All In: Common Unity

I want to begin today with a passage in . We are going to camp in for the rest of our time, but this passage is important for connecting this week with last week.

Last week I talked about how God’s word is Living and Active, it Cuts to the deepest places of who we are, and changes us.

What I mean is, do you believe God’s Word in such a way that if something is written in it or commanded by it you will reorient your life around it?

There is a reality that is evident if you study the church: outside of how we spend a few hours of our week, we don’t look very different from those not

That’s what it means to be ALL IN. That’s what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

That’s what my message was all about last week. God’s Word is living and active, cuts to the deepest part of us, and changes us. If we engage in God’s Word we will be different.

Paul, in , is making that same case.

Ephesians 4:1 ESV

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

The calling we have received refers back to the indicatives from Chapters 1-3

Identity precedes Activity

Are chosen by God, adopted into His family

Are recipients of God’s inheritance (we have SO MUCH to look forward to in heaven)

- Are recipients of God’s inheritance (we have SO MUCH to look forward to in heaven)

Was born a child of wrath but Christ has stepped into our sinfulness and have been given salvation by God grace, not by our works.

- Was born a child of wrath but Christ has stepped into our sinfulness and have been given salvation by God grace, not by our works.

- Has been given the promise and power of the Holy Spirit who is the seal of our eternal salvation

Has been given the promise and power of the Holy Spirit who is the seal of our eternal salvation

And it is our identity that we live from.

Identity precedes Activity

Paul’s saying “Your faith in Christ make you different from those that don’t know Christ.”

If you believe this Word then you are going to live differently.

REMEMBER, HE IS SAYING THIS FROM JAIL

This worthiness shows in two ways:

In how we live- Morality in vv 17-32

In how we love- in our relationship with others vv 2-16

- In how we love- in our relationship with others vv 2-16

The first 3 chapters of Ephesians are largely in the indicative “God has done this for you.” or “You were like this and have now become that.”

Ephesians 4:3 ESV

3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The last 3 chapters are largely in the imperative “Live this way. Do this; don’t do that.”

This is intentional and is the message of the Gospel. The indicative fuels the imperative.

Who we are fuels what we do.

So when Paul says “walk in a manner worthy of the calling.” he is referring back to the established identity that someone In Christ:

Are chosen by God, adopted into His family

Our commitment to Christ shows itself in our common unity with other believers.

Are recipients of God’s inheritance (we have SO MUCH to look forward to in heaven)

Was born a child of wrath but Christ has stepped into our sinfulness and have been given salvation by God grace, not by our works.

We have been

Has been given the promise and power of the Holy Spirit who is the seal of our eternal salvation

We have been given the promise and power of the Holy Spirit who is the seal of our eternal salvation

Specifically, walking worthy of our calling means we, vs 3, strive to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

If you believe this Word then your life will be marked by a commitment to be with other believers.

This is not just attending a service at a church building, although that is important.

This is not just hanging out with Christian people occasionally.

This has an intensely theological significance.

Theological Foundations for Common Unity

Ephesians 4:4–6 ESV

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

eph 4

1) We are One Body

We are intrinsically connected just like our cardiac and pulmonary systems are interconnected.

Your heart cannot do its job if you lungs are not taking in oxygen. But your lungs are unable to bring oxygen throughout the body without the heart pumping blood through you veins.

You are not designed to function outside the body of Christ and the Body of Christ is not complete without you.

2) We have One Spirit

The Spirit of God is God’s presence and power in us to lead us and to empower us to live for Him and do the works He has called us to do.

Each true believer has received the Spirit when they believed in Jesus.

3) We have One Hope

Our hope should not be in what we can accomplish or accumulate on this earth, but in the promise and hope of heaven.

4) We have One Lord

Jesus is the Lord, the king and master, of all who are saved.

Our lives are governed and directed by Jesus.

We have a common allegiance to Jesus.

5) We have One Faith

We are united by common beliefs about who Jesus is, what He did, and what He will do.

We often think this is the only one that really united us, but it is only one aspect.

6) We have One Baptism

the outworking and symbol of our faith in Christ is baptism.

We express our faith in Christ and our connection to the body of Christ when we are baptized.

7) We have One God and Father

Ultimately we all share a creator and sustainer. We all come from our God and Father who is the source of ALL that exists.

Four Virtues of Common Unity

Ephesians 4:2 ESV

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

1) Humility

Christ-centered humility/lowliness is a disposition to think lowly of ourselves and highly of Christ.

It is a putting of Christ in His rightful place, at the center of our lives.

Not putting our comfort, success, safety, or reputation at the center.

It is putting the good of others before ourselves.

“it is better to give than to receive”

“The first shall be last and the last shall be first.”

Humility is not a lack of confidence, it is a confidence rooted in Christ

It is not a lack of strength, it is a strength empowered by the Spirit in us.

2) Gentleness

The disposition of someone who finds their value in Christ and their strength in the Lord.

Gentleness/Meekness is our posture toward others.

I do not need to tear someone down to feel good about myself

My words can hurt. My actions can hurt. And often my intentions are to make others feel lower than me and me to feel higher than them.

When I do speak, I speak the truth in love ()

Our words come from a place of wisdom and confidence in the Lord Jesus.

3) Patience

People will hurt us, disappoint us, and/or take advantage of us.

Our tendency is to give up, turn our backs, and wash our hands.

Patience here is saying common unity requires us to show others the same patient endurance that Christ has shown us.

I do not need to defend myself and vindicate myself if someone hurts me or slanders me.

I will forgive and restore relationship just as Christ does with me.

4) Forbearance

“It involves bearing with one another’s weaknesses, not ceasing to love one’s neighbours or friends because of those faults in them which perhaps offend or displease us”

The idea is that we must endure one another.

There are different personalities, parenting styles, levels of cleanliness, styles of listening, willingness levels for talking and sharing...

Francis Foulkes, Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 10, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989), 116.

Living in Community Unity requires that we endure one another in the same way Christ endures us, in all our mess and bad decisions.

Are you in?

Are you in to making EVERY EFFORT to keep the unity of our church?

Are you committed to living in common unity with your brothers and sisters in Christ?

Are you IN to sharing life with your church family?

Are you IN to bearing with one another with life gets tough?

WE ARE ONE BODY!!

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