Introduction
· This morning as a church body, I want to challenge your thinking and faith as it relates to unity among the believer.
· It’s important to understand that the church is not a building.
· Church in the Bible never means “building.” It refers to groups of committed Believers in any location assembled to carry out the Great Commission throughout the world".
· Members of this Church come into this building where we meet, but this Church is never the building. It is not a denomination. It is the Body of Christ.
· We are all called to be in unity as a body with Christ alone as Head.
· Lets go see what scriptures say about Unity in the Body of Christ.
1. The church is Christ’s Body
(NKJV) 1 Corinthians 12 12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
(NKJV) 1 Corinthians 12 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
A. The church belongs to Jesus and it is His body.
B. The church does not belong to a denomination.
C. The church does not belong to the “Pastor”. Despite popular opinion, the church does not belong to the people. It is not my church. It is not your church. It is not Grandma’s church. Whose church is it? It is Jesus’ church!
(NKJV) Colossians 1 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
D. Programs, plans, personalities and personal agendas, must all take a back seat to Jesus Christ.
E. The church must establish priorities for their work in order to effectively minister to the lost or un-churched.
i. We must first be committed to Christ.
ii. Then to one another in Christ.
iii. Finally to the work of Christ in the world.
2. The church is made up of many different parts
(NKJV) 1 Corinthians 12 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
A. We must not judge others because their feelings have not been precisely similar to ours.
B. If we reject all believers who labor under infirmities, or are marred with faults, our fellowship will be quite limited.
C. God strategically placed diversity within the one Body with many members.
(NLT) Ephesians 4 16 Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
D. What is exciting about the Body of Christ is that although we are all different, we are all important. There is no such thing as an unimportant member within the body of Christ.
E. Each member of the Body of Christ is unique, meaningful, and purposeful to the accomplishment of God’s purposes.
F. The Body of Christ is comprised of many parts. There are limbs, organs, and various members that, when left alone, are useless, but when assembled make up the entire body.
G. The Bible tells us that the body is a unit made up of many parts; and although all its parts differ, they form one body. Likewise the church as the body of Christ, being baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free.
H. This means each believer is an equal part of the body of Christ!
3. The church functions properly only when unified
A. People are different in fundamental ways. They want different things; they have different motives, purposes, aims, values, needs, drives, impulses, and urges.
B. Nothing is more fundamental than that. They believe differently: they think, recognize, conceptualize, perceive, understand and comprehend differently.
C. While there is so great diversity the body needs every one of its members.
(NKJV) 1 Corinthians 12 20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
D. Consider the parts of your body. Each part exists primarily not for its own benefit but for benefit of the rest of the body. Your eyes exist so that your body can see and not fall into a ditch or walk into a wall. Your feet exist so your body can walk through life. Your hands exist to feed, cleanse, and protect your body. Your body parts work to benefit your body as a whole.
E. As Christians, it is time for us to stop asking, “What’s in it for me?” or “What can I get out of it?”, but “what does Jesus want me to contribute as a part of His Body?”
F. Take the team approach. There is no I in team!
(NKJV) Galatians 5 13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
4. The church cannot live without its Head (Jesus)
(NKJV) Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
A. The church is the Body of Christ, but without Jesus at the helm and in control we will go adrift.
(NLT) Ephesians 4 15 Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
B. As a Christian, we must endeavor to do everything we can in the church with the understanding that it is Christ that makes everything work together.
C. We must get the mindset to do, speak and act like Jesus. We must drive to be more like him each day.
D. God is the Head and without Him we can do nothing.
(NKJV) John 15 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Conclusion
· The church is Christ’s Body and is made up of many different parts.
· The church functions properly only when it is in complete unity.
· The church body cannot live without the Head (Jesus).
· Understand that the church is neither a building nor a social club.
· Many people come into a building where they meet, but the church is never the building.
· It is not a denomination. The church is the Body of Christ.
· The church belongs to God and God alone. He is the head of the church and He expects us to be in unity with all the members.
· The body is paralyzed to do the work of God when it is not in unity or is being pulled in many directions. God expects a “single focus” a pulling together in one accord.
· Let those seated here today at SLCC be the body parts that help the rest of the world to get into one spirit and one accord for Jesus.
· Let us pray. Salvation Call
