One Hope
Ephesians 4: 1 - 16
Intro: The police officer said to the woman as she was escorted back to the booking desk, “I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ bumper sticker, the ‘Choose life’ license plate holder, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper sticker, and the chrom-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk, so naturally. . . I assumed you had stolen the car.” (From: Life In Christ by Steve Shepherd on SermonCentral.com)
I How often do our daily actions really reflect our faith?
A VSS. 2 – 3 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient; bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
B Many churches believe it is OK to agree to disagree. That only works on things that are NOT in the Bible.
II There are 7 ONES in this passage. One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all.
A Others say that the most important thing for a church to have is unity. The diversity of gifts to be used for the common good.
B I believe the most important possession of a church should be HOPE. Without hope a church will die!
Conclu: The desperate need of every community is churches whose beliefs and practices match. We must learn to practice what we preach everywhere and every time. To learn to celebrate diversity by recognizing, accepting, practicing and celebrating each person’s gifts while building up the body of Christ (The Church) --- THAT IS OUR ONE HOPE!
