Building up in love Part 1: Unity

Psalm 78:23-29 / Ephesians 4:1-6

A manner worthy of your call (Eph 1:3-6)

an eternal calling

a calling to holiness

a calling to sonship

a calling of grace

2 Sides of one coin: Negative& Positive

Ephesians 5:8 Do not be drunk, but be filled

Negative:

Bearing with. one another in love Bearing presupposes conflict

Galatians 5:22-23 ( humility, gentleness, patience) In love= by choice, not default

this is a conscious act of will; intentionality

Positive:

( eagerly) Maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace

Matthew 5: 9 Blessed are the peacemakers for THEY shall be called the children of God

This unity is of the congregation (majority is not unity)

Not a unity of preference

Not a unity of tradition( grand or small)

One body

Globally& Locally

Local is a microcosm of the global

The function of members is seen more easily locally

We lack the perspective to see global/eternal Pau here speaks of the local body; unity of the global body will be found at the return of Christ

One Spirit calling to One Hope

There is NO disunity in the Trinity The Spirit ONLY draws us to Christ; never any other

One Lord

Jesus is uniquely called Lord of Lords (Revelation 17:14)

Jesus is the lamb who is a lion; the only one found worthy to open the seals& govern the events all the way to the end of time (Revelation 5)

One faith

Christian faith, Baptist Expression/Religion

Faith in anyone or anything apart from Christ is ill-founded

One Baptism

That is the baptism that is an outward sign of an inward work, and a pledge of faithfulness& obedience Peter called an appeal to God for a clean conscience (1 Peter 3:21)

One God and father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

Shma Yisrael, Yahweh nuh Eloheh, Yahweh Ehad

These are the things that we must not only hold in unity, but prioritize in all we do as a church body.

In Eternity Past, there was Trinitarian Unity

Now, in time, We strive for Congregational Unity

Then, in Eternity Future, God& His People will be perfectly united

A loving God is instructing His People in love to obey the leading and enabling Spirit to love each other in ways that cause us in the here and now to look more like and act more like the unified vision of eternity; be eager for peace and unity, and ready to forbear each other now and until the Lord returns.