One in Christ

SCRIPTURE

Ephesians 4:1–6 NKJV

1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

MESSAGE

Unity in the Body of Christ is Necessary

There is only one:

There is one body and one Spirit.

There is one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism.

There is one God and Father of all.

There can be union without unity.

Amos 3:3 NKJV

3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

“There can be union without unity. You may tie the tails of a cat and a dog together by a rope and have union, but not unity.”

There must be unity in the Body of Christ.

“There should be but one denomination. We should be de-nominated by the name of Christ, as the wife is named by her husband’s name. As long as the church of Christ has to say, ‘My right arm is Episcopalian, my left arm is Wesleyan, my right foot is Baptist, and my left foot is Presbyterian,’ she is not ready for the marriage. She will be ready when she has washed out these stains, when all her members have ‘one Lord, one faith, one baptism.’”

Charles Spurgeon

Unity in the Body of Christ is Beautiful

There is just something beautiful about a body of Christ coming together and working in unity.

Psalm 133:1–2 NKJV

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.

You’ll know whether there is true unity when adversity comes.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto were riding through a canyon together when all of a sudden both sides were filled with Indian warriors on horses, dressed for battle. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and asked, “What are we going to do?” Tonto replied, “What do you mean ‘we,’ whiteman?”

If we are in Christ, then we should be “in tune” together.

“Has it ever occured to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same tuning fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”

The Pursuit of God - A.W. Tozer

Disunity in the Body of Christ is Demonic

Disunity results in Division

God adds and multiplies. Satan subtracts and divides.

1 Corinthians 1:10 NKJV

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Silly things church members fight over:

Argument over the appropriate length of the worship pastor’s beard (can’t be longer than the pastor’s beard).

Argument and vote on whether to remove the clock from the sanctuary (This was a timely decision).

A 45-minute heated argument over what type of filing cabinet to buy for the office (black or brown, and how many drawers).

Argument over whether deviled eggs should be allowed to be served in the Fellowship Hall (I say as long as it is balanced with angel food cake it’s all good).

Argument over using the word “potluck” or the word “pot blessing” to describe the church meal (They never got to a vote because everyone got hungry).

Argument over whether or not to use gluten-free bread for communion (Gluteny is a sin).

Disunity results in Destruction

Matthew 12:25 NKJV

25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

“Two congregations, located only a few blocks from one another in a small community, decided to become one united, and thus larger and more effective, body instead of two struggling churches. But the merger did not happen because they could not agree on how to recite the Lord’s Prayer. One group wanted ‘forgive us our trespasses,’ while the other demanded ‘forgive us our debts.’”

We’ve got to decide what hills are worth dying on.

We cannot compromise on the essentials.

But we also cannot divide over the non-essentials.

“In essentials, unity. In non-essentials liberty. In all things, charity.” Augustine

Disunity results in Difficulty

We are stronger when we are working together.

There is strength in unity.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 NKJV

12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

When we are united in Christ, there is no limit to what God can do in us!

In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change the TV channel, threatening to punch him with her fist if he didn’t. Linus asked, “what makes you think you can walk right in here and take over:” Lucy said, “These five fingers. Individually they’re nothing special, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.” Linus responded, “which channel do you want?” Turning away from Lucy he looked at his fingers and said, “why can’t you guys get organized like that?”

CLOSING

As we close, let me leave you with a warning of some things to avoid and a command to follow.

We must avoid disunity in the church.

We are to avoid those who cause divisions.

Romans 16:17–18 NKJV

17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

It is just not worth the argument.

Titus 3:9–11 NKJV

9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.

We must promote unity by walking worthy of our calling

By walking with Lowness and Gentleness.

By walking with with Longsuffering.

By bearing with one another in love.

By endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

If we’ll do these things, we will be one in Christ!

ALTAR CALL

John 17:20–23 NKJV

20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.