murray described humility like this: Humility is perfect quietness of heart.
It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done
against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or
despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the
door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of
calmness, when all around and above is trouble.

The humble person is not one who thinks meanly of himself, he simply does not
think of himself at all.

Pride and the lack of humility are devastating to the unity in the church because we all
have this tendency within us to promote self. When Jesus spoke of the second
commandment, He said, And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself, Matt. 22:39. He knew that we had no problem loving self; He
knew the real test of our character was loving others to that same level.

Most of the time we do not love to that level. As a result, we are often guilty of
putting ourselves and our agenda ahead of what is best for the body of Christ. We
must ask the Lord to help us develop true humility of heart so that nothing matters to
each of us but the will of God and His glory. When that alone is the desire of every
heart, the church will walk in perfect unity to the glory of God.

We will come back next time and consider the rest of these characteristics. I have
spent all this time on the issues of pride and humility because they are root of either
all our problems or all our successes. When we walk in pride, problems, turmoil and
trouble will rule the day. When we walk in humility, God will be glorified and the
church will be united. When we walk in humility, meekness, long-suffering and loving
forbearance will all be in abundant evidence.
Ephesians 4:1-3
MAINTAINING THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH
Intro: We have spent a considerable amount of time in these verses. Because they are
so important to the correct functioning of the church, they are of unimaginable value
to us. I would like to continue today to preach under the title Maintaining The Unity
Of The Church. As I do so, please allow me to refresh our minds briefly about the
truths we have already encountered here.

In verse 1, we are challenged to walk worthy of our high calling in Christ Jesus.
Every redeemed child of God has been placed by grace into the body of Christ. We are
in Him by faith, and we are to walk like Him as we move through this world. We are

to live in a manner that balances the scales with what Christ did for us when He
died for us on the cross. That simply means that we are to give ourselves to Him as
completely as He gave Himself for us, Rom. 12:1-2. Verse 1 is Pauls Challenge To
The Church.

In verses 3, we are commanded to walk in unity as a body. In these human bodies we

inhabit, there is wonderful unity. If you dont believe me, take a hammer and strike
your thumb. You will be amazed at the unity your body can summon in a moment of
crisis like that. Paul illustrates this great truth in 1 Cor. 12:12-26. Verse 3 is The Plea
For Unity.

These verses do not state the next truth, but it is implied here nonetheless. If we must
do as verse 3 says and endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit it must mean that
the unity we are supposed to keep can be broken. Sadly, it can, and quite easily at that.
The greatest challenge to the unity of the body of Christ are the very people who are
the members of that body. The real problem with our unity is in our diversity. We are a
different and diverse people with differing opinions, ideas, wants, and methods, which
are unique to each individual in the body. The greatest threat to the unity of the church
is not the devil or the world, it is the very people who make up the body. Thus, we
have The Problem Of Unity.

In the middle verse of this section, verse 2, Paul speaks about The Path To Unity. In
this verse, Paul mentions five qualities that each member of the body must possess if
there is to be true, lasting unity in the church. The first of those qualities we have
already considered. It is the word lowliness. This word means, to think or judge
with lowliness; to possess lowliness of mind. It speaks of humility. Humility, as
we learned last time, is the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion
or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc. The word used here for lowliness
literally means, a deep sense of ones littleness. It is not thinking little of oneself, it
is not thinking of oneself at all! Genuine humility, or lowliness, is the absolute
antithesis of pride, which is thinking only of yourself.

The other qualities that Paul mentions in this verse flow from a humble spirit. When
we come to the place where we are truly humble, these other qualities will naturally

be a part of our lives. Unfortunately, we seem to be in a constant search for humility,

thus these other qualities were lacking as well. As elusive as humility and these other
qualities are, they are essential if there is to be true unity in the church. When
these qualities are a part of each of our lives, unity will be the result. When they are
not part of each of our lives, it is an evidence that there is pride within our hearts.
When there is pride within us, the very unity of the church is threatened.

I would like to spend our time today in the remainder of verse 2. I want to talk about
the four qualities that remain. We have talked about lowliness. Now, lets consider
meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, and love. Lets study
these qualities together as we consider The Path To Unity - Part 2.

I. The Plea For Unity

II. The Problem Of Unity
III. The Path To Unity - Part 1

IV. V. 2 THE PATH TO UNITY - PART 2

A. MEEKNESS
When we hear the word meekness, we often think of someone who is weak. We
think of someone who is a 90 pound weakling. This word does not refer to some
namby-pamby, milquetoast, tree-hugging, crybaby. Weakness has nothing at all to do
with biblical meekness.

This word carries the idea of gentleness or mildness. It does not speak of weakness,
but of power under control of a master. It brings to mind a wild horse that has been
broken. The horse, though it has been broken, still retains all the power and wildness
that it ever had. Now, that power is brought under control of its master. If you have
seen the lions and tigers at the circus, you have seen this kind of meekness in
action. Those big cats have the ability to easily destroy the lion tamer, but they dont.
They have yielded control of that power to the lion tamer.

Meekness is a direct result of true humility. The meek person has the power to
revenge hurts, but they yield that power to their Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus,
when they are wronged, they react like Christ would react. There is no anger or
retaliation, there is simply forgiveness and love. Meekness is the Spirit of Christ in
action. Ill. Luke 23:33-34, And when they were come to the place, which is called
Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and
the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what
they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. Even when they came to arrest
Jesus and Peter drew his sword to defend the Lord, Jesus responded in meekness, not
anger, Matt. 26:49-54.

That is not to suggest that Jesus never became angry. He was angry when He cleansed
the Temple, John 2:14-16. He was angry when he confronted the hypocrisy of the
Jewish leaders, Mark 3:4-6. The difference between us and the Lord Jesus is the He
was sinless. Thus, He was always angry about the right things, at the right times, in
the right manner and to the right degree. When we get angry it is because we feel that
we have been slighted; our rights have been stepped on; somebody hurt us. Our anger
is usually centered on self.

So, meekness speaks of spiritual and moral strength that is not self-assertive, pushy
or heavy-handed. We have several biblical examples of this kind of meekness.

David was a warrior, but he was praised by Saul for his meekness, because
David did not kill Saul when he had the opportunity, 1 Sam. 24:1-17.
Moses was a passionate leader. He stood up to Pharaoh, Ex. 5-12. He
confronted Israel over their rebellion and idolatry, Ex. 32:19-29. He even
confronted the Lord and challenged Him to forgive the sins of Israel, Ex.
32:11-13; 30-32. Yet, he was hailed as the meekest of men, Num. 12:3.

People who are angered by every nuisance and every inconvenience know nothing at
all about meekness. Ill. Pro. 16:32, He that is slow to anger is better than the

mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. The strongest person
in the world is not that man or that woman who can put others in their place. The
strongest person in the world is that man or woman who control their reactions to all
the events of life.

Let me make a few closing observations about meekness.

Biblical meekness is simply the ability to exercise restraint.
Meekness is a part of the fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5:23, and should be a part
of every believers life.
Meekness is the opposite of vengeance and vindictiveness.
Meekness is seen in a willingness to yield to the Word of God, regardless of
what it says or teaches.
Meekness is seen in a willingness to forgive and restore those who have fallen
into sin, Gal. 6:1.
Meekness is seen in a willingness to pray for and seek the salvation of the lost.
Whereas the proud person looks down on the unconverted and feels mortally
superior to them.
The meek person is not weak; they are Christ-like!

B. LONGSUFFERING
This word literally means, to be long tempered. It speaks of patient endurance of
trials, afflictions and others. It is the opposite to that person who has a short fuse;
and of that person who flies off the handle with the slightest provocation.

The person who exhibits longsuffering knows what it is like to be hurt by others.
They know what is to be wronged, mistreated, and attacked by others. Yet, this person
also knows how to control their reactions to the actions of other people. They endure
the hurtful people around them without a desire to retaliate and attack back. Paul, in 1

Thes. 5:14-15 said, Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly,
comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that
none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both
among yourselves, and to all men. That is to be our manner of life.

Longsuffering patiently endures those people who get under our skin; who
aggravate us; who hassle us. An great preacher in the early church named Chrysostom
said, It is the spirit which has the power to take revenge, but never does.
Longsuffering has the power to attack back, but it doesnt! Longsuffering
understands the spirit of Romans 12:15-21.

True longsuffering manifests itself through a life that humbly accepts the bumps in
the road without complaint, anger or vengeance. Longsuffering never quits! It
patiently serves the Lord in spite of the hardships of the way. Biblical humility causes
you to be longsuffering with other people, but it also causes you to be
longsuffering to the will of the Lord. This truth is seen in the lives of many of the
greatest characters in the Bible. Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Jeremiah,
and Paul are all examples of longsuffering in action.

C. FORBEARANCE
This word means to put up with, and it speaks of our ability to be tolerant of others.
Forbearance is the ability to accept people just as they are, without wanting them
to change in order to be worthy of your love. That is a hard command, because people
are weird! People are odd! Its not always easy to put up with people. The hard thing
for us to acknowledge is that it may be just as hard for them to put up with us!

The Bible is clear, we are to give people the room to be who they are, Ill. Rom. 14:115:7. When we walk in pride, we will judge others if they dont meet our standards.
We will judge them if they arent just like us. We will judge them when they are the
least bit different. You show me someone who stands in judgment of the actions and
lives of others, and I will show you someone who walks in pride!

If we are going to have genuine unity in the church tolerance of others is an absolute
essential. If we expect people to conform before we accept them, we have missed the
whole point of grace. The Lord did not expect you to change before He loved you,
called you and saved you. He knew you couldnt change. He took in just like you
were. He saved you while you were yet in your sins. He didnt ask you to change a
thing before you could come to Him. He just took you like you were and changed
your life.

He expects that same attitude to display itself in our lives. True humility will manifest
itself in forbearance, and forbearance allows us to love people just like they are!
Genuine tolerance is not a facade. That is, we dont pretend to accept and love others
outwardly, while inwardly we resent them for who and what they are and do. Genuine
tolerance makes allowances for the faults and failures of others, for different
personalities, abilities, and temperaments. Genuine tolerance speaks of positive love
even to those who irritate us, disturb us, or embarrass us.

D. LOVE
This word is really tied to forbearance. We are to tolerate one another in love.
This word speaks of our passion one for another. The only way we will ever walk in
true lowliness, meekness, longsuffering and forbearance is if we truly love one
another like Christ loves us. If I love you like He loves you, then I will accept you like
you are, without expecting you to change and to become more like me.

This kind of love, His kind of love, always seeks Gods best for the one who is the
object of that love. Thus, when we love someone, we will automatically place them
ahead of self, exhibiting true humility, restraint, patience, and loving tolerance.

This kind of love is commanded, Matt. 22:37-39, and it is clearly detailed in 1 Cor.
13:1-8a. A quick refresher from those verses is in order right now.
V. 4 Suffereth Long - This word means patient endurance under
provocation. The literal meaning of the word is long-tempered. This
characteristic of love reveals the truth that love does not retaliate!

 V. 4 Is Kind - This word refers to active goodness that goes forth in behalf of
others. Genuine love is never hateful or mean, but it respects others and reaches
out to them.
V. 4 Envieth Not - True love is not jealous over the abilities or possessions of
another. Instead of being jealous when others prosper or excel, love is pleased
when they do well.
V. 4 Vaunteth Not Itself - Literally, this phrase means does not make a
parade. Love does not brag! It does not draw attention to itself or to what it is
doing. A person who must be the center of attention and is hurt when he is not
is not walking in love!
V. 4 Is Not Puffed Up - Love is not arrogant or proud, but it realizes that all it
has and all that it is has been given to it by God. No matter how great our
talents or how spectacular our gifts, everything we are is the result of divine
grace.
V. 5 Does Not Behave Itself Unseemly - Love is never rude, but it always treats
others with compassion, consideration and respect! Love controls the emotions.
It is not friendly one day and rude the next. Genuine love always makes Jesus
look good!
V. 5 Seeketh Not Her Own - True love is never selfish and self-centered, but it
is actively interested in what will profit others. It never looks at itself first, but
it always considers another ahead of itself.
V. 5 Is Not Easily Provoked - True loves keeps no record of evils done to it, but
it willingly endures all slights and injuries. This characteristic of love reminds
us that love does not demand its own rights! It is willing to yield to the will of
another. True love only responds in anger to that which angers God! All other
things are handled through forgiveness - Eph. 4:26-32.
V. 5 Thinketh No Evil - Ill. Literally, this phrase means takes no worthless
inventory. Two thoughts are in mind here.
First, genuine love does not attribute evil motives to people. That is, every
action is not seen in its most negative light. It thinks the best of others.
Second, genuine love does not keep a record of evils done to it. In other words,
it does not dwell what others may have done.

 V. 6 Rejoiceth Not In Iniquity - Love does not rejoice in sin; whether it is its
own sins, or the sin of others. Love hates sin! Love does not rejoice when
another falls into sin! Whether we will admit it or not, there is a part of us that
is glad when another believer falls because we think it makes us look better.
That is why we just have to tell someone else about it. True love does not
gossip or rejoice when another believer falls, but it hurts with the injured
member! (Ill. Pro. 10:12; 1 Pet. 4:8)
V. 6 Rejoiceth In The Truth - While love hates all forms of evil, it loves the
truth! It rejoices when truth is proclaimed and when truth wins the victory.
Love is glad for the truth, even when the truth hurts. Love is glad when truth
wins the day!
V. 7 Beareth All Things - Love patiently endures and overlooks the faults in
others. The word beareth literally means to cover. Instead of parading the
failures and faults of others before all the world, love covers them over and
continues to love in spite of those things!
V. 7 Believeth All Things - Love always places the best possible interpretation
on everything that happens. It does not always seek the most negative answer,
but it believes that good will triumph in any situation. Basically, love trusts,
love believes and love has confidence in the one loved.
V. 7 Hopeth All things - Love always expects the best possible outcome. Love
refuses to accept failure. Love always holds out hope that things will work out
right in the end.
V. 7 Endureth All Things - This is a military term and means that love does not
give up the fort! It stands its ground and continues in spite of everything that
can be thrown against it. It continues in spite of persecution and ill treatment.
Love bears the unbearable, believes the impossible, holds on the incredible and
never gives up. The word stop does not exist in the vocabulary of love!
V. 8-12 Charity Never Faileth - When everything else in this world has passed
away. When everything that is held us such high esteem is gone. When
knowledge and gifts no longer matter, love will still exist. It is the great
constant throughout eternity. There are times when love may lose a battle. In
that the object of one's love may never return that love. Yet, while it may lose a
battle here and there, love has already won the war. The idea here is not on
success. The idea is one of endurance. When other things have been removed

from view, there will still be love! It does not give in, give up or give out. Love
that is real is love that lasts!

Conc: If we were honest, we would all admit that this is a hard verse for us. The
reason is, none of these qualities are automatic. They require constant work. They
require constant effort.

If we would walk in unity as a body of believers in Christ, every one of these qualities
is essential to that unity. The only way we will ever achieve the high calling of this
verse is for each of us to be filled with the Spirit of God. When we are yielded to the
Lord, and filled with His Spirit, we are brought to a place where we cease to matter.
When we get there, and nothing matters to us but Him and His will, we will have no
problems walking in lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, and love.

Until we get there, true unity within the body of Christ will always elude us.

Maybe the Lord has touched a tender spot in your heart and you would like to talk to
Him about your need. You can do that right now.

Ephesians 4:1-6
MAINTAINING THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH

THE PLACE OF OUR UNITY

Intro: It has been a while since we looked into the fourth chapter of Ephesians. I want
to remind you that Paul is writing about the theme of unity in the church. Specifically,
Paul has been teaching us how to Maintain The Unity Of The Church.

Achieving unity within a group can sometimes be a difficult endeavor. We come from
so many different backgrounds. We have differing ideas about many different
subjects. We were all raised different. We possess differing goals, ambitions and
agendas in life. Unity in an atmosphere can be hard to come by.

I would say that unity in the church would be an absolute impossibility if it were
solely up to us. Thank God it isnt up to us alone. We play a great part in the unity of
the church, as we see in verses 1-3. However, The Place Of Our Unity in the church
is not in our ability to produce it all by ourselves. The unity of the church, like
everything else we have as the people of God, rests on His grace alone.

Paul has been teaching us in Ephesians that God, by His grace, and through the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, has brought together people from every imaginable
background, and has made them one in Jesus Christ. Jews who were born under the
Law and who are subject to the Law, and Gentiles who were given over to dumb idols,
have been brought together in one body.

The ground of our unity does not rest in our ability to get along with one another. Our
unity in the body of Christ rests upon the common elements that we share as members
of His body.

All of the elements Paul mentions in these verses are freely given to us by the grace of
God. They are the fruit of our relationship with Him. It is these elements that make
unity within the church a real possibility.

Paul mentions seven common elements that all believers share in Christ. He groups
these elements into three areas. These areas serve to teach us that unity in the church
comes from our relationship with the Godhead. Every member of the trinity is
involved making unity possible within the church. Lets examine these areas and
the elements together today as we consider The Place Of Our Unity.

I. V. 4 WE FIND OUR UNITY IN GOD THE SPIRIT

The Spirit of God is greatly involved in the unity of the church. Notice what He gives
us that enables us to enjoy unity in the Lord.
A. There Is One Body - This refers to the universal church made up of all believers,
from all ages, around the world. When a sinner is regenerated and given salvation, that
sinner is placed into the body of Christ. Paul describes this process in 1 Cor. 12:1227.

We interact with the world around us using the vehicle of our physical bodies. In the
same way, God interacts with the world through His spiritual body, the body of Christ.
He uses the members of the Body of Christ to serve Him, the spread the Gospel, the
live out the truths of His Word and so on.

We are placed in the universal body of Christ when we are saved, then we find our
place within a local body where we can use the spiritual gifts we have been given to
the glory of God. Regardless of what place you occupy within the body, you are
united together with all believers in Christ.

B. There Is One Spirit - Romans 8:9b says, Now if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of his. When we were saved, the Spirit of God came to live
within our hearts, Eph. 2:19-22. We have literally become the temple of God, 1
Cor. 6:19-20.

This same Spirit, the Holy Spirit, placed us in the Body of Christ, and He took up
residence in our hearts. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit within us that gives us the
ultimate assurance of our salvation. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage
again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God, Rom. 8:1516.

This means that we have an even deeper connection that just being part of the same
body. The same Spirit of God that lives within you lives within me, and within every
other believer. Regardless of the color of our skin, our background, or any other
difference we would like to name, if we are saved, the same Holy Spirit dwells within
each of us and unites us as one in the Lord.

There are not many spirits bringing people out of death into life, there is only One
Spirit doing that work in the World. His name is the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that
drew you, drew me. The same Spirit that saved you, saved me. The same Spirit that
dwells within you, dwells within me. The same Spirit that quickened you and caused
you to come alive to the things of God, is the same Spirit that quickened me and
caused me to come alive to the things of God. We are made one at the deepest level of
our beings through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of God.

C. There Is One Hope - The words called and calling refer to the effectual call to
salvation. It refers to that time when God drew us to Himself through the wooing of
the Spirit and saved us by His grace, John 6:44. When He called us with the common
call all the redeemed have experienced, He called us to one hope. Just as you and I
occupy one body and are occupied by one Spirit, we also share a common hope.

The word hope does not refer to a wish or a desire. The word hope in the Bible
refers to a deep settled confidence based on a clear word from God. In other
words, when the Lord called us to Himself and saved us by His grace, He gave us all a
common hope.

What is this hope? It is the fulfillment of all the promises that belong to the redeemed
in Jesus Christ.
It speaks of the blessings of this life found in promises such as, Heb. 13:5;
Matt. 28:20; Jer. 33:3; Phil. 4:19; Matt. 6:25-34; Rom. 8:17.
It speaks of the blessings of the life to come found in promises such as, Titus
2:13-14; 1 Thes. 4:16-18; Rev. 21:4; 1 Pet. 1:3-5; John 14:1-3; 1 Pet. 3:15.

All this, and much, much more, became yours when you were called to Christ and
made a believer.
It is this common hope that binds us together in purpose and service to our
Lord.
It is this hope that causes us to keep walking for the Lord.
It is this hope that causes us to stay faithful when others fall away.
It is this hope that puts a spring into our step, a song in our heart, and a shout
on our lips.
We have a common hope in Christ.

By the way, the end of our calling, and the hope connected with it, is eternal
perfection in the presence of God in Heaven. That is made clear in Rom. 8:28-29,
Eph. 1:4, and 1 John 3:2. Our calling is a calling to perfect Christlikeness and our
hope is the sure confidence that God will accomplish this in and for us for His Own
glory.

I. We Find Our Unity In God The Spirit

II. V. 5 WE FIND OUR UNITY IN GOD THE SON

The Holy Spirit is involved in our unity as believer, but so is the Son. Notice
the elements that He brings to the table.
A. There Is One Lord - The word Lord means Lord or Master. It refers to one
Who exercises headship. This world reminds is that there is one head of the church,
and His name is Jesus. Paul has already exalted the Lords position in Eph. 1:18-23.
He also mentions it in Col. 1:18.

Whether we know it or not, we all serve the same Master. The Pastor, the Deacons,
some influential family or person, is not the head of the church. There is a structure of
leadership in the local assembly that we would do well to follow. However, the sole
Lord over the body of Christ is the Head of that body, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just as your head determines that direction your body goes, Jesus Christ directs the
church. He is our Head, Eph. 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18. It is the Lord Jesus that we
follow. It is His will that we seek. It is His Gospel that we share. It is His praises we
sing. We serve a common Lord and that gives us a basis for unity.

By the way, this one Lord is the only way into the one body, John 14:6; Acts 4:12.
Once we are in Him, we are brought under His Lordship over our lives, and He is a
gracious, wonderful Lord, Who is worthy to be served. For there is no difference
between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call
upon him, Rom. 10:12.

B. There Is One Faith - The word faith can be interpreted a couple of different
ways. It can refer to the act of faith that saves the soul and causes a sinner to become a
child of God. It can refer to the acts of faith that mark the believers life after he or she
is saved. In other words, it can refers to the ongoing life of faithful service to and
confidence in the Lord. Or it can refer to the body of doctrine and all believers hold to
be true.

I would like to suggest that it is the last two options I mentioned that are in view here.
There is one faith. There is one set of doctrine, contained in and revealed by the
Bible, the Word of God. This body of doctrine forms the basis of our faith. It teaches
us about God, about sin, and about salvation. It teaches us what we should believe and
how we should behave based on what we believe.

So, there is one faith. There is one set of doctrinal truth that binds all believers
together in the Lord. This does not mean that we must all believe the same thing about
every issue. It does mean that there are some unalterable truths that must be believed

if one is to truly be called a believer. Let me mention just a few of the non-negotiable
truths of the Christian faith.
There is one God, and He is Creator and Sovereign over all His creation.
There is one Savior, and He is the Son of God. He was born of a virgin. He was
born without sin. He lived without sin. He died on the cross for sin and for
sinners. He was buried and He rose again the third day. He ascended back to
Heaven, where He sits at His Fathers right hand, awaiting the day when He
will return to claim His bride and rule the world as King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. He will save all who will come to Him confessing their sins and
believed His Gospel.
There is one Holy Spirit. He draws the sinner to Christ. He gives them faith to
believe in Christ. He baptizes them into the body of Christ. He indwells them to
enable them to live for God in this world.
There is one true church. The body of Christ, which is made up of believers
from every nation, tribe, race, kindred, people and tongue. This church is the
bride of Christ and one day it will be caught up with Christ to spend eternity
with her Lord and Savior.
The Bible is the Word of God. It is inspired by God. It is without error and it is
infallible. It is to be believed in its entirety, and it is the sole standard of our
faith and practice. It is Gods word to man and it is the final authority for the
church.

There are many other doctrines that are true, and should be believed. Those listed
above are simply some of the essential truths that must be nailed down in your heart.
To miss these doctrines is to miss Gods salvation.

Just a reminder, but what you believe determines how you behave. The one faith
Paul mentions here is something we take in from the Word of God and live out in our
lives.

This means that we must have a strong relationship with the Word of God. We must
read it, believe it and live it. That is Gods will for His church!

C. There Is One Baptism - The word baptism refers to our union with Christ, or
our baptism into Him when we are saved. It does not refer exclusively to water
baptism. There are many modes of water baptism. Some traditions pour, some
sprinkle, we immerse. While immersion is the method taught in the word of God, all
modes of baptism share one common shortcoming: none can save the soul.

Baptism is a means of identification. When we are saved, we are commanded to

follow the Lord in water baptism. This is a public, outward statement by the believer
that he is identifying himself with Christ. He is telling all who witness his baptist that
he has died to the old life of sin and has been resurrected to a new life in Christ. It is a
moment of public identification. Water baptism is an outward symbol of what
happened inwardly when we believed the Gospel and were saved.

Some believers never carry out the Lords command. That is, they come to Jesus and
are saved, but they never follow Him in water baptism. They are in disobedience, but
they are no less saved. Others submit to unbiblical methods of baptism. They are
saved, but they have failed to participate in a method of baptism that pictures the
death, burial and resurrection accosted with the new birth. Others follow the Lord in
water baptism and are immersed as the Bible teaches.

Regardless of the differences in the methods used in water baptism, every genuine
believer in Christ experiences the common baptism of the Spirit. For by one Spirit
are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be
bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit, 1 Cor. 12:13.

So, water baptism allows us to identify publicly with the Lord Jesus Christ. The
baptism of the Spirit, which we all share in common, allows Him to identity Himself
with us. This baptism of the Spirit, Christ in you, the hope of glory, Col. 1:27,

enables us to experience His presence, His power and His help to live out our one
faith for our one Lord.

I. We Find Our Unity In God The Spirit

II. We Find Our Unity In God The Son

III. V. 6 WE FIND OUR UNITY IN GOD THE FATHER

It isnt just the Spirit and the Son that contribute to the unity of the Church. The
Father is also involved. Notice what Paul teaches us about Him, and His involvement.
A. His Position - He is the one God. This truth, that there is but one God is the
foundational truth of both ancient Judaism and biblical Christianity. The ancient Jews
said it this way, Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD, Deut. 6:4. The
early church affirmed the oneness of God as well, 1 Cor. 8:4-6; James 2:19.

Since He is God, He is to be feared, loved, believed, worshiped, served, obeyed,

honored, glorified and magnified by all His creation. This idea of one God is the
central hub of all we are, and of all we believe. We find the basis of our unity in the
person of the one God we acknowledge and worship.

B. His Person - He is Father. This reminds us that this one God is also the
Father of all those who are in Christ. As our Father He loves us, He cares for us,
He protects us, He provides for us, He hears our prayers, and He secures us in His
love and His salvation. As our Father, He has taken full responsibility for us, for
our lives here, and for our ultimate journey to Heaven.

One of the greatest truths in the Bible is this: Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore
the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall
appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is, 1 John 3:12.

We are members of the same body. We have the same Father. We share a unity that
transcends every human relationships, every human problem or every human struggle.
He share the same Father, and that makes us family. The fatherhood of God is the
basis for our unity as believers.

C. His Power - He is above all, and through all, and in you all. In this last
statement, Paul makes it clear that the Father is active in all our lives. This means that
God is the One Who is in control of all of life. He is over every circumstance. He is
involved in every situation. He dwells in all His children. It is a picture of supreme
Lordship and sovereignty.

Our God is over all things. No power can overcome Him. No government can stop
Him. No one can thwart His power. He is God over all things from the very heights
of Heaven, the scorched floors of Hell. Every star follows the course He gave it.
Every molecule in the universe does as it was programmed to do. He rules it all.

Our God is through all. This means that God is working in all things to accomplish
His eternal purposes. He knows what He is doing. He knows where He is going. He
has a plan that will culminate in His eternal purposes being perfectly fulfilled.

Our God is in you all. We know the Spirit dwells within us, but we are informed
here that the transcendent God Who creates and controls the universe also dwells
within His children. He unites us in His power, His purposes and in His presence.

Dr. John MacArthur sums this passage up this way: That comprehensive statement
points to the glorious, divine, eternal unity that the Father gives believers by His
Spirit and through the Son. We are God created, God loved, God saved, God
Fathered, God controlled, God sustained, God filled, and God blessed. We are one
people under one sovereign (over all), omnipotent (through all), and omnipresent
(in all) God.

Conc: If any people in the history of the world had any basis for unity, it is the church
of Jesus Christ. One Father has created one family. One Son has given us one faith,
one hope and one baptism. One Spirit has created one body.

God has created a unity within His church that can never be broken. It is as
shatterproof as the godhead itself. As John Stott once said, It is no more possible to
split the church than it is possible to split the Godhead.

We know that local churches have trouble and they experience what we call splits.
However, the universal church, the Body of Christ, can never split. It stands complete
and united in the power of God.

We are different, but we serve the same God. We are members of the same family. We
are indwelled by the same Spirit. We are headed to the same Heaven. We believe the
same things.

Thus, we must do everything in our power to live in the unity we have been given in
Christ. It is not automatic, but it is possible as we live out the commands of Eph. 4:13.

We can preach all we want to, but it is our love for one another and our unity in the
Spirit of God that proclaims our uniqueness to the world around us. Our love and
unity demonstrate the truth that we are real, and that God is working in us.

I invite you to come pray for the unity of this local body of believers.

 I invite you to come and thank God for the ties that bind.
I invite you to come to Jesus Christ if you are lost.
I invite you to look into your heart ask yourself this question: Am I doing all
that I can to help the church walk in unity?

[Illustration: There was a man who was ship wrecked on a desert Island. He was there
all by himself for many years. Over the years he had built himself a wonderful house,
and then a magnificent Church complete with a steeple. Then he built himself another
great building. ]

[When some rescuers arrived they ask him, What is that big building?]

[He answered, That is my house. That is where I live.]

[Then they asked, What is that magnificent building?]

[He said, That is a Church.]

[Then they finally asked, Well, what is that other building?]

[He Replied, That is another Church. I had an argument in the first Church and moved
my membership.]

[What about Unity?]

[Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.]
[Psalms 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity! ]

[Proverbs 6:16,19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination
unto him: . . . and he that soweth discord among brethren]

[Unity in the Church is produced by the Holy Spirit. It is produced and provided because
it is Gods desire for the Church. The Church cannot produce unity, the Holy Spirit
produces, and we are commanded to preserve it.]

Three Concepts of our Unity:

A. The Ground of our Unity (Eph 4.3-6) [- Truth. There are seven basic truths that
are the ground of our unity. No one can call himself a Bible believing Christian who does
not believe these basic seven truths. These are the foundation of our unity. The Ground
of our unity is Doctrinal and Spiritual.] The Seven Truths of Unity:

1. There is One Body (vs 4) [ This body is the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ.]

a.

[Not one congregation, but one body.]

b. [Not one denomination. Not all Baptists are going to make it to heaven. But if you
are twice born, then you are a part of the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ.]

c. [Not an organization, but a living organism, a body. Now a living organism has
organization, but this body also has life.]

d. [There is a local expression of this universal Church Body. Every New Testament
Christian ought to be a member of a local New Testament Congregation.]

1) [Illustration: A man once approached a church choir director and said, I want to
sing
in
the
choir.
The Choir director asked, Are you a member of this Church?
The man responded, I am a member of a Church, just not this Church.
The Choir director asked, What Church are you a member of?
The
man
responded,
Of
the
invisible
Church.
The Choir Director responded, I have a suggestion for you. You go and sing in the
invisible Church Choir.]

2) [A local Church is the expression of the functioning body of Christ. It has Pastors,
Deacons, Ministry Teams, and performs the work of the body of Christ in our world.]

3) [If you are a disunified member of the Church, if you sow discord among the
brethren in the Church, you dishonor the head of the body, which is Christ, you harm and
damage the other members of the body, and you harm yourself as a member of the body.]

2. There is one Spirit (vs 4) [ The Holy Spirit who is the substance of our life, the
secret of our strength, and the source of our unity.]

a. [It is the Holy Spirit that knows each and every other member of the Church of our
Lord. You may not know the name of every other Christian, but the Holy Spirit knows us
all.]

b. [Dr. Vance Havner said, we are not to be wired together by organization, frozen
together by formalism, rusted together by tradition, but melted together by one Spirit.]

3. There is One Hope (vs 4; Titus 2.13) [ This hope is the second coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ. ]

[Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God
and our Saviour Jesus Christ; ]

a. [You cannot call yourself a New Testament, Bible Believing Christian if you do not
hold to this blessed hope.]

b. [Now there are many different positions concerning the second coming of Christ (A
millennial, Pre millennial, and Post millennial). Some dont understand the differences in
these positions. Thats okay, so long as we are all looking forward to His future
coming.]

c. [We are living in the closing shadows of this age. The labor pains and contractions
are getting especially sever and close together. We must all be looking for and expecting
the second physical coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.]

4. There is One Lord (vs 5; Philip 2.10-11) [- This one Lord is Jesus Christ.]

a. [The early Church did not call Him Jesus nearly as much as they called Him the Lord
Jesus.]

b. [The idea of a Lord is foreign to contemporary Christianity in America. We

recognize Jesus as Savior, but we rarely want Him as Lord. ]

c. [The Church has a head, who is Lord, who arranges the body as He sees fit, and we
must learn to get under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord!]

[Philippians 2:10-11 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And thatevery tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ]

5. There Is One Faith (vs 5; Jude 1.3; 2 Tim 4.7) [ The unified body of truth we call
the Bible.]

[Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation,
it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend
for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. ]

a. [This one faith is the Bible. There is one Bible and it is the inspired revealed Word
of God.]

b. [When Paul said, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept
the faith: (2 Tim 4.7) he is talking about keeping the Word of God.]

c. [We must all hold to the same Word of God, the Bible. There is no other book that
reveals the will and way of God. There is not other book that is the written Word of
God. Divinely inspired, divinely given, divinely preserved.]

6. There is One Baptism (vs 5; 1 Cor 12.13) [ This is not immersion or

sprinkling. This is talking about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that grafts us into the
Body of Christ.]

[1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we
be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into
one Spirit. ]

a. [We believe in water baptism, but water baptism only symbolizes the greater truth of
what God has done for us and through us.]

7. There is One God and Father or all (vs 6; Eph 4.6) [ This is the one and only
living God of all.]

[Ephesians 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you
all. ]

a. [This is not Allah, this is Jehovah God. The one and only God. He is not one of
many Gods on the horizon of polytheism, He is the one and only living God.]

b. [You can not know Him apart from Jesus Christ.]

B. The Glory of our Diversity (vs 7; Rom 16.17)

1. What is Unity?

a. Unity is not Unison. [We can sing in harmony without singing same thing at the
same time. If everyone in the choir is singing the same note, that would be boring. In
harmony sometimes we sing different things, but they all compliment the same piece of
music, they all work toward the same goal. We can hold the same basic truth while
presenting it in many different lights.]

b. Unity is not Uniformity. [We dont all have to look the same. We are not to be an
army of clones. We dont always have to dress the same. Uniformity comes from
without, Unity comes from within.]

c.

1) [Someone has said, you can take two tom cats, tie their tails together and hang them
over a clothes line. You have union, but you dont have unity.]

d. Unity is Doctrinal and it is Spiritual .

2. [We have Unity in Diversity - God made us one, but He also made us different.]

[Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and
offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. ]

Unity is not Union. [You can be in the same Church and not be in unity.]

a. [This is not different kinds of beliefs, we all hold to the same seven beliefs that are
the ground of our unity.]

b. [This is a reference to different kinds of gifts. God gave us all different

empowerments and abilities.]

c. [What would happen if every member of our Church were to discover and use their
spiritual gifts? Spiritual gifts are not for your ecstasy, it is not a toy it is a tool.]

d. [Sameness is not unity. Unity comes from diversity. When we recognize that others
have gifts we need and dont have we will find unity based on our need.]

e. [In unity we have different tastes. Not everyone likes liver, some people love it,
some people hate it, thats fine. Not everyone likes the same kind of music, thats fine,
but we can still have unity.]

C. The Goal of our Maturity (vs 13) [ Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and
of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature
of the fulness of Christ:]

1. Stature comes with Maturity [ When you grow up you develop stature, you
become fit for use. Stature is the measure of who you are. Who do you measure yourself
against?]

a. [Peace comes with unity, diversity, and maturity - . . . the unity of the
faith . . . Children squabble and fight, adults learn to live together. Bickering comes
from immaturity.]

b. [Who are we o measure our maturity against? - . . . unto the measure of the
stature of the ullness of Christ: We are not to measure ourselves against some other
Christian but against Jesus Christ.]

c. [If you want to know whether or not you are spiritually mature, then compare
yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ.]

2. Stability comes with maturity (vs 14) [ That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of
men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; ]

a.

3. Speech comes with Maturity (vs 15) [ But speaking the truth in love, may grow
up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:]

[Get your feet on the rock. Know what you believe, stand on the Word of God.]

a.

[We are not to speak truthless love, or loveless truth.]

1) [Truth without love is brutality. The Bible is a wonderful sword, but a poor
club. Dont be a Bible bully. Speak the truth in love.]

2) [Love without truth is hypocrisy. Dont ever jettison the truth for the sake of love.]

4. Service comes with maturity (vs 16) [ From whom the whole body fitly joined
together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual
working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of
itself in love. ]

a.

b. [We have joints. The Greek word for joint is the word we get our English word
harmony. The joints in our body allow the parts of our body to work together.]

c. [If my service in the Lord makes your service difficult them something is wrong. We
will then be a handicapped body. We need to work together in harmony.]

[This is one Christian helping other Christians in harmony.]

THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH

(EXPOSITON OF PHILIPPIANS 1:27-2:4)

I N MY FI RS T FEW WEE KS AT FARM D AL E B AP TI ST CH UR C H I H AVE BE EN P RE AC H IN G O N WH AT I B ELI EV E

T HE BI BL E TE AC HE S AB O UT T HE C HU RC H . YES TE RD AY M OR NI NG I P RE AC H ED THE F OL LOW IN G ME SS AG E,
WH IC H WAS F OL LO WE D UP ON SU ND AY E VE NI NG WITH A MES S AGE ON H OW TO D E AL WITH D IS UN ITY IN
T HE CH U RC H ( OU TL IN E WILL BE P OS TE D TOMO RR O W) .

Do we live like citizens of heaven or as citizens of this world?

The city of Philippi became a Roman colony through a series of events which included a war between Octavian and
Anthony. After the war, a number of soldiers who had been favorable toward Anthony settled in Philippi; for that
reason, it was declared a Roman colony, a miniature Rome. As such, it was given special privileges; although it was
800 miles from Rome, Philippi was considered Italian soil and the citizens of the city had their names on the rolls in
Rome and considered themselves Romans. The Philippians were very proud of their Roman citizenship. They
believed that they were Romes representatives to a culture that was predominantly Greek.

In verse 27, Paul writes Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. The phrase manner of
life comes from the Greek word which has the idea of citizenship, the phrase be worthy of means to
weigh the same (c.f. Eph. 4:1). See 3:20 for noun form. Paul is urging the Philippian Christians to conduct
themselves in a manner that reflects their status as citizens of the Kingdom of God. So when Paul wrote to the
Philippians that he wished them to conduct themselves as good citizens, he was using an aspect of their own culture
to encourage them to be good citizens of another kingdom to which they also now belonged.

Now, as he wrote to them about their heavenly citizenship, he exhorted them to allow their allegiance to control their
conduct. Just as they were to live by the laws of Rome though they lived in Philippi, so they were now expected to
live by heavens laws and extend heavens influence into their pagan culture.

A church leader in the second century described the way early Christians followed these instructions:

While they dwell in Greek or barbarian cities according as each mans lot has been cast, and follow the customs of
the land in clothing and food, and other matters of daily life, yet the condition of citizenship which they exhibit is
wonderful and admittedly strange. They live in countries of their own, but simply as sojourners . . . enduring the lot
of foreigners. They exist in the flesh, but they live not after the flesh. They spend their existence upon earth, but
their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws, and in their own lives they surpass the laws. They love
all men, and are persecuted by all. The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, chapter V.

As Caesar may have instructed the citizens of Philippi to live up to their Roman citizenship, Paul also instructs the
Philippian Christians to live up to their heavenly citizenship. This is a call to every believer.
How were the Philippians to fulfil this awesome responsibility? In a word, through Unity!
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and
see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one
mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, (28) and not frightened in anything by
your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and
that from God. (29) For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not
only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, (30) engaged in the same conflict that you
saw I had and now hear that I still have. (1) So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any
comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, (2) complete
my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one
mind. (3) Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant
than yourselves. (4) Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the
interests of others. Philippians 1:27-2:4 (ESV)
I. A Unified Stand, vv. 27-30

Paul desires the Philippians to be Standing firm in one spirit

standing firm one word, perfect tense stand and keep standing

This is a military term conveying the idea of firmness, steadfastness, or unflinching courage like that possessed by
soldiers who refuse to leave their posts no matter how severely the battle rages.

A. Stand With Cooperation, v. 27

in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side

striving not just to struggle, but to struggle along with someone

Paul moves from the image of soldiers at battle stations to athletes working as a team, side by side, playing the game
not as several individuals but together as one person with one mind for one goal: the faith of the gospel.
Every year professional sport teams spend big money to lure superstar free agents in hopes of winning a
championship. But it is often the team with lesser known players who work as a team who actually win the
championship.

B. Stand With Courage, vv. 28-30

frightened In classical Gk. referred to timid horses that shy upon being startled by some unexpected object.Paul
is saying Dont jump back from your adversaries.

Sometimes our courage is like the man who bragged that he had cut off the tail of a man-eating lion with his pocket
knife. Asked why he hadnt cut off the lions head, the man replied: Someone had already done that. No, instead
we are to be courageous in our stand for the gospel. Our courage is not just measured by our stand when everyone
else is in agreement, but when we are willing to stand for the truth when it is under attack!

This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation,

This refers not to our not being frightened, but to our striving together for the faith of the gospel. When we stand
firm and strive for the gospel, two things happen:

First, the world is convinced of their own destruction. Secondly, the world is convinced of the reality of
oursalvation by our willingness to suffer.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer
for his sake, v. 29

Pauls Example v. 30
conflict agon

Imprisonment? Paul uses his own courage under persecution as a model for the Philippians.

Not only does Paul tell the Philippians that in order to conduct themselves as citizens of the heavenly kingdom, they
must have a unified stand, they also need . . .

II. A Unified Mindset, vv. 1-4.

But before we get to Pauls call for a unified mind. In the middle of this tremendous appeal by the Apostle Paul for
Christian unity, Paul gives four reasons for this unity in verse 1.

If not something that may not be true, more certain, since you have . . .

1. Encouragement in Christ received encouragement from Christ

2. Comfort from Love experienced Christs love

3. Participation in the Spirit have the common presence of the Holy Spirit

4. Affection and Sympathy inward and outward compassion

A. With Harmony, v. 2

Thinking the same way, i.e., the same beliefs. There is no spiritual unity without doctrinal harmony. As Baptists we
are united, not in spite of what we believe, but because of what we believe.

same mind, same love, in full accord, and of one mind

B. With Humility, v. 3
No attitude or action should be done out of pride.

Count others more significant than yourselves. If we do this, we will not have much conflict or disunity. Our love for
one another is one of the key evidences of our salvation.

But, not only is this an evidence for us (assurance), it is an evidence to the world (testimony). John 13:35 By this
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Someone has paraphrased Jesus words
as:

From this time forward, this mutual and disinterested love shall become the essential and distinctive mark of all my
disciples. When they love one another with pure hearts, fervently, even unto death, then shall it fully appear that
they are disciples of that person who laid down his life for his sheep.

This was the testimony of the early church: Tertullian wrote in the second century that in the early days the report
about the Christians was, See how these Christians love one another.

G. Campbell Morgan wrote these very convicting words:

The measure in which Christian people fail in love to each other is the measure in which the world does not believe
them, or their Christianity. It is the final test of discipleship according to Jesus.

You may say, I cant love so and so. We dont get along, etc.

The love that Jesus talks about the love which the Bible calls agape or unconditional love- is a love that is rooted
in the will, not in our emotions. We are to have a mindset with humility.

C. With Helpfulness, v. 4

Galatians 6:2 Bear one anothers burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Instead of Whats in this for me? we should ask, What are the needs of others? God has placed us together in
this body for a reason.
For the Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ,
who said to the disciples Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you can truly say to every group of Christian
friends, You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another! The friendship is not a reward
for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each
the beauties of all the others. C. S. Lewis

Is this your mindset? To live above with the saints I love; oh that will be glory. But to live below with the saints I
know, now thats another story. Most of us like to sing about how happy and united we will be when we all get to
heaven, but we are called as citizens of the kingdom of God to act now as we think that we will act when we all get
to heaven. Dennis Johnson points us to having a heavenly perspective on the church in his commentary on the book
of Revelation.

Do you love the church of which Christ has called you to be a member? For all its flaws and frictions, do you have
hope that you and your brothers and sisters will one day shine brightly in the beauty of holiness? When your
congregation or denomination seems to suffer one spiritual setback after anotherby schisms rent asunder, by
heresies distressare you tempted to give up on the organizational church and go it on your own? Do the so-called
saints you rub elbows with on Sunday seem to be obstacles rather than aids to your friendship with Christ and your
growth in his grace? Then look again at the church through Jesus eyes, and in the bright light of her final
destination. Jesus eyes see all the churches blemishes and bruises, yet our defects do not diminish his love for us or
dim his eager expectation for the day when he will present the church to himself in all her glory, having no spot or
wrinkle or any such thing but rather being holy and blameless (Eph. 5:27). When we glimpse the bride through the
eyes of her Groom, it lifts our head in hope and calms our frustrated hearts for persevering love for one
another. Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation, 343.

Im not called to be a babysitter of adult Christians, or a referee for fighting Baptists. Im a preacher of the Word of
God and I expect that as Christians we will seek to live in unity in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. By
having a unified stand and mindset we will demonstrate that we are not citizens of this world, but of the kingdom of
God