"Hanging Together"

Hanging Together Ephesians 4:1-16

• Benjamin Franklin said, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we will all hang separately "He said this to the fellow patriots before they signed the Declaration of Independence

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1. Hanging Together Works for the ant and I believe it could work for us

• “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without any chief, officer or ruler, she prepares her food in summer, and gathers her sustenance in harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8.

• Ants successfully evolve, adjust and survive in many environments

• Ants live in colonies and no ant has power over another.

• Ants, lift and move things that seem impossible, but by hanging together they lift and move the seeming impossible. Ants, Survive as a direct result of hanging together

• . Ants as a result of Hanging together perform complex tasks building nests, navigation,

1. Paul starts out "I urge you" Keep Unity this is vital important to Hang Together.

• 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit you will keep unity by

• In order to maintain unity Be Humble A deep sense of one’s (moral) littleness Modesty, humility, lowliness of mind

• Be Gentile It is not a quality of weakness, but of power under control Moses was a meek man (Num 12:3), but

capable of great strength and boldness Jesus was “meek and lowly in heart” (Mt 11:29), but we see

where He drove the money changers out of the temple

• Being Patient help keep unity slowness in avenging wrongs

• Be Bearing with one another in love ” means to sustain, to bear, to endure

2. If we Hang Together we can create “Unity” becoming as one

• We do this by being "One Body" it is the body of Christ, the church - Ep 1:22-23

• We believe in One Spirit this refers to the Holy Spirit

• We will hang together by having "One Hope" the early church was primarily focused on Resurrection" that was their one hope “In That home Momma”

• We have One Lord the Master the Christ who is Lord of all

• We hang together with One Faith "Jesus

• We will hang together with One Baptism baptized into Christ Immersed into and by Him overwhelmed with that baptism of the Spirit at conversion “Baptismo”

3. We will Hang Together by Equipping the Saints the early church believed in equipping building

• Notice Paul says God Gave some Apostles (Eye witnesses of the resurrection) , some prophets(had Revelations) , some evangelists( Known as bearers of good news), some pastors(Shepherd), some teachers ( IN the local assembly) , this is done for works of service so the body will “buildup”

• Consider the City on the Hill by "Casting Crowns "Did you hear of the city on the hill

Said one old man to the other It once shined bright, and it would be shining still

But they all started turning on each other You see the poets thought the dancers were shallow

And the soldiers thought the poets were weak And the elders saw the young ones as foolish

And the rich man never heard the poor man speak

But one by one, they ran away with their made up minds to leave it all behind

And the light began to fade In the City on the Hill, the City on the Hill

Each one thought that they knew better But they were different by design

Instead of standing strong together They let their differences divide And one by one, they ran away

With their made up minds to leave it all behind And the light began to fade In the City on the Hill,