Church - Week 4

Paul in 1 corinthians had 4 pillars of Christian Unity

Focusing on the cross (1 Cor 1:18-2:5)

Understanding true spiritual wisdom (1 Cor 2:6-16)

Recognizing the fundamental equality of all believers (1 Cor 3:1-23)

Treating Christian leaders appropriately (1 Cor 4:1-21)

‘Christianity is a God-directed, Christ-defined, other-oriented religion’ (NIVAC ephesians)

Our own ego is often the source of the biggest struggle.

any aspect of the christian faith that holds any power is held with other people. Even the very personal idea of salvation - God saves you, but he saves ALL of us, and knits us together.

This unity was not about conformity or similarity (God did not call us to unity in that we’ll all see it the exact same way, or agree on every topic).

The world has a very, ‘you do you, and i’ll do me’ mentality. But faith is, ‘we do what Christ says’.

Unity is based on two distinct emphasis - DIVERSITY and RESPONSIBILITY

Different is good, and you need to do things

Ephesians 4:11–13 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Ministry takes place, in the body, to equip others for service - so that we reach unity and maturity

This verse isn’t talking about hierarchy (apostles/prophets/evangelists etc up top, congregation down low) but rather of function (apostles/prophets/evangelists role is serving and equipping)

Romans 12:6 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. ”

Too many emphasize, ‘church is something others do for me’. Church is defined by, someone playing music for me, and someone else preaching to me.

Both are essential - but every single man, woman and child has a responsibility to build up the church. And every single one of us is essential.

A church can function without a worship team, or a preacher, or a building. It cannot function without unity, and without the corporate responsibility of the believers

If God’s love and power is really so great - we should be able to live in light of it in every possible area of our lives

John 13:35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””

Unity and community are the easiest ways to both practice and demonstrate the transformative power of the gospel

This love NEEDS to not start in human motivation - it is supernaturally empowered

Our unity is not something we create - it’s based in the oneness of God and the gospel. God makes us one - we simply deny the parts of ourselves that try and make it otherwise

STORY - Some therapists will say in a healthy marriage, ‘there is no scoreboard’. That’s garbage. There’s absolutely a scoreboard, and you should try to win at every opportunity. The problem is - it’s not you versus your wife. It’s you AND your wife versus whatever problem that exists.

To first century jews, the individual was intimately tied to their community. ‘The individual does not have real existence apart from the whole people’ (Tyndale bible dictionary)

An early punishment for someone in Israel was ‘being cutoff from the people’. And this was a big deal.

This same fundamental connection ‘is the background for the intimate connection Paul makes between “the first Adam” and sinful humanity as well as between “the last (or second) Adam” (Christ) and renewed humanity (1 Cor 15:45–49; see also Rom 5:12–21)’ (Tyndale bible dictionary)

‘Unity with Christ means Community with Christians’

Galatians 3:27 “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

This kind of unity is supposed to be where traditional barriers of human society are overcome

‘There is no such thing as a christian in isolation’. This doesn’t mean that God rejects you unless you are standing next to someone. It means that God’s plan is for you to exist within a vibrant and personal community, not apart from one.

What does unity ACTUALLY look like?

(NOT SURE IF THIS FITS) Is it ‘satisfy your needs and desires privately, so long as it doens’t hurt others’?

This is the push of some human ways of promoting unity. ‘What does it matter, so long as no one gets hurt?