Come Together--No Excuses

5 REASONS WHY WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER,

NO BUTS!!!

1. JESUS PREACHED ABOUT IT AND HE PRAYED FOR IT.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:20-23 (NIV)

It’s a prayer for oneness. A prayer for complete unity.

2. UNITY IS PEACEFUL AND POWERFUL.

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Psalm 133:1 (NIV)

It also says:

“ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:8 (NIV)

I gotta Word from God for you…Keep the peace, dudes!

Do everything you can, to keep the peace…in your marriage…in your family…in your jobs and in your church. Keep the peace! Some people just wanna give you a piece!

They misinterpret the Bible and read from 1 Imaginations and think it’s okay to give you a piece…instead of keeping the peace. They live for the wrong kind of peace! Some people are hornets nest kickers. They like to kick the nest and see what comes out. They gossip about people. They criticize people. They’re argumentative and confrontive. None of that fosters peace. Unity is peaceful. During Jesus’ first sermon, his FIRST sermon…the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5….

Now think about that…it’s his first sermon…which means it’s gonna be important…he’s gonna go big! He said in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called Children of God.”

Keep the peace. Unify. Unity is also powerful. I think many people overlook the power of unity the early church experienced. They early church exploded with growth. Numerically and spiritually. In acts 2:41 the church grew by 3000. By the time Acts 4:4 hits…the church grew to 5000.

Why? What was one of the keys? Yes, God’s power. Gods presence. God’s people…and UNITY.

“All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Acts 1:14, 2:1 (ESV)

Ten times in the first five chapters of Acts it says, “They were in one accord..(can you believe 12O disciples all fit in a HONDA!.) One accord….one heart… they ate together… one purpose… one mind… one soul… one spirit…” Ten times it talks about unity in the first five chapters of Acts. When a church develops the unity of the book of Acts along with it comes the power of the church of Acts, the growth of the church of Acts. You cannot stop a unified church. Snowflakes are frail but if enough of them stick together they can stop traffic. Individually, I can’t do a lot for the Lord. Individually you can’t do a lot for the Lord. But together we can make an impact on this valley.