United In Christ, United with One Another

Introduction

Openning Illustration

Nearly everyone in the world knows who Michael Jordan is. But very few people knew who Jerry Krause was, that is, until the release of the Last Dance. The Last Dance is a 10-part documentary released in April that centers around the final year of legendary Chicago Bulls team of the 1990s. Upon watching the very first episode we quickly learn that all is not right in Chicago. This super team, which has won 5 championships in the last 7 years, is being broken up by one man - Jerry Krause. You see, Jerry was the man in charge of assembling this team and he was offended that Jordan and head coach, Phil Jackson, were getting all the credit for those 5 championships.

And so, at the start of this final season he told the best coach in basketball that it didn’t matter if the team won every single game that year, he would be fired at the end of the season. He actively tried to trade away the second best player on the team, Scottie Pippen, because of personal strife between the two. And, after winning their sixth championship in 8 years, he did everything he said he would. He fired the head coach, he traded away or fired the best players and he effectively forced Michael Jordan into retirement.

This is the power of selfishness and misplaced ambition. It creates strife and division that destroys even the greatest of teams.

Historical Context

And this is exactly the threat that the Philippian church faced when the Apostle Paul wrote them this letter. The Church at Philippi could be characterized as a healthy church. It was the first church that Paul established in Europe, which you can read of in Acts 16. They were a church that was actively involved in Paul’s ministry. They regularly gave monetary support to Paul to provide for his needs during his missions. In fact just prior to this letter being written, the church had sent one of their own members, Epaphroditus, to serve Paul’s needs and bring him a gift while in prison in Rome.

However, even healthy, doctrinally strong churches face grave threats from without and from within. Such was the case with the Philippian church. They faced persecution and the attacks of false teachers from without. And its health was threatened by the danger of disunity between its members. There was a division brewing and it centered around two members, Euodia and Syntyche. It is in chapter 4:2 that Paul attacks this problem straight on, “2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.”

This theme of unity and putting an end to division is one of the main themes of this letter. And the Philippian church is not the only church who struggled with unity. As commentator William Barclay perceptively writes, “There is a sense in which (disunity) is the danger of every healthy church.”

Before we see Paul addressing the division in the church in chapter 4, he emphasizes their togetherness for the gospel in chapter 1. He provides encouragement by reminding them that they are all partakers of God’s grace with him (1:7). He mentions unity again at the end of chapter 1 and then dives deep into this theme starting in our text in chapter 2.

Main Point

Here in chapter 2:1-4 Paul is exhorting the members of the Philippian church and the members of our church today to be unified, because of our mutual experience of God’s blessings to us in Christ. This is the main point of the text and the main point of my sermon - we are to be one, because we have all tasted the sweet blessings of being one in Christ. Let me make that clearer - if you have been united in Christ, be united with one another.

Structure

Paul lays this exhortation to unity out for us in three ways…

In vs 1-2a Paul will tell us why we must be unified

In vs 2b Paul will teach us what unity looks like

In vs 3-4 Paul will train us in how unity is cultivated

Caveat

Dear friends my goal today as your shepherd is not to use this text to correct you with the rod of this text. But to walk with you toward the refreshing waters of God’s word where we can all be nourished and washed. I am trying to say that you and I both need the conviction and the encouragement that this text brings.

Transition

Look with me at verse 1 and let’s see the answer to the question: Why we must be unified?

Why Must We Be Unified? - vs 1-2a

Exegesis

He begins verse 1 with the word, therefore. This therefore is pointing back to when Paul begins this section of exhortation in verse 27. There he calls the saints in Philippi to conduct themselves “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” And for Paul, the first thing this worthy conduct looks like is “standing firm in one, spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.” He wants them to be unified.

The next word we see in verse 1 is “if”. There are four of these if statements and it may be helpful to circle them in your bible. This “if” is a conditional clause which expresses the idea “If this condition is true, and it is, then do this.”

So Paul starts to build the case for his command by looking back at the call to conduct ourselves in a worthy manner. And with these if statements he is pointing our attention forward at the sweet realities of being in a relationship with God as motivation for his command to be one.

Encouragement in Christ

Let’s look at the first reality, “if there is any encouragement in Christ”. This word encouragement carries the idea of coming alongside of another to provide comfort, counsel or exhortation. And this is what Jesus does. As the Good Shepherd He comes along side of us and guides us and leads us. Each day we have the privilege of hearing Him speak these words of encouragement and exhortation in His very Word. And the most significant encouragement that is ours in Christ comes directly from the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. In John 14:16 we see Jesus say, “16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;” Dear pilgrims, how sweet it is that God did not only start us on the path to His Celestial City, He walks with us every step of the way.

Dear friends, if you have experienced this encouragement from Christ by unified

Comfort of Love

Let’s look at the second motivation for unity - “if there is any consolation of love”. This word consolation carries the similar idea of coming alongside someone, coming near to them to give comfort and solace. Our Good Shepherd doesn’t just walk beside us. Sometimes we are too broken to walk and He carries us along the way. He is our Comforter who is genuinely concerned for us. He has said to you, “blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted(Matt 5:4).” God is, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, “who comforts us in all our affliction”.

And what is the source of our comfort in Christ? It is His love. 1 John 4:9-10 “9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Ephesians 2:4-5, “4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

And guess what, this source of comfort, this love from Christ, never ends, Romans 8:38-39, “38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As I wrote to you last week He is a comforter who counts all your tossings and turnings. He is a comforter who collects every tear that you shed. You can cast all your anxieties on Him. And He will never fail to care for you for He has promised “I will never leave you nor will I forsake you”

Dear brothers and sisters, have you been comforted by Christ? Have you known His love? Be one with each other.

Fellowship of the Spirit

Let’s look at the next reason why we should be unified, “if there is any fellowship of the Spirit”. This word fellowship the famous word koinonia. It describes a partnership and a sharing together. And the fellowship of the Spirit is intimate. The third person of the trinity Himself dwells with in us. He gives us spiritual life through regeneration. He sustains and empowers our spiritual life by acting as the Source of our spiritual fruitfulness and the Giver of our spiritual gifts. Jesus calls Him the Helper and we see this very thing in Romans 8:26 that “the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;” He preserves our spiritual life and guarantees that it will become eternal life by acting as the seal of our salvation.

Dear saints, do you have fellowship with the Spirit? If so let it fuel your effort to strive together to be united.

Affection and Compassion

Let’s look to the fourth if statement, “if there is any affection and compassion”. This word affection refers to that visceral, deep, personal, almost gut feeling of tender love and endearment. And Paul links Christ’s affection with His compassion and mercy. In the gospels we see moments where Jesus was moved with compassion. When he saw the hungry, the needy, the sick, the lame, the def, the blind, the destitute, and the brokenhearted, he felt a deep, feeling of tender mercy and compassion for these people. This is His heart toward you and I dear friend.

His affection and His compassion are Divine Attributes that are part of His very character and nature. This is what God said when He revealed Himself to Moses, In Exodus 34 “6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;” It is these divine attributes of affection and compassion that David relies on when he prays for forgiveness in Psalm 51, “1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.” Paul argues in Romans 9 that our salvation is not initiated by our effort or our choice but dependent on these very attributes as well, “15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”

Dearly beloved, have you felt the affection of Christ toward you and received His mercy and compassion? Then come together as one.

Complete My Joy

Let’s quickly look at the fifth and final reason why we should be unified. Verse 2, “make my joy complete”. This is frankly astonishing. Paul is under arrest in Rome. He is be maligned and falsely accused. His ministry of church planting has been put on halt. And yet, the thing that would complete his joy, is that they be unified. Calvin comments “From this we may infer, how great a blessing unity in the Church is, and with what eagerness pastors should endeavour to secure it.” Our unity as a church should and must be a source of joy amongst us elders. And your love and honor and respect for us elders should fill you with the desire to be unified together.

Application

Those if statements are there to cause you to reflect on whether or not you have tasted these sweet blessings from Christ. Have you? Have you ever been loved this way before? Oh friend He calls to you with open arms. Turn from your sin and follow me. In the story of the prodigal we see God’s heart toward the sinner who repents. He runs to you to embrace you as His own. He stands ready to throw a feast and celebrate your adoption into His family. Believe that His love is sufficient to cover over your sins. Have faith that His sacrifice is enough to make you stand forgiven in His eyes. And you can experience the joys of this love and this relationship with Him forever and ever. Day without end.

How sweet is His care for us, Amen?

Illustration

W. Stillman Martin was a travelling evangelist. His wife Civilla would travel with him and play and sing before and after his messages. They adopted an older couple named the Doolittles. Mrs. Doolittle was was severely handicapped, and bedridden. Mr. Doolittle also had significant ailments and yet still cared for his wife and family business from his wheelchair. The Martins noted that these two sickly saints were the most joyful people they had ever met. One day Civilla asked Mr.s Doolittle, “why are you so happy and so content?” The old lady said, “baby, one day I was reading my Bible and I read in the gospel where Jesus says that a worthless sparrow can not fall from the sky without the Father in heaven knowing about it.When I thought about that I just concluded that if his eye is on the sparrow, then I know He’s watching over me.

Sometime later, when Civilla and her husband were writing hymn, those words came back to her mind when she wrote one of the most famous hymns of the 20th century,

Why should I feel discouraged?

Why should the shadows come?

Why should my heart be lonely

and long for heaven and home,

when Jesus is my comfort?

My constant friend is he:

his eye is on the sparrow,

and I know he watches me

Transition

I could stop and end this sermon here but that’s not what Paul is after. Paul is asking this question, “shouldn’t this divine encouragement, this comfort, this fellowship, this mercy and my own joy prompt you too preserve and pursue unity with each other?

This is exactly the force behind his main exhortation in verse 2 where we will see What Unity looks like

What Does Unity Look Like? - vs 2

Exegesis

Same Mind, One Mind, This Mind

Paul writes, “2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind” This verb, being the same mind, literally means to “think the same thing or have the same attitude” and because it’s in the present tense we can say that we must be continually thinking the same thing, continually possessing the same attitude.

Now, Paul is not describing a hive mind here. He is not saying you have to be so unified that everyone thinks the same exact thoughts at the same exact time. So what is he saying here? Well, if we look closely at the text we can get the idea. If you will, look at the last statement in verse 2, “intent on one purpose” The verb there, having one purpose, is the same verb as this exhortation at the beginning - “be of the same mind”. And then Paul uses this verb one more time in verse 5, “have this mind in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus”. So if you are following me, Paul tells them to have the same mind, then he tells them to have one mind and then in verse 5 He exhorts them to have this mind - the mind of Christ.

To be of the same mindset is to have a common understanding, a genuine agreement about how to think and how to act. And the only way to have such harmony of purpose and worldview and action is to have the mindset and attitude of Christ. We are to all to actively strive to like Christ thinks, and have the attitude that Christ possesses. I’m going to press into that at the end of my sermon. But friends this is achievable. Paul teaches the Corinthians that by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, we can have the mind of Christ. John makes it clear that we must put on His attitude, in 1 John 2:6“6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” and Jesus calls us to learn from Him, “29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” What does unity in the church look like? It looks like us thinking how Christ thinks, desiring what He desires, pursuing His will, seeking the exaltation of His glory and doing this all together in harmony.

Same Love, United In Spirit

Now sandwiched between these almost identical commands to be of the same mind and have on mind, we find two more characteristics of unity - maintain the same love, and be united in spirit.

To have the same love is to have an equal love for others. If love was just an emotion, this would be impossible. Obviously we have people in our life who we are attracted to and those who are hard to love. But the love Paul is talking about here is not just an emotion, it’s not just about positive feelings and warm fuzzies. This is agape here. This is the loving like God loves. It is an act of the will, to seek the welfare of the one being loved. In marriage, you do not vow to love your mate as long as you feel in love with them. You vow to love your spouse for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. And in a real sense, our love for one another should be the same way.

Think back with me at how we just marvelled at the wonders of God’s love for us. In light of those wondrous realities should we not be filled with love for each other? Is this not the command of Christ, John 15:12 “12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” This is also what the Apostle John teaches us, 1 John 3:16-18 “16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

Dear friends, let me tell you something, it became a whole lot easier to love my wife with this agape love when the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to understand that she is loved by God just like I am loved by God. If God so loved her that He sent His only Son to die for her, if she is so worthy of His love, and His pursuit, and attention and service how dare I not love her and serve her and forgive her when she’s wronged me, and pursue her. I am very tempted to get so caught up in the glorious reality that God loves me and has died for me, that I forget that God loves you and has died for you too.

Dear friends, our love for each other, being united in love, is the greatest testament to the reality of our salvation, John 13:35 “35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The next mark of unity in the church is being “united in spirit.” This word literally means to be one-souled. There is a spiritual bond that should exist within believers that is naturally produced by the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit who fills us all. It produces a fellowship that transcends economic status, gender race and even language itself. We must seek to make this bond amongst ourselves even stronger. HB Charles puts it this way, “Being of united in love speaks about how we act toward each other. Being united in spirit speaks to how we feel for one another.” Do we truly weep with those who weep? Do we feel the struggles and the burdens of those who are under them? Do we feel the emptiness of those who are lonely? Do we feel joy for those who are rejoicing?

Application

Are you united with your brothers and sisters in your mindset and attitudes? Are you bound together with agape love? Are you connected and woven together as one spiritual body? Strive for this unity dear church.

Transition

Now after describing for us what unity looks like in verse 2. Paul details for us how this unity can be cultivated in verses 3 and 4.

How is Unity Cultivated? - vs 3-4

Exegesis

Selfishness and Empty Conceit

Paul begins by commanding us to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit.” The first thing we can do to cultivate unity together in the church is to put off selfishness and vain glory. Now we are naturally selfish people. It is part of our DNA as fallen creatures to be filled with a desire to please our own interests, seek our own desires and look at the world through the lens of “what can you do for me.” Selfishness comes from on over inflated sense of entitlement. Selfishness says I am entitled to my rights, to pursue my happiness and how dare you get in the way or tell me I am not free to do what I want.

It is a deadly vice and it destroys unity. It breeds anger, resentment, jealousy, and envy. Nothing more quickly divides and weakens a church than selfish ambition. James writes this, James 3:16 “16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” and he also identifies selfishness as the root of discord in the church, James 4:1-2a “1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ”

Empty conceit translates to literally be empty glory. Which his where we get the translation vainglory. It is an over exaggeration of oneself that arises from a place of envy. In chapter 1 we read of these gospel teachers who were preaching the message of Christ in order to steal the glory and accolades that Paul had earned. In verse 15, he says that they preach Christ out of envy and strife and they do so, verse 17, because of their selfish ambition. These gospel teachers are filled with envy and they are after a glory that is empty. Commenting on this verse, Piper said something that I thought was so profound - he said“the reason we envy is because we are empty.” And that’s so true - such a person strives after the glory and the position of other people because he has no contentment with where God has him placed. Calvin writes that, “vain-glory means any glorying in the flesh; and what ground of glorying have men in themselves that is not vanity?”

I know a man who is just like this. He is selfish, he is prideful, he is discontent and he is vain. His name is ben and this man is me. God help me to do nothing out of my selfishness and empty conceit. This is my nature as fallen man? Naturally I put myself first, others second and God last. But as, James Montgomery Boice comments, “The Bible teaches that we should reverse the series: God is to be first; others must be second; we must come last.” Again, God help us. John Phillips comments: “Selfishness pulls the other person down; vainglory puts oneself up.” And both produce disunity in the Church. Even a tiny bit of this levin will levin the whole lump. And this is why we must strive to preserve and cultivate unity by doing absolutely nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit.

Humility of Mind - Regard Others as More Important

After condemning the prideful sins of selfishness and conceit, Paul commands us to have a “humility of mind”. The greek word here is a compound of two ideas, one is “the mind” and the other is “not rising far off the ground”. Another way to put that is lowliness of mind. In that day, such a word was used as an insult and commonly attributed to a slave. But in Christianity, this was a virtue to put on. Peter writes in 1 Peter 5, that we are to “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Humility is the natural outflowing of a proper view of God. James 4:10, “10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” Humble people are overwhelmed by the holiness of God, by the righteousness of God, by the power of God, and by the love of God. And this humility that is produced by the fear of God leads to a change in perspective when we look at others.

Stuart Scott, in his booklet from Pride to Humility lists 24 manifestations of humility to hold up and evaluate how humble we really are. This list was so convicting and I want to read a handful of these to you “Humble people are gentle and patient. They are thankful and grateful. They are slow to speak. They are gladly submissive to God and the authorities over them. They are thankful for criticism and reproof. They realize that they don’t know everything and so they are teachable. They are encouraging. They are open and honest about their growth in the Lord and ask for help and accountability from their brothers and sisters so they can grow more.”

This humility is so rare because it is so unnatural to us. In our fallenness, at our core we are prideful and selfish. Only a Christian who has the Spirit of God can learn genuine humility. Cry out with me to God in prayer for help in this area of humility. God teach us to be humble people.

This lowliness of mind keeps us from thinking too highly of ourselves. It also enables us to obey Paul when he says at the end of verse 3, “regard one another as more important than yourselves”. Paul is not saying that we must see everyone as more superior, more talented, or more valuable to the church than you are. What he is saying is that you must believe that your brothers and sisters are worthy of your service and your sacrifice and your love. Paul is telling me that I need to see you as someone who is worthy to be served - the fact that you have worth in Christ demands my love and my sacrifice and my service to you. Dear brothers and sisters, because you are precious, and you are valued in the eyes of God, not just as an image bearer but as someone that Christ died for, because of that position that God has put you in, I am driven to serve you.

Other’s Interests

This humility of mind, this high regard for one another will naturally flow into that attitude prescribed in verse 4, “4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Paul is not saying here that we should not have personal interests. He is not saying it is a sin to look after your interests. To do so would be detrimental to your health and irresponsible.

What Paul is calling us to is an others-centered mindset. This is the mindset of the humble man and the humble woman. It is not focused on self, but on loving others. This mindset is the catalyst for unity. Think of the effect this mindset would have in your relationships? Just imagine what it would look like if brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors, coworkers and classmates would look not only after their interest but also after the interests of each other. Pastor Brandon, when he was teaching through this passage in youth group had this saying, it went kinda like this “it is a beautiful thing when we are tripping over each other as we are trying to serve one another”

Illustration

This passage in Philippians was one the basis for one of the fundamental principles in my parents house. My parents would use the phrase “practice the preciousness of others”. They were constantly instilling in us that people are precious in the eyes of God - that we were to see them as more important than ourselves. They were teaching us that we should seek to serve them because of this precious position. Anytime I did something nasty to my sister, my mom would scold me saying, Ben, you weren’t thinking with the preciousness of your sister.

Little children…your brothers and sisters are precious, treat them like that. love them take care of them help them

Like I said, it was a foundational principle and I am so thankful for it. It taught me what humility looked like. It brought harmony to our home. It fostered healthy relationships between me and my siblings.

Application

Dear saints, will you join me in putting of selfishness and empty conceit. Will you join me in putting on humility. Will you join me in cultivating unity here in this church by putting on the preciousness of others? I hope the answer is yes.

Transition

Before we finish i want to quickly follow Paul’s logic in verses 5-8. For It is there Paul gives the perfect illustration of humility and service.

Conclusion

Let’s start in 5, “5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ” Remember, that verb, have this mind, is the same verb we saw in verse 2, “be of the same mind…be intent on one purpose” Paul is here defining for us what that mind, that internal attitude and mindset looks like.

It’s the mind of Christ who - verse 6, “6 although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, and being made in the likeness of men.” Jesus was and is and always will be God very God. He was fully divine in nature both before, during and after His incarnation. And in light of this reality of Jesus’ full and complete divinity, His incarnation is the most profound act of humiliation ever.

The Creator of the universe left the glorious throne room of heaven to take on the nature of the created. And instead of demanding honor and privilege and glory that were rightly His as God, He willingly took on the human nature. Instead of being born in a palace. He was born in a manger. He wasn’t fed lavish banquets fit for a king, He fed 5,000 with two loaves and 5 fish. He didn’t surround himself with nobles and princes and the religious elite. No he went and called dirty, course, smelly fishermen, tax collectors and zealots to be His disciples and He fellowshipped with the sick, the prostitutes, the drunkards and the outcast. He did not come to overthrow the Romans and the Herodians to claim His rightful throne in Jerusalem, instead He came to give His life as a ransom for many. Instead of coming to this earth to be served, He came to this earth, as Paul said it - in the form of a slave.

These past two weeks we have witnessed this very humility from the foot of the cross and the shadows of His secret trial. He gave up the worship of the saints and the heavenly angles to be denied, to be forsaken, to be betrayed, to be falsely accused, to be reviled, to be beaten, to be scourged, and as Paul states in verse 8, “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” He gave up the shining glorious lights of heaven to be hung to death on the cross in deep darkness. This humility, this sacrifice, this willingness to see others as worthy of service, this love is our standard.

Application

As the hymn goes, “He left His Father's throne above, So free, so infinite His grace…Amazing love how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me!” Jesus left heaven and took on flesh for you. He humbled Himself as a slave for you. He took of the cross to die for you. If this is true, then stoop low to serve your brothers. Humble yourself and seek the needs of your sisters. Die to yourself and expend your life serving one another.

Closing exhortation

Dear friends, If you have been united in Christ in His death. If you have been united to Christ in His life. Be united together with one another.

Let’s pray

God, we than you for your word. Are hearts are filled with gratitude and overwhelmed with love as we look at how much you have loved us. Jesus Christ our Lord, we thank you that you regarded us as even more important than Yourself - that thought is unfathomable in our minds but it is true. You gave up the prerogatives of your deity to humble yourself for us. That’s how important we are in your eyes. That’s how lovely we are in your estimation. Lord, who are we that you are even mindful of us, let alone love us like this. And Lord your love for us didn’t stop there. He are a constant source of encouragement, you comfort us with your love, you shower us with affection and compassion. Help us to be like you. Help us to not be consumed with our own interests. Help us to kill our pride and our selfishness and our envy and our empty ambitions. Help us to be humble. Help us to be servants. Help us to be unified as Your church. We pray in this in the power of your glorious and lovely name, Amen.

Benediction

We are to be one, because we have all tasted the sweet blessings of being one in Christ. If you have been united in Christ, be united with one another