Walking in the Spirit - God working in your life! Pt 4 - The Holy Spirit Empowers us to Unity!
Notes
Transcript
GREET EVERYONE-
If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.
Our Vision:
We Desire see every follower of Jesus well equipped and fully deployed on the mission of Jesus.
What mission? - This questions leads us to articulate His mission for His church in a simple way.
Our Mission:
Is to engage people into a multiplying relationship with Jesus!
WELCOME-
LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND
Open it to Ephesians Chapter 4 and verse 1-6 today as we Continue in our series “Walking in the Spirit” How to see the power of God in your life!
PRAYER FOR THE SERIES
My Prayer for this series and in fact all of the series of this year is that our relationship with the Holy Spirit would grow.
WE are in a relationship , an indwelling relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Loved ones it is the Spirit of God that lives in us as Saved people as God’s Children.
My prayer is that through a growing relationship with the Holy Spirit we would grow in our relationship with Jesus
our service to Jesus
That we either begin to live our life or increase our living out the mission of Jesus that Jesus has called all of us into
all the while as we realize more and more the great love of Jesus for us.
My prayer is that God, through our growing obedience to Jesus, by the very power and relationship we have with the Holy Spirit working in us, would do more abundantly than we can possibly imagine or even think, according to the power that is in us so that through our very lives He would get all the Glory, and through out every generation we touch and throughout the church forever and ever.
AMEN?
PRAYER OVER THE MESSAGE
My prayer over this mornings message is that we would come to know and understand that as the church...
who is the church?
We are the church?
Filled with the Holy Spirit a Spirit filled people.
That this morning as we reflect a little on the past messages that one the Holy Spirit Speaks to us,
He speaks to us through the Scriptures -
He speaks to us in community of faith.
He speaks to us through constant and continual prayer!
The Holy Spirit Empowers us to Love, not just any Love, but the kind of Love that is Divine.
A love that Never fails.
The Holy Spirit set us free from sin - The Holy Spirit is the power of God that changes our relationship with sin by making us new creatures in Christ, washed, regenerated Reborn and Renewed. Transferred from death to life by the very power of the Holy Spirit - By Faith and Trust that is given as a gift of the Holy Spirit and lived out in the fruits of the Spirit.
All of that is a prelude to what we will come to know this morning is that the Holy Spirit empowers us to to Unity!
TRUTH -
ENGAGEMENT –
AS I was thinking about this message the last few weeks.
There were two words that Just kept rolling around in my head kinda of over and over.
One of the Terms was “organization”
and not the organization that is like “i am great at organization” like the verb
but rather like the noun “an organization”
And I thought what makes an organization an an organization.
SO I just had to look it up!
SO the Cambridge dictionary had like 17 definitions So I combined a few of them!
Here is the combined definition of the Noun “An Organization”
A group, of people, who’s members, work together, in an organized way, to accomplish a specific, particular and shared purpose!
As I though about the word Organization
the very next thing that came to my mind was “Team”
Now I’m not all that much of a sports fan but I have played my fair share of team sports.
Maybe you have too or maybe you are a really just big fan.
I don't know what your favorite game or team is.
Maybe its football.
I think we have all watch the games of what ever team we like and there are games where the team we are rooting for just cant seem to get on the same page.
Ya know, Just thinking about this, Ever watched a game where there was a fumble or an interception and the guy who recovered the fumble got confused and ended up running all the way to the wrong end zone?
Like a basketball player who gets turned around after a mid court scramble of the ball and ends up making points for the other team?
Yea - You see suddenly with the best of intentions - the groups of people for just a moment is not all working together for a specific shared purpose.
For just a moment, that one person, who got confused, is playing for the the side.
Here is what is interesting about organizations and team.
The more preparation these guys do, usually the better they do in what ever shared specific purpose they have.
What is really interesting is that a team and an organization have almost the same definition. The only difference is the activity and size.
Organization are bigger then team and team usually have to do with sports.
TENSION
Ya know, the funny part is as I was thinking about organizations and teams and understanding the definitions, and thinking about those times when players executed the wrong plays or the team just couldn't put is all together - or even those times when Teams got is all together and there was something very special that happened.
and I went back to the definition.
An Organization is a group of people, who’s members, work together, in an organized way, to accomplish a specific, particular, shared purpose!
Here is what it made me thing of.
It made me think of the assembly of the called out ones.
What is the Assembly of the called out ones?
The Church!
Here is the funny thing.
Most of us if not all of us, don't think about the church, the Local church, Stonewater fellowship as a team or an organization whose members work together in an organized way to accomplish a shared, particular specific purpose.
Yet that is exactly what Jesus intended when He formed and launched the church at pentecost and sent the holy spirit to Indwell and empower His followers.
Ya know - I don’t think that we think that way!
Because in a significant number of our church experience we weren't trying to score points on a board or manufacture widgets, or cars or tennishoes or anything like an organization actually does.
Most of not all of us think in very real terms and we at some level think it very rightly -
We cannot be like those other organizations that score points or make widgets or tennishoes.
TO which I would say you are absolutely correct!
To be a church that is navigated like a manufacturing organization or any other organization out there would bring same upon the body of Jesus.
and at the very same time you cannot escape the fact that when you read the new testament, and especially the words of Jesus, there is a production issues that Jesus deals with and Jesus calls it Fruit.
Fruit is always production of a living organism - and fruit is always after its own kind.
Tmoatoes making more tomatoes -
Olives making more olives.
Fig trees making more fig treese
Disciple making more disciples.
The Church - A group, a people whose members who’s members, work together, in an organized way, to accomplish a specific, particular, shared purpose!
You see loves ones, when we read the new Testament, over and over again, you will run straight into words like “body” Members” Co-Laborers - Fellow Bond slaves.
All of whom have a calling by Jesus to do one thing.
Go into this world and make disciples.
This is Jesus command to the Church, The Ordination of the Church and the central reason the church is here and has been for 2000 years.
You see loved ones - Making disciples of Jesus is so much more important that playing football or making tennishoes.
The score on the board will be soon forgotten and the tennishoes will one day end up in the dump.
But the souls of men who are saved by grace through faith becasue God used our lives to represent christ and make him known to the world…
That lasts forever!
In order to do that well and inorder fro God to use us for the eternal benifit of the sould of men.
Jesus knew that we would need some help. He sent the helper.
One of the many things that the Holy Spirit, the Helper empowers in us is UNITY
The Holy Spirit empowers us to Love
To that end is to be in UNITY.
You see without Unity - A football team isn’t winning many games, A tennis show company isn’t making many or quality shoes and a church isn’t collectively following the eternal purpose that Jesus gave it.
But here is the funny part - If your on a football team Unity seems easy -
You in a tennis shoe company - Unity seems easy.
You get to a church - Unity has to be strived for - Unity has to be fought for - Unity has to be valued and prayed for...
WHY…?
Because we have an enemy, a spiritual enemy that hates God
Hates all of God's work
All of God’s creation with a passionate hatred that you and I cannot understand.
SO lets look at out text this morning!
BACKGROUND
Unity is what Paul is Navigating in the letter he writes to the Church in Ephesus along with some other things.
You see in the Ephesian Church which was made up of both Jewish believers and Gentile Believers.
The Jewish believers had kinda nose up in the air attitude over the gentile believers and the gentile believers who were once trapped and imprisoned by demon worship and witchcraft.
Paul spends the first 3 chapters of the letter unfolding the depth of the Gospel and the love of God and the Love that he has for them.
Remember- Paul spent three and a half years in Ephesus Making disciples and equipping others to go make disciples.
A guy named Epaphrus was brought to Jesus by Paul and saved while He was in Ephesus and went back home and began making disciples in Colassae and planted a church there and they made more disciples.
Paul leaves his child in the faith, named Timothy in Ephesus to lead the Church in the city. And so he writes to the Church.
He begin the Letter “to the saints who are in Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus”
So we must understand that this is to faithful believers.
He then gets to This part of His letter and he begins with this.
VS1
As a prisoner of the Lord, Urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”
so first things - Paul is writing while in prison.
He is under house arrest in Rome awaiting a trial that would ultimately lead to his death.
Read about that in Acts Chapter 27-28
Amazingly while Paul is in prison (house arrest) he continues to make disciples by welcoming all who came to Him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all Boldness and without hindrance.
So Paul is a prisoner and considers it an opportunity to make more disciples.
AS this prisoner he writes to the church that He once led - a church among whom Paul equipped and trained another leader Timothy to take the lead when Paul left.
He says “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”
So a couple of questions that we really must answer.
What is the calling to which they have been called?
AND
What does walking in a manner worthy of that Calling mean?
So to calling -
The Calling is the purpose of the Church - It is the calling of Jesus - TO fallow Him and to be a fisher of men.
This was the only direct promise Jesus made about this earthly life when he called someone to follow Him.
That promise was that if they fallowed Him Jesus would make them something they aware not. He would make them fishers of Men.
And that is what followers of Jesus did - They gave up their life and followed Jesus and they became fishers of men.
And, what is implied in this letter here in chapter 4 is there is a way of living that is conducive to the calling and there is a way that is not conducive.
The way of living our life style is what Paul is referring to when He says “Walk in a manner worthy”
He is talking about how we live life - How we walk through life.
VS 2
He begins to give details as to how this life is to be lived.
Walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which you have been called -
Walk with all humility.
Walk with Gentleness -
Walk with Patience
Walk together bearing with one another in Love.
Lets break some of these down:
humility - Means Lowly - It means Modestly
to be modest not flashy
Gentleness - a negative is easier to understand - It meas do not deal with another person in a harsh way.
Patience - That is an interesting word. it means
a state of emotional calm in the face of provocation or misfortune and without complaint or irritation
Then Paul says: Bearing with one another in Love.
The Love word us the love word for God’s kind of love that unconditional, un merited, unlimited kind of love.
But what does Bearing with one another mean?
It means being patient with each other even in the face of difficulty!
Here is what Paul has just said and implied in this 2 verses -
You ALL (remember this is written to a collective not an individual) too many times when we read the Bible we take it as individual. and we leave it there.
The Letters were written to groups - TO assemblies and they give us a picture of what life together should look like as jesus followers.
WE all have a calling have a calling by God as Jesus followers to make disciples.
There is a way to walk through this life that is worthy of that calling -
With all modesty, not being flashy about anything, Never being harsh with anybody - Maintaining a state of emotional calm in the face of provocation or misfortune and doing so without complaint or irritation. even in the face of difficulty in and through unconditional, un merited, unlimited kind of Love.
VS 3
Paul is then going put the capstone on all this in verse three -
EAGER to maintain the unity of the Spirit.
EAGER - The word in the original language of the new testament has really so much more power than what we think about eager.
Eager in the english means we want something or we want to have something very much.
Like Ice Cream and the 8 year old.
You tell an 8 yr old that ice cream is possible and you will see the living definition of eager.
But the new testament word is SOOO much more powerful.
The New testament word doesn't mean “you want it badly”.
The new testament word that is used there when we read Eager means:
to do something with intense effort and motivation—‘to work hard, to do one’s best, to endeavor.
Here is what Paul has just told them: Endeavor, Work hard with intense effort and motivation to Maintain the Unity of the Spirit.
The word Maintain - Pretty complicated - I had to look this one up - It means to maintain!
Actually it is a little more intense that just maintain. It means “to watch over, to protect, so it can continue”
Paul then begins in the back of VS3 to tie tat all together when He says “in the bond of peace”
Paul uses a term “The Bond” of peace the Bond meaning something that ties everything together.
Kind of like a ZIP TIE
What Paul has just specifically said is that the way we live our life together is how we are to measure the worthiness of of life.
It is implied that if we are walking in a manner that is worthy of our calling to which we have been called:
we will endeavor, work hard with intense effort to watch over and protect so it can continue UNITY of the Spirit - and we will do that with the thing that bonds all of us together - PEACE.
VERSE4
Paul then begins to use a word picture to lay out for us so that we can easily see and hear and experience what this actually looks like in the real world of application.
While He does this he also emphasizes the Theological truth of the Church, Salvation and other important doctrines of the Faith.
Watch and Listen to what he says: and he is going to repeat a word 7 times.
1st time:
There is ONE Body. - When Paul is writing this He is using a word that means a physical living breathing body. But here he is using it in reference to the Church -
The Assembly of the called out ones - Is referenced here as a Body.
There is only ONE body of Christ - There is only ONE collective Church.
2nd Time
ONE Spirit - Only One Holy Spirit
3rd time:
Just as you were called to ONE HOPE that belongs to your call.
Here is how that flushes out.
Called by Jesus to follow Him?
Made new by the washing regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit?
Given the gift of faith, repented unto salvation, surrendering your life to Jesus, saved by grace through faith?
You have a eternal Hope of inheritance in the Kingdom of God that is the person of Jesus Christ and there is only ONE.
VERSE 5
Paul then continues with this picture of Unity.
One Lord - which means ONE Master,
One faith - Which means One trust - We have a single trust -
ONE Baptism - Literally means ONE Immersion. That one Imerision is of Water and Spirit. That is what Jesus said - Unless you are born again of water and spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of God”
VERSE 6
Paul the wraps this up by ending verse 6 with
ONE GOD and FATHER of ALL, who is Over all, Through all and in all.
In other words - One God and Father who is Sovereign over all.
UNITY -
ONE BODY - ONE SPIRIT - ONE CALLING - ONE HOPE - ONE FAITH - ONE BAPTISM - ONE GOD
Paul then takes the rest of the letter and lays out how that works among the people of the church and church leadership.
Then moves to the individual
Walks that out in terms of family
employment
and then how to guard ourselves from our enemy.
But ya know this isn't the only time deals with Unity.
In multiple letter Paul writes to encourage Unity.
Terms like ONE mind- Unity of Mind - ONE Hope - One Purpose.
TO the Church in Phillipi Paul writes in the very first Chapter.
27 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.
Again taking our life style and calling us to live a life that is worthy of the Gospel of Christ.
Then Look what He says -
WE are standing firm in ONE SPIRIT, ONE MIND -
doing what together?
Striving Side by Side for the faith of the Gospel...
VERSE 28 - Not frightened in anything by our opponents.
One of the incredible benefits of unity - Love - Love that is being perfected by Jesus and what does love do?
Cast out all fear.
Paul addresses it again in Chapter two of His letter.
VERSE1
IF there is any participation IN the Holy Spirit -
Be of the same mind
Having the same love
Being in full accord that means being in full unity
and ONE mind.
ONE mind - Same thinking, Same Philosophy - Same direction, Same Purpose.
In other words:
Be a group, a people, an assembly of called out ones, whose members work together, in an organized way, to accomplish a specific, particular, shared purpose!
And Paul would define that as Following Jesus and being obedient to His commands.
UNITY - It is EMpowered and effectuated by the Holy Spirit.
And Unity it has to be strived for -
Unity has to be prayed for -
Unity has to be fought for.
FOR we must endeavor, work hard with intense effort to watch over and protect unity so it can continue UNITY of the Spirit - and we will do that with the thing that bonds all of us together - PEACE.
AS ROBERT AND OUR MUSICAL TEAM COME TO LEAD US TO THE TABLE OF JESUS.
WE might be left with the question WHY?
Why do we have to be in unity?
or Better yet
WHY do I have to be in UNITY?
1st Reason is Jesus prayed for it in His high priestly prayer in John 17
Jesus knew that Unity was not going to come easy.
2nd reason - Christian living -
To live in such a peculiar way that the world notices and looks at Christians and says “They represent Christ and are making Him known.”
Is never done as a solo act.
WHo is the Church?
We are the Church!
We!!! Collectively!! the answer to that question is NEVER “I am the Church”
This is what Paul Expounds on In 1 Cor chapter 12 verses 13-26
This is why He says in verse 13
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
One Holy Spirit - We Partook of Him and He formed us into one Body.
A body of Many parts, many members that do different things - they have different roles.
This is what He is talking about in verses 14 and beyond.
Here is the beautiful Part -
18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
God has put together the Body.
You see we are not a church by happenstance.
WE are not a church becasue of Chance.
Stonewater Felowship is a local church. A local expression of the global historical church - An assembly of the called out ones.
Unified by the Spirit, as the body of Jesus. By God who has arranged us as He chooses.
And here is what He desires
24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
UNITY -
In this season of Stonewater Fellowship we are experiencing a season of great unity.
It has come to us through prayer and really through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
One of the prayers that we pray for every Sunday morning when we gather for prayer
and one of the things that the leaders pray for is Unity.
I want to give you a real and living example of how this is walked out.
AS the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater, I serve Jesus as and Elder on our Elder team.
Currently our team is three and we are playfully and hopefully going to be placing two more men in front of the member for affirmation here over the next few months.
So here is what that looks like.
The Elder team in the last two and a half years had not made a decisions that has not been unanimous.
Where we were all in agreement.
Now that does not mean that we all agree all the time.
It also does not mean that we operate with the promise of agreeing all the time.
Here is what happens - 2 things -
1 - We spend time together investing and developing our relationship with each other.
2 - We are in the Scriptures and Doing a devotional together every day.
So when it comes to coming together for decisions - WE have this enormous trust in what God is doing with us.
And we have just waited on each other and god to affirm any decisions that is in front of us.
I want you to know 1 how much of a miracle that is and 2 How much time and effort we spend Being eager for Unity”
Here is another way that walk out among brothers, and again the Elder team as an example.
Sometimes, I will be p here and I will say something that is stupid or I will use the wrong words or just be a little clumsy in what I say.
And here is what will Immediately happen.
One of our Elders will come to me as I walk of the Platform, during the last worship song, Put His arm around me and share with me what he heard me say.
I absolutely will listen and respond - It happened a few weeks ago.
Some of you were here and Heard me make the correction at the end of our worship time when I had gotten tongue tied and Substituted Consequence for the word Coincidence.
I want to share with you how comforting it is to know that Jon and Steve and me watch over each other in those things a more.
Lets come to the Table of Jesus in UNITY Together!
PRAYER TEAM
A PROPER RESPONSE TO THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ISSUE