"Living in Unity"

126th Church Anniversary

Prayer:Be with us, O god, as we celebrate this day and the years of Christian fellowship that we have shared as a congregation. For such a time as this, you have called the church to be at its best. For those who laid the foundations of this household of faith, we give thanks. For this rich inheritance of the Church of Jesus Christ, we give thanks. For the assurance of new opportunities to serve you better, we give thanks. Come, Lord Jesus, empower and hold our church to your heart. May your kingdom come and your will be done in splendid, perfect fellowship. Continue to guide us in the future, as you have in the past. Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT

10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

Introduction:

Unity is vital to the health of a church. And that means every church member, you and I included, must contribute to the unity of the church. You are to be a source of unity. And while that doesn’t mean you agree with everyone all the time, it does mean you are willing to sacrifice your own preferences to keep unity in your church. Unity is really important in your church. Are you doing your part?

Family unity they have because they are all Christians. Paul is encouraging the Corinthians toward unity not because of who he is but because of who Christ is. True unity does not consist in merely adopting the same words. True unity will have its foundation not in the Corinthians’ speech but in their thoughts and purposes. Health relationships are formed and maintained when peoples’ thinking and purposes are the same.

Transition: Like the Corinthians, modern believers have big problems with divisions. We divide over church polity, theology, tradition, worship style, and even race and social standing. Paul’s teaching should help us remember the true nature of our calling and encourage us to work for unity and fellowship.

Believers are to be united

They should agree in their speech- “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other.”I appeal:to entreat-to ask for or request earnestly.dear brothers and sisters:sibling believers-believers understood as one’s own siblings in God’s family. Paul regularly refers to his readers as brothers and sisters to indicate that they should act as family members toward each other. authority:person>name-any rational entity(human being,God) understood by their name; perhaps understood according to the reputation and character of the person. live in harmony with:-to say(declare)-to state as one’ opinion or judgment; declare. Paul calls for them to speak with one voice as a cure for the divisions that had formed. each other:each-every one considered individually. Believers are to be united

They should not have any division- “Let there be no divisions in the church.” Let there be: to be (quality) to have the quality of being. divisions: schism-division of a group into opposing factions.Believers are to be united

They should agree in their thinking- “Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” mind, thought: mental attitude-a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways. united: to be prepared(state)-to be made or become ready, suitable, or equipped in advance for a particular purpose or some use or event. purpose: opinion>mind-an opinion formed by judging something, conceived of in terms of the mind. These word emphasize that Paul wanted them to return to their previous condition of unity in how they viewed themselves and how they acted toward each other. Believers are to be united

In conclusion,Believers are to be united

They should agree in their speech

They should not have any division

They should agree in their thinking

I saw something on a special news bulletin recently that caught me off guard. Mark McGwire, the first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, set a new major league baseball record for the most home runs in a single season. On the opposing team, the Chicago Cubs, was Sammy Sosa, a player who had almost as many home runs as Mark McGwire, and who was also a contender to break the same record. The two teams were opponents, and they both had leaders in home runs on their teams.But when McGwire hit his record-breaking home run and ran the bases, everyone he passed on the other team either shook his hand and patted him on the back, or actually hugged him. If the teams had acted like the Corinthians, they would have used McGwire’s new record as an occasion for division, not as a cause for mutual celebration.Our lives and churches parallel the Corinthians in many ways. First, the church today is blessed in countless ways just as the Corinthians were. Second, the modern church is bonded together by the blessings we have received in Christ. Most of us do not value our brothers and sisters because we forget that we all need Christ and the power of his death and resurrection.Because of the importance of this bond, we need to evaluate carefully the divisions that occur in our churches. Are we separating ourselves from those who deny the gospel of Christ? Or are we dividing and quarreling because of human pride? By keeping Christ central, we can avoid many of the factions that develop around persons and doctrinal issues. We can also stem the personal abuse that takes place and draw ourselves back to treating others as we would treat Christ himself.