A Healthy Church is Unified

A HEALTHY CHURCH IS UNIFIED

INTRODUCTION:

I’VE BEEN PRAYING ABOUT WHAT MY FINAL SERMON AS THE SENIOR PASTOR OF FBC – BETHEL SPRINGS NEEDS TO BE.

AND THE LORD HAS LED ME END WHERE WE BEGAN, WITH THE SAME MESSAGE I SHARED WITH YOU ON MY FIRST SUNDAY AS YOUR PASTOR.

BECAUSE NOW, AS YOU ONCE AGAIN ENTER INTO A SEASON OF WAITING, AND PRAYING, AND SEEKING GOD’S MAN TO BE THE NEXT LEADER OF THIS GREAT CHURCH, YOU NEED TO BE UNIFIED.

UNIFIED IN YOUR PRAYERS, UNIFIED IN YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S WILL, AND UNIFIED BEFORE A WATCHING COMMUNITY.

SO I WANT TO SPEND A FEW MINUTES THIS MORNING TALKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE OF UNITY.

PAUL EQUATES WALKING WORTHY OF OUR CALLING WITH THE WAY UNITY IS DISPLAYED IN THE BODY OF CHRIST, ALONG WITH HUMILITY, GENTLENESS, PATIENCE, AND TOLERANCE.

SO LET’S LOOK AT THIS IDEA OF WALKING WORTHY OF OUR CALLING, WITH AN EYE TO UNITY, THROUGH THE PRACTICES OF HUMILITY, GENTLENESS, PATIENCE, AND TOLERANCE.

SO, BEAR WITH ME FOR A FEW MINUTES AS WE UNPACK THIS PASSAGE…

HERE’S THE OVERARCHING TRUTH FROM WHICH EVERYTHING ELSE FLOWS IN THIS PASSAGE.

1. WE WALK WORTHY OF OUR CALLING WHEN WE FOCUS ON UNITY.

a. THERE IS NO PLACE IN THE CHURCH FOR A DIVISIVE SPIRIT.

b. PAUL ENCOURAGES THE EPHESIAN CHURCH, AND BY EXTENSION OUR CHURCH, TO VALIDATE THEIR WALK BY WORKING HARD TO MAINTAIN UNITY IN THE CHURCH

c. UNITY IS MAINTAINED IN FOUR WAYS:

i. IT IS MAINTAINED WHEN WE WALK IN HUMILITY AND GENTLENESS.

1. HUMILITY – IS THE OPPOSITE OF HAVING AN EXALTED VIEW OF ONESELF.

b. LET’S BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES THIS MORNING…WERE IT NOT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD AND FOR HIS MERCIES THAT ARE NEW EVERY DAY, WE WOULD BE NOBODIES HEADED FOR NOTHING.

b. LET’S BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES THIS MORNING…WERE IT NOT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD AND FOR HIS MERCIES THAT ARE NEW EVERY DAY, WE WOULD BE NOBODIES HEADED FOR NOTHING.

c. BUT THANKS TO GOD’S AMAZING GRACE, AND THANKS TO THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS, WE CAN SAY, ALONG WITH THE APOSTLE PAUL, “BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM.” ()

d. JOHN DICKSON, IN HIS BOOK “HUMILITAS,” WRITES OF A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY IN ACTION:

e. 3 YOUNG MEN BOARDED A BUS IN DETROIT IN THE 1930’S AND TRIED TO PICK A FIGHT WITH A MAN SEATED IN THE BACK.

i. THEY INSULTED HIM, BUT HE SAID NOTHING.

ii. THEY INCREASED THEIR INSULTS, STILL NO RESPONSE.

iii. FINALLY THE STRANGER ON THE BACK OF THE BUS STOOD UP.

iv. HE WAS MUCH BIGGER THAN THEY HAD ESTIMATED…MUCH BIGGER.

v. HE REACHED INTO HIS POCKET, HANDED THEM HIS BUSINESS CARD, AND WALKED OFF THE BUS.

vi. AS THE BUS PULLED AWAY, THE 3 YOUNG MEN GATHERED AROUND TO READ WHAT WAS PRINTED ON THE CARD.

vii. JUST 3 WORDS WERE THERE…JOE LOUIS: BOXER.

f. THEY HAD JUST TRIED TO PICK A FIGHT WITH JOE LOUIS, CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE THE GREATEST BOXER OF ALL TIME.

g. JOE COULD HAVE EASILY TAKEN ALL 3 OF THESE MEN ON…AND WON, BUT HE WAS WILLING TO RESTRAIN HIS OWN POWER IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS.

h. THAT’S WHAT HUMILITY LOOKS LIKE.

2. GENTLENESS – CAN BEST BE DESCRIBED AS THE ABILITY TO BE POLITE WHEN IT TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT TO DO SO…

3. SO A PERSON WHO IS WALKING IN HUMILITY AND GENTLENESS IS A PERSON WHO UNDERSTANDS HIS GREAT NEED BEFORE GOD AND IS WILLING TO BE KIND AND GRACIOUS TO OTHERS EVEN WHEN HE MIGHT HAVE GOOD REASON NOT TO BE.

4. AND UNITY IS MAINTAINED WHEN WE WALK IN HUMILITY AND GENTLENESS.

ii. UNITY IS ALSO MAINTAINED WHEN WE WALK WITH PATIENCE.

1. FRANK THIELMAN DEFINES PATIENCE AS “PERSISTENCE IN ONE’S CONVICTIONS, EVEN WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES MAKE THIS DIFFICULT.”

iii. UNITY IS MAINTAINED WHEN WE BEAR WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE.

1. BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER MEANS THAT WE ACTIVELY WORK AT LOVING EVEN THE UNLOVABLE.

2. IT’S AMAZING SOMETIMES TO WATCH WHAT BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE CAN DO.

a. I REMEMBER AN EXPERINECE KIMBERLEY HAD WHILE WE WERE ON A MISSION TRIP IN NYC.

i. WHILE SHE WAS ON GARBAGE PICK-UP DETAIL, SHE RAN ACROSS A BITTER OLD MAN WHO REALLY DIDN’T HAVE A GOOD THING TO SAY ABOUT ANYTHIGN OR ANYONE.

b. BUT AS SHE SPENT SOME TIME TALKING TO HIM, SHE REALIZED THAT WHAT HE REALLY WANTED WAS JUST SIMPLY SOMEONE TO SPEND SOME TIME LISTENING TO HIS STORY.

3. SO THE NEXT DAY WHEN SHE WENT BACK TO THAT SAME AREA TO PICK UP GARBAGE, GUESS WHO WAS EXCITED TO SEE HER…THE BITTER OLD MAN FROM THE DAY BEFORE.

4. AND HE WASN’T AS BITTER AS HE HAD BEEN, BECAUSE SHE WAS WILLING TO BEAR WITH HIM IN LOVE.

5. SO WE MAINTAIN UNITY WHEN WE BEAR WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE.

iv. UNITY IS MAINTAINED WHEN WE ENERGETICALLY PURSUE IT.

1. HERE IN THE TEXT, PAUL USES THE WORD EAGER TO DESCRIBE OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD MAINTAINING UNITY.

a. IT MEANS TO HAVE A KEEN DESIRE.

b. OR TO BE INTENSELY INVOLVED IN SOMETHING.

c. OR TO SHOW A SERIOUS INTEREST.

e. AND SO WHEN HE WENT TO PICK HER UP FOR THE DATE, BELLA WAS STANDING OUTSIDE WAITING ON HIM, WEARING A DRESS THAT HER MOTHER HAD WORN TO A FATHER-DAUGHTER DANCE WHEN SHE WAS BELLA’S AGE.

f. SHE WAS EAGER…SHE HAD A SERIOUS INTEREST IN GOING TO THE DANCE WITH HER DADDY…

g. SO MUCH SO THAT SHE ALLOWED HER MOTHER TO DRESS HER, TO FIX HER HAIR, PUT MAKE-UP ON HER (NOT TOO MUCH – BECAUSE SHE IS A MODEST YOUNG LADY), AND WAS INTENSELY WATCHING THE DRIVEWAY, WAITING ON HER DADDY TO ARRIVE.

h. THAT’S EAGERNESS.

i. THAT IS TO BE OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD MAINTAINING UNITY IN THE BODY.

2. WE ARE TO ACTIVELY SEEK IT…TO PURSUE IT DAILY…TO GUARD AGAINST THOSE THINGS THAT WOULD DESTROY UNITY, AND TO HAVE A KEEN DESIRE TO HAVE OUR CHURCH BE RECOGNIZED AS A CHURCH THAT IS UNIFIED.

v. BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT A HEALTHY CHURCH DOES…

I DON’T HAVE TIME TO GET THROUGH ALL THIS PASSAGE HAS TO SAY THIS MORNING, SO WE’LL FINISH IT UP NEXT WEEK.

2. WE WALK WORTHY OF OUR CALLING WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THE THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION FOR UNITY IN THE CHURCH.

CONCLUSION:

BEFORE I CLOSE, LET ME SHARE WITH YOU THE FIRST STEP TO UNITY.

AND THAT IS HAVING A CHURCH FILLED WITH BORN-AGAIN PEOPLE.

YOU MAY BE HERE THIS MORNING AND YOUR LIFE MAY BE A CONSTANT ROLLER COASTER OF BAD DECISIONS, FOLLOWED BY REMOURSE, FOLLOWED BY A DESIRE TO “DO BETTER.”

AND YOU HAVE TRIED TIME AFTER TIME TO BE A GOOD PERSON, BUT YOU JUST CANNOT SEEM TO BREAK OUT OF THE CYCLE.

IT MAY VERY WELL BE THAT YOUR PROBLEM LIES LESS IN YOUR ABILITY TO DO BETTER, AND MORE IN YOUR ABILITY TO SEE THAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL YOUR ISSUES IS SIN.

IT’S YOUR SIN THAT IS THE PROBLEM.

YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MORNING THAT THE ONLY WAY TO OVERCOME THE SIN PROBLEM IN YOUR LIFE IS TO PLACE YOUR FAITH IN THE ONLY ONE WHO EVER CONQUERED SIN, JESUS CHRIST.

THE BIBLE TEACHES US IN THAT JESUS TOOK OUR SINS UPON HIMSELF ON THE CROSS AND GAVE TO EVERYONE WHO WOULD PLACE THEIR FAITH IN HIM AND HIM ALONE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

AND SO NOW, THOSE WHO HAVE PLACED THEIR FAITH IN CHRIST ARE NO LONGER SEEN BY GOD AS LOST SINNERS, BUT AS REDEEMED SINNERS, PURCHASED BY THE VERY BLOOD OF JESUS HIMSELF.