Unity of the Church

Unity

A prize worth having

United We Stand Brotherhood of Man

For united we stand. Divided we fall And if our backs should ever be against the wall We'll be together, Together, you and I

Paul in continuing is call the the church is in fact calling us to a higher state

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When we read .

Ephesians 4:1–4 NIV

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

He is laying out the attributes required for unity

The calling to which we are called - to be in the place which God has appointed for you throughout the ages. We are generally hesitant as people to let go of the secretly important attributes of our lives, The personal idiosyncratic factors that define us.

wE ARE GENUALLY HESI

We can say it is the habits that define us as human beings, however the question it is the moving forward in faith that we redefine UNITY

unity does not stand still and neither do we

It is God who is the same today as he was yesterday and will be into the future because he is complete in every way.

The unity that we are looking for changes as we change.

It is not like flicking a switch on in a dark room so as to see

unity is found in a midst of change

Lets take an example

Painting the church

Susan believes God has said a soft pastel pink is right

Dale likewise believes God is saying a gentle aqua blue

Both colours are equally pleasant and supported by people in the congregation how do we move ahead?

Lets look at what Paul is saying again

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Ephesians 4:3–6 NIV

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

and in verses 11-13

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Ephesians 4:11–15 NIV

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. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Ephesians 4:11–13 NIV

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.