Unity vs. Uniformity

Genesis 1:26 NLT

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

What does it mean that we’re like God?

We operate like God does

we are effective when we do things that God does the way God does it

Genesis 11:1–9 NLT

At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.” In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.

What is the cost of speaking the same thing here in America to make our reputation great

Let’s look at what’s really going on here

Why was the solution diversity?

Acts 2:1–8 NLT

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!

What are the parallels in this text

how are the different

what do they have to do with one another

Alexander had a dream of one world with one culture and one language

because folks are easier to control when they speak and believe the same thing

Now think about how Jesus was treated

Matthew 28:12–13 NLT

A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’

Matthew 28:11–13 NLT

As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’

There was a story to control the people so that they could crush any notion if Jesus being who he said he was

how many narratives does Jesus go against?

How many narratives does the church support?

This study is about carrying the gospel to the world ‘

We’re learning how to tell the story

Notice when the told the story the did it in every tongue present’

What we see here is unity verses uniformity

My thesis is there is too much uniformity in the church and not enough unity.

What do you think the difference is?