Title: What the World Needs... is a Unified Church
Text: Ephesians 4:1-6
D.T.: Unity is found when we fully give our lives to Jesus Christ.
- You could probably guess this, but I am not the hunting type. It's just not me, but you see whenever we go to Stacey's father's house in Buhler, Kansas which is in the middle of wheat fields, her brothers like to go bird hunting. Now let me say again, I am not the hunting type... the only thing I have ever hunted for is the remote control. But, a few years ago, the brothers decided that it would be fun to take me along on their annual Thanksgiving hunting trip. It was cold, windy, and we walked up and down a thousand miles of fields. And the only thing I shot at was a rabbit. And it took me close to an hour to even get that rabbit.... just call me Elmer Fudd.
- I assure you, that was the first time I have ever gone hunting, and that was the last time I will ever go hunting. Although, they are already trying to get me to go this Thanksgiving, but I am sure I will be busy doing something. Now what was interesting about that hunting adventure were the dogs. On the farm land we were hunting were a couple of hound dogs who were trained hunting dogs. And whenever those dogs were released and sent out into the fields, they were something. They would move up and down those fields with such ease and speed, those birds didn't have a chance. They would point and stir up the birds, and would do their job to perfection.
- But as well trained as those dogs were when they were doing their job, when the hunt was over, they were dumb as rocks, and as useless as slugs. All they could do when they were not hunting, was fight with one another.
- You know, I have heard it said that the church is a lot like a bunch of caged hunting dogs. You know the kind I just described. When those dogs are out in the fields, they go to work, sniffing and pointing and chasing... doing their job. But when you put those same dogs, who were so effective in the truck or in a cage, they start knipping at each other, and fighting and bickering.
- Caged hunting dogs don't work. And the same is true for the church. Like we said last week, we are supposed to be out there making a difference in the world, but instead, what we do, is we get in our own little world and we nip at one another, and we bicker with one another, and we nitpick one another. Often it sounds like this...
"Well, that's not the way we did it before."
"Well, what about my kids, or my grandkids."
"Well, what we do it that way for."
"Well, I don't know if I am comfortable with that."
- Nip, nip, bicker, bicker... and the whole while the church becomes more and more irrelevant. And the whole while the church becomes more and more divided. But, what the world needs is the church. The world needs a relevant church, and today we will focus on the world's need for a unified church.
- Scripture has much to say about division amongst people, and amongst the church.
Such as...
"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: (and one of those is...) a man who stirs up dissension (or division) among brothers." Prov 6:16,19
- And it is Jesus himself who warned, "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall."
- And then Paul warns in Galatians 5:15, "If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."
- Stern warnings that must not be taken lightly. Perhaps the greatest black eye the church can suffer is when it stands divided, broken and without unity. And it can so easily happen to even the strongest of churches. But what the world needs, and what this community needs is a unified church. This church must stand unified in its purpose of encouraging and equipping God's people in order that we might share God's relevant message of hope and forgiveness to the lost people of Ipava and beyond. We must stand unified under God for this purpose to be accomplished.
- In fact, unity was Jesus' dying wish for his church. You are familiar with his words found in John 17, words spoken shortly before he was lead away to the cross. And in a moment of prayer, Jesus offers up this request to his Father...
"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 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.... May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
- But so often, there are things that happen that break up the unity of God's church. So often, without even realizing, we do things, we say things, that cause disunity amongst God's people. And that is why it is painfully important that we are aware of some of these things. One of the greatest causes of disunity presented in the New Testament is... False Teaching.
- Perhaps you are thinking... false teaching, why that would never happen here. But I assure you we must never let our guard down. We must constantly keep our eyes focused on what God has to say in his word. You see, it is God's Word that stands as the authority by which this church follows... not the popular ideas of the day, not the personal opinions of the preacher, not the misconceived notions of the scholar, not the off-based morals of the media. The Word of God must always stand as our guide, and standard... and nothing else.
- Because when God's Word is removed as the authority for the church, when false teaching... teaching that goes directly against Scripture creeps into the church, then disunity is inevitable. The early church was continually bombarded with false teaching. An example is Acts 15:1-2,
"Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: 'Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.' This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question."
- Think of it this way. Christmas is quickly approaching which means you may be buying some elaborate gift for your child, maybe something so elaborate that it has one of those little stickers on the box that says... 'Assembly Required.' So you open the box and inside you pull out, not just a sheet of paper, but an entire book... giving you detailed instructions as to how to put this toy together. It is your guide, your standard, your authority as to how this job should be done.
- But, being a man, you throw those instructions to the side, and you decide that you can figure it out yourself. So you dig right in, feeling your way, using your best judgment... all resulting in one big mess, with pieces left over. What is needed here is intervention. What is needed is a woman... a woman who will come in and force you to follow the directions.
- Well, that is what false teachers and false teachings do to the church. They cause the people of the church to take their eyes off of the instructions that God has given us as to how the church is to act. And what is needed is leaders to step in and make sure disunity does not happen as a result of false teaching.
- Disunity also can happen when their is... An Unwillingness to Change. If anything is expected to grow, then change is inevitable. You can not grow without change... it is impossible. Our Lily seems to grow every day... which means she is constantly changing. Likewise, this church is intended by God to grow... God intends for all churches to grow. But the only way the church can grow is if change is allowed. And many times our unwillingness to change causes disunity.
- I once read of a preacher who tried to lead his congregation in the building of a multipurpose building in order to create more fellowship and outreach in the community. Well, some of the leaders of the church insisted that organized recreation was not appropriate for the church and so they debated as to whether or not it was the Lord's will to have a b-ball court on the church grounds. Finally, they arrived at the conclusion that it was acceptable to have one basket, but not two! Unwillingess to change.
- Another church was going through the same process of building a fellowship hall. But, there was a leader who objected to the project. Objected to the idea of having food in the church. Finally he agreed to it, if it was built across the street! Unwillingness to change.
- Now don't get me wrong change is not always good, but change is necessary in order to bring about the growth of God's church. And disunity can easily occur when we are unwilling to see the necessary change take place.
- Finally, often times criticism results in disunity.
"Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.... With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness." (James 3)
- One of the easiest and quickest ways to divide the Body of Christ is to constantly be critical of the church leaders, or of the work that is taking place. And so with our tongues, we cut down, we attack, we gossip, we say untrue things, we hurt and damage, we criticize. And often, almost always, the critics of the church are the ones who aren't doing anything, but sitting in a pew, taking up space. Often the greatest critics, are the ones doing the least amoung of work. They simply sit in the corner and wait for others to make mistakes.
- Now I am not talking about honest concerns. Concerns made with the intention of improvement and betterment. Those are necessary and invited. No, what I am talking about is criticism, the need to knock others down so that we feel important. And when we criticize, we know it, we feel it. But, we shouldn't do it. After all, if we have the time and energy to criticize, then that probably means we need to get off of our rears and do something, instead of sitting around knocking others down.
- Perhaps you are familiar with Aesop's fable about an old man and his grandson who made their way into town with a donkey. The grandfather put the boy on the donkey until he heard people say, "Look at that selfish child making that old man walk!" The grandfather couldn't take the criticism of his son, so he asked the boy to walk while he rode. But, then he heard people say, "Look at that selfish old man riding and making the poor little boy walk." So he got off and they both walked.
- Then they heard, "Look at those stupid two people. They've got a donkey and they're not even using it." So both the man and the boy rode the donkey together. Then they heard people say, "Look at those cruel people abusing that poor animal! They're going to break his back with that load." Finally, they walked into town carrying the donkey!
- With a critic, you can't ever win. And when it comes to causing disunity in the church, one of the quickest ways to do it... is criticism. So don't be one, and don't let the critics of the church discourage you from continuing your service towards God.
- So now that we have heard some of the things that cause disunity in the church... false teaching, unwillingness to change, criticism. But what I want to finish with is an answer to the question... what can we do to bring about unity? Because what the world needs is a Unified Church. So how can we, at Berean CC, be a unified church?
- I believe the answer is given by Paul in Ephesians. Specifically Ephesians 4:1-5. Now while you are looking that up, and before we read this passage that I want to finish my sermon with. I want to remind you that Ephesians is a letter written by Paul to a church that was beginning to show the dangerous signs of disunity. On one side of the aisle you have the Gentiles, with their background and likes and dislikes, and on the other side of the aisle you have the Jews with their background and likes and dislikes. Two traditions come clashing together. And sitting in jail is the apostle Paul who serves as the peacemaker.
- Paul knew that in order for this Ephesian church to be effective, in order for the people of God in that church to fully experience God and his love and his grace, their must be unity. And the same it true for us, that's why we come here, to experience and to know God. And the only way that we can fully experience God and his ways, and his love is if their is unity in his church. And so what Paul says to this fighting church, is what he says to all of us. Unity is found when we take our eyes off of our selfish desires and place them on the God who sent his Jesus Christ to die for us. Unity is found when we live our lives in a way that seeks to serve and honor the God who loves us. Unity is found when our deepest desire is to serve God and not our own interests. Unity is found when we fully give our lives to Jesus Christ.
- Have congregation read Ephesians 4:1-6 together (printed in bulletin).
- And now together as one body, let's pray.
