Unity's Dilemma

Slide #1: Purpose

To bring clarity to unity’s dilemma; how is possible to be in one heart and mind with others in a sinful, broken, and unperfect world?

Illustration: Take off your formal shirt to your muscle shirt

Explain: How this explains the idea of disunity people seeing my tattoos could be thinking there cool, there sin, or to get my shirt back on because its inappropriate for church, within a room of about 50 people there is already disagreement so how is idea of unity even possible

Slide #2- Read: Acts 4:32-37 - Written by Timothy - Before this the Holy Spirit is given to humanity during a gathering of people praying

Acts 4:32–37 NIV

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Three Steps to Achieve a Sense of Unity:

Slide #3- Step #1: Be of One Heart

Heart comes from the greek word kar-dia

To the Jews of the time the heart was not simply just a body part of the body but it was the place physical life came from and the place where you think, and make sense of the world. In other words it was the source of emotions and the how someone makes choices

From this reading the scripture it means that the believers were of the same emotions and choices

We see proof of this as the scripture says the believers shared everything they had, the apostles were testifying about Jesus, and there was no one needy among the believers, they were in one heart

Example: Music being in rhythm, Growing up hearing the bandas never being out of rhythm, and if they were it wouldn’t sound right, in the same way when our church is not on the same page when our emotions and choices aren’t focused towards the love of Christ, the spiritual rhythm that our church makes will never sound right

Slide #4: Lesson- In order to be of one heart, we must as a family focus our emotions, our choices, and our passion towards Jesus

Slide #5: Step #2: Be of One Mind

To the Jews of the time the mind was the soul and the soul was the source of life

Because of this definition the scripture is saying that there lives were one

We see this in the scripture that their lives were one because they overlooked the value of material things in exchange for a focus on the importance of one another

There brothers and sisters in Christ became more important than anything they owned because they understood that a soul, a life is more valuable then any object

Slide #6: Lesson - In order to be of one mind, we must as a family understand that our lives together must represent the heart and values of the Father

Example: OneNationOneDay

There’s a global missions outreach organization called one nation one day that do almost the impossible they gather about 5,000 missionaries from all across the world from different denominations and backgrounds and mobilize them into a nation. In five days the missionaries are then distributed throughout the nation bringing the message of Jesus, of hope, of purpose. Along with this it’s all done with government partnership, there free medical clinics open, practical aid is offered such as clean water and food, and thousands of local pastors are used to bring sustainable change to the nation. Then on the 5th day they open every stadium they can get access to and by the people’s own will they come and almost every stadium is packed out knowing that Jesus is being preached.

How is this possible?

Because brothers and sisters in Christ put aside their affiliations, their denominations, their backgrounds, in exchange one purpose, to reach the lives of a nation for Jesus representing his heart and values

Slide #7: Step #3-Understand the Grace we all have

The scripture says God’s grace was working so powerful through the early believers that there were no needy person among them

Grace in Greek is the word charis and is defined as favor

In other words the early believers understood their favor with God and out of it everyone was taken care for

Slide #7: Lesson: A life not understanding the grace you have is a life on the edge of favor and unity with others

Illustration: Three Mason Jars- One representing Unity, One representing when Disunity is present, and One representing when disunity infiltrates unity

Conclusion: In order to be unified in one heart and mind under the influence of grace we must church be on the same accord that Jesus is the focus and together as a family in unity we are the vessels of his mission