Common Ground Series

The emphasis for the church in this generation should be the one Jesus established for the first century church. There were two imperatives given them by Jesus. The Great Commission and the Great Commandment.

I The Great Commission; Win the lost and make disciples.

Mark 16:15

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (KJV)

Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (KJV)

II The Great Commandment; Love one another.

John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (KJV)

1 John 4:20-21

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. (KJV)

hateth 3404 miseo (mis-eh’-o);

from a primary misos (hatred);to detest (especially to persecute);by extension, to love less:

Love one another.

o "If God is your Father, then you are my brother."

o I am commanded to love you and you are commanded to love me.

Colossians 3:9-13

9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor circumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. (KJV)

Galatians 3:26-28

26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (KJV)

The Church of today is like the one in Corinth that Paul rebuked for their immaturity.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? (KJV)

1 Corinthians 3:3 (Ampl.)

For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men.

We are divided over racial, denominational, national, sexual, and other differences.

• The Jews gloried in their ancestors.

• They were in covenant with God because they were the sons of Abraham, Isaach, and Jacob.

1 Peter 2:9-10

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (KJV)

generation 1085 genos (ghen’-os); from 1096; "kin" (abstract or concrete, literal or figurative, individual or collective):

KJV-- born, country (-man), diversity, generation, kind (-red), nation, offspring, stock.

Thayer’s Dictionary

1) race

a) offspring

b) family

c) stock, race, nation, that is, nationality or descent from a particular people

d) the aggregate of many individuals of the same nature, kind, sort

priesthood 2406 hierateuma (hee-er-at’-yoo-mah); from 2407;

the priestly fraternity, i.e. sacerdotal order (figuratively):

KJV-- priesthood.

nation 1484 ethnos (eth’-nos); probably from 1486;

a race (as of the same habit), i.e. a tribe; specially, a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually by implication, pagan):