Seven keys to revival – key number 3 – “Unity within the Community.”
Thesis: The key to revival in the church is unity within His community. We need to put You back into community for unity.
Movie Illustration: A Bugs Life! From Group’s Blockbuster movie illustrations page 133, 134.
Overview – Starts at 55 minutes. Hopper explains to his gang that one ant may be harmless and unable to stop them, like throwing one seed at a gang member. Hundreds of ants joined together, though, could bury them as surely as hundreds of seeds do. This speech rallies his gang to crush the ants’ spirits before they can rise up.
Point of illustration: Christians sometimes think they can’t change the world. We ask, “What can one person do?” Yet a timid Christian voice can become a roar when the voice joins together with the voices of others in a congregation and the voices of the entire body of Christ. We will only truly impact the world by joining forces with other believers. The mission of a coordinated body of Christ can change the world on an unimaginable scale.
Questions to propose to New Life Community Church:
1. How is Hopper like the devil and his demons and the ants like Christians – note I Cor. 12:25-27.
a. “…there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it.”
2. If the Body of Christ could unite together as one could anything stop them?
a. No that’s why the enemy focus’ so hard on splitting the His Community.
3. What types of things keep Christians from joining together in unity?
a. Personal preferences
b. Legalism
c. Un-forgiveness
d. Selfishness
e. Minor doctrinal issues
4. What teaching should the church rally around- what main points should we all agree too?
a. That salvation comes from Christ alone.
b. That the Bible is the word of God.
c. That we need to live by the Bibles directives.
5. How can you help to create unity in the community?
a. By being an answer to Jesus’ prayer from John 17 and from learning how to spell and define U.N.I.T.Y.
Scripture Texts:
John 17:20-23
20“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that 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. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in 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.
Message say’s:
“I’m praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
Introduction:
I find it utterly amazing that with death breathing down his back and the cross in the very near future Jesus was concerned the most about unity in His community. He wholeheartedly wanted the church to be one, together, intertwined with each other. This was his primary prayer and concern for the church. Jesus knew the principle all to well that if you can divide them then you can conquer them. Jesus still today cries out for unity in His community. He knows if Christians could live a life of unity then the world would be a better place. I believe the Gospel would be impacting more people.
This characteristic is always common in any revival the community of believers is united. There are no divisions in the Body of Christ. Thigpen states it well when he says, “The Christian Community that can’t overcome its divisions can’t expect to grow up” (Discipleship Journal, issue 101, pg.36). He goes onto add “The heart of God is broken with grief over His fractured family.” Dissension and disunity have hindered more revivals and squelched more revivals than we could imagine.
The seekers are not looking to be apart of another organization that is battling over irrelevant issues. They just say, “If you can’t even agree on the truth among yourselves, how could you possibly teach us the truth?” It’s so sad that those who call themselves Christians become stumbling blocks to the seekers. They push people away rather than draw them in by the love and unity that Christ preached lived and died for.
Don’t deceive yourself people are watching --they are looking for a community with unity. Listen to this quote from this week’s Amery Free Press, “…The other thought that stands out for me is how lucky this community is to have the number of sharp, smart clergy willing to minister to the needs of the community, as a whole.” Jerry Sondreal.
The seekers are looking and observing1
T.S.- So lets explore how to build unity in His community. Let’s look at an acrostic message on how to spell unity, define unity, recognize what unity looks like and acts like.
I. U=Undivided in our message of the power of the cross.
a. This means it’s all about Jesus Christ’s sacrifice.
i. This is where the life changing power of the Gospel comes from.
b. It’s not about works but about the grace of God delivered to man because of the cross.
i. It’s about the sacrifice of the savior on the ugly horrible cross not about what I can do. It’s about grace not works.
c. When the church unites under the banner of Jesus Christ and focuses on what happened at the cross then the world will stand up and see the power of the church in action.
i. It’s not about our differences it’s about the central message of the Gospel. It’s about the meaning of the cross of Christ.
ii. It’s about the power of the cross to set people free from sin and bondage.
iii. It’s about the truth that if you repent and confess Jesus Christ as Lord of your life you are saved and on your way to heaven.
1. Romans 6:23 states, ‘The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
2. Jesus said in John 14:6 “….I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
iv. It’s about the reality and completeness of the cross- Max Lucado puts it well when he says, “And as the hands of Jesus opened for the nail, the doors of heaven opened for you”(35).
1. He tells us that the message of Jesus on the cross is this, “I did it for you. I did it all for you” (151).
2. Hebrews 10:12, 14 “Christ offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins’ and “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” (NRSV)
v. It’s about the gift of forgiveness which comes from the cross to all who believe and then live it.
T.S.- Unity starts with not being divided over the message of the Gospel – Jesus Christ crucified for you and me -- and then progresses to the reality check that we should never split over minor issues.
II. N=Never split over minor issues.
a. Their have been more splits over minor issues in the church then real authentic reasons to split.
i. You cannot make an excuse for sin but most divisions are over the same things the Corinthian church battled with. For example:
1. Leadership styles – I Corinthians 1
a. The Corinthian church divided over comparing their leaders, “I follow Paul”;”I follow Apollos”; another “I follow Cephas”; Still another, “I follow Christ.”
b. Paul reminds us in I Corinthians 1:13 “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?…”
c. It’s not about the leaders or their leadership style its about Jesus!
2. Worship style – I Corithians 11
a. The music is to slow or to fast
b. The singing should only be Acapella or only music
c. The way one should or should not dress for worship
d. How the service is to be arranged
e. When and how to do the Lord’s Supper
3. Disagreements over business deals resulting in lawsuits -I Corithians 6
a. Christians we more concerned with suing one another in secular courts than in working it out in Christian settings using the Matthew 18 Principle.
4. Personal convictions not clearly spelled out in the Bible
a. Romans 14:2-3 -Meat eaters condemned the vegetarians and the vegetarians condemned the meat eaters.
b. Marriage - I Cor. 7
i. Forbidding to marry thinking its more holy.
c. Celibacy – I Cor. 7
d. Food sacrificed to idols – I Cor. 8
5. The Charismatic gifts
a. Thigpen notes, “It wasn’t wrong for some in the church at Corinth to speak in tongues and others not to do so. The problems came when some insisted that everyone speak in tongues (see I Corinthians 12), while others forbade anyone to speak in tongues (see I Corinthians 14:39) (37, Discipleship Journal, Issue 101).
6. The role of women in the church
a. No they can’t –Yes they can!
b. The battle of who can minister in the church.
c. God is no respecter of persons.
ii. Here is what the Lord says to all these silly divisions, “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.”
1. Expound --The strength of the FCA is our diversity!
iii. Thigpen notes, “In the early church, as now, troubles arose when Christians allowed their differences to become sources of division.”
iv. Don’t major on the minors! Disunity is breed by pride and arrogance – fear – and self-centeredness. These are not the fruits of the spirit. These are the things which kill the power of the Gospel.
1. Fischer states, “It’s really about control!”
a. “It’s the Pharisee in us that wants control, and more than anything we want control over the rules of the game. (This is common to all religions.) When we follow this pattern, it works to our supposed advantage in the following way: We set a standard that some, but not all, are capable of achieving. This standard usually has the weight of an acceptable authority behind it (in the Pharisee’s case it was the law of Moses; with today’s Christians it can be one’s interpretation of the Bible), and yet it is conveniently reinterpreted and reduced to some nitpicky list of do’s and don’ts that some people can’t do and others simply don’t care about, with good reason” (19)
b. The end result is dissensions arise then a division is set in motion. Then the group splits over an issue that is not spelled out clearly in Scripture. They then proceed to convince everyone else that God is on their side.
i. Here is another of God’s thoughts on divisions: “…make every effort to keep unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3)
b. There are teachings that are important and cannot be compromised in the church but they are clearly spelled out in the Bible:
i. The core of the Christian faith.
1. The confession of faith in Jesus Christ accompanied by repentance and the acceptance by faith of the forgiving power of Jesus. Is core!
a. Our salvation is based on faith in Christ and His forgiveness not on our works because we will always fall short.
b. I Cor. 15:3-5
2. There is no other way to heaven it’s through Jesus only!
a. II Cor. 11:4-5
ii. Sinful behavior is to be confronted in love and not allowed to go unchecked in professing Christian lives. It cannot ever be promoted as being okay in God’s eyes.
1. When a person claims to be a Christian then he allows himself to come under God’s correction and direction.
2. Not only are we to profess belief in the Gospel, but we must live in accordance with what the Bible clearly defines as the spirit filled life.
a. I Cor. 3:16-17
b. I Cor. 5:1-13
iii. Yes there are times we are instructed to take a stand for the truth and we must – but this is usually between Christians and those who claim to be Christians but don’t want to follow the teachings of Jesus.
1. A person or person who preaches another Gospel contrary to the Bibles teaching is to be rejected and split apart from.
2. Light and darkness do not mix!
3. John tells us in the end times antichrist’s would come but have nothing to do with them.
T.S.- Unity is important because when we are intertwined together the church is stronger.
III. I= Intertwined together is a key because this creates strength in His community.
a. A three-string cord is not easily broken.
i. Ecc. 4:12
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
ii. We know that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are intertwined together and that is why they are the most powerful force in the world.
1. The church needs to be intertwined together as well because this is what makes her strong.
iii. The believers need to be united together in the community.
1. Because divisions and disunity keep the church from fulfilling its mission in their community.
b. Divide and conquer that’s the motto of the forces of evil.
c. Ephesians 4:27 --angry divisions always give the Devil a foothold in the Body of Christ.
d. Whenever there is a splitting apart of a family there is pain anguish and heartache-whether it’s in a family unit or in a church family.
i. There are always wounded children and yes 1/3 will recover after 5-7 years, 1/3 will recover with some very noticeable scars in their lives after 10 years. But 1/3 will never recover from the break up of the family unit.
ii. I believe the same statistics go for church dissensions and divisions.
T.S.- The church needs to be intertwined together so she is strong enough to be kept together forever.
IV. T=Together forever should be the churches cry to the Lord.
a. Somehow we have lost this rally cry today.
i. Recent statistic says that today’s society lacks one important ingredient – Commitment to others. We live in an era of rugged individualism. Where self is the focus – not others!
b. We are quick to say,” Were together!” until we disagree then we usually flee. The most common phrase today is “Runaway!”
i. The truth is today instead of people working out disagreements they run away and say all manner of lies and gossip to uplift themselves while putting the other person down.
ii. We see this in churches, in business, in families, in communities, in organizations, and in responsible citizenship.
iii. Many of those who have ran away from the church even go so far to say that, “God told them to do it!”
1. My friends God is not coward – He did not run away from the cross –He was committed to press through it so we could be together forever.
c. Unity will only stay in the community that cries “Together forever!”
i. Unity should be maintained for the sake of the message.
ii. Unity should be maintained for the sake of the seekers.
iii. Unity should be maintained for the sake of the Baby Christians.
iv. Unity should be maintained for the sake of the cross.
v. Unity should be maintained for the sake of the Gospel.
vi. Unity should be maintained for the sake of the each other.
vii. Unity should be maintained for the sake of our own hearts.
viii. Unity should be maintained because it will defeat pride, anger and un-forgiveness.
ix. Unity should be maintained to drive out the fears of men.
x. Unity should be maintained so that the world will see Jesus living in us.
xi. Unity should be maintained forever because that’s what Jesus wants.
T.S.- Unity is to be maintained to keep the church full of the power of God but it comes down to our wills.
V. Y= Your will makes all the difference when it comes to unity in the community.
a. It starts with you- You have to say “Yes”, today for Unity in the community.
b. We are back to the question I asked last week and before that – “How bad do you want Revival?” Then say yes to unity in His community!
c. Thigpen asks a question that I would like to ask you today, “Will we be an answer to Jesus’ prayer? Or will we be one who fights against Jesus’ prayer.
Conclusion:
If we truly want revival we will show him how much we love him by keeping unity in the community.
Thigpen challenges us “When we’re tempted to divide-for whatever reasons-then we must return to Jesus’ prayer. There we learn that unity in the church is dear to the heart of God” (39).
U = Undivided in the message of the cross of Christ
N = Never split apart over minor issues of personal preference
I = Intertwined together is the strength of His community
T= Together forever with Him and with each other is our cry
Y = Your will makes all the difference in the community as to whether there is unity
He adds, “We must repent and forgive. We must seek to understand and appreciate. We must humble ourselves and serve. And if we must disagree, we must do it in a spirit of charity. Jesus is still praying. Will we be an answer to His prayer” (39)?
