Series: What Makes a Great Church!
Sermon: A Church that is united.
Text: Eph 4:1-16
As a parent, one of your primary desires concerning your kids is that they would get simply along. No parent desires to see their dearest offspring going out it and bickering. A while back my two oldest girls, who normally get along very well started to bicker and argue, and before you knew it, it was an old fashioned bar room fist-a-cuff. Now, I know this is not what you would expect from a pastor’s home. Pastor’s kids are supposed to spend their time gathered around the oil lamb engrossed in a bible study singing Kum-Ba-Ya. But when I went into their room and saw those two girls not getting along, it hurt me. Now kids will be kids, I know, but as their father, my wish is for my children to love each other, not bicker and argue.
Now if that is how I feel, being an earthly father, imagine how our Heavenly Father must feel when He gazes at His children and sees them bickering and arguing; When those who are gathered together in His name spend their time cussing each other rather than praising their Father. One way a child can honor its father is to get along with its siblings, and not to do so is an insult. That’s why when my girls argue and fight, I don’t go in there and sing their praises, no I punish them. And in the same manner, I doubt that God ever blesses a bickering church.
Right before He was crucified, Jesus prayed a prayer for His disciples and then for those who would come to believe, namely us. And it’s a truly amazing prayer, because in that prayer He prayed for one specific thing amongst us that would let the world know that God had truly sent His Son into this world. What was that one thing? Was it powerful preaching? Good music? No, Jesus prayed for the harmony of His believers. Listen to the prayer of Jesus found in John 17:20, “My prayer is not for them alone. 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.”
So if the world is going to know that Jesus is the Christ, then we His body must learn to live in harmony. Now how do we go about doing that…since there are so many people, each of us unique and different in make up, status, and opinions? With such a diverse group of personalities, how do we foster this harmony?
In our text for today, the Apostle Paul will tell us. Now in the first three chapters of this book, Paul has dealt with doctrine, now he makes into the application of that doctrine. Faith is doctrine put into action. For the first 3 chapters here, Paul has spoke about why we are the church, now he moves into how we are to be the church. And his first focus is on unity. Now, I say this concerning the emphasis on doctrine because, for a church to be united, it must be united in the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. We are not united just for the sake of being united; no, we are united in the truth. Now, this doesn’t mean that we are dogmatic in our beliefs and say that everybody has to think alike on every subject. The one thing I truly like about our denomination is that we have that leeway in our beliefs. John Wesley said that we think and let think, but he said this about issues that did not strike at the root of Christianity. So to suggest that a person can believe whatever that person wants and still be united in the faith is simply ridiculous.
With that taken care of, Paul gives us in this text some ways we can be a united body of believers. Now we’re going to tackle this in three parts, first we’ll look at the attitude that is necessary to cultivate this unity, then we will look at the basis of this unity, and we will conclude with some practical applications on how to foster this unity. Now, I’m going to ask that you listen carefully, because if God will not bless a bickering church, then I want us to avoid becoming one at all cost.
Now the first thing we see here is the attitude that is necessary to cultivate unity. Christian Unity doesn’t begin with an eternal structure, but rather in the attitudes of the heart.
So what kind of attitude is necessary? The first aspect is that within the church their needs to be and ambition to live a life worthy of being called a Christian. When two people have the same ambition to live their life a certain way, the find that they automatically have a great deal in common and it enables them to be united. As those who call ourselves Christians, we are striving to live a holy life, to move on to perfection, which simply means to love God and your neighbor more tomorrow than you did today, and if since we have that same ambition to live our life a certain way, we have a great deal in common.
Look what Paul says in vs. 1, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Miss Cricket Riley used to say that she was careful about calling herself a Christian, because when you call yourself a Christian you’ve said a mouthful. Now I explained to her that we are a Christian because of what Christ has done for us, but in a way she is right. When you call yourself a Christian you’ve said a mouthful. Paul urges us to live a life worthy of being called a Christian.
Who you are and what you do are automatically linked. Our actions are linked to our identity. A father is out walking his 6 year old boy, and when the boy trips and falls and begins to cry excessively, the father replies, “You’re a big boy, now act like it!” Paul says here, you’re a child of God, now act like it. Make sure that your attitude and life match you say you are.
When those who call themselves Christians begin to act like it, imagine the impact this would have on the church. Your life needs to match your claim. It doesn’t mean that you’re perfect, but it means that the primary aim of your life is to live your life in respect of who God is and what He has done for you in Jesus Christ. William Barclay once said that, “Christians are people who are drawn together because they owe a common debt to the goodness and grace of God.” Seek to live a life worthy. Phil 1:27-28 says, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God”
The second attitude necessary is that there must be an attitude that is not ego driven. So much of what causes disunity within the church is the result of a person’s ego, or pride. But Paul says as a Christian, this should be how we are, in Vs. 2 he says, ‘Be completely humble and gentle.” The bible says that Pride goes before a downfall, and often that proud person can bring down a whole church with him. At times, people are more concerned about keeping their pride intact whether it hurts others or not. It could be over a power struggle within the church, our doing things your way in the worship service, or maybe its not forgiving somebody because they confronted you in public. I once was corrected during a Sunday School class when I first got here by a student when I misquoted a verse, and even though he was right and I was wrong, I was still mad at him for doing so. Maybe you’re like that. Some one dared to vote against you in the church board meeting. The pastor asked someone else to sing the special music.
Instead of letting it go, in order to keep their pride intact, everything else becomes subservient to it, even what is right. Someone has said that ego stands for Edging God Out, and that is the result in the church when its members can’t keep their pride in check.
Much of the divisions in churches today are not over theological issues, but rather over people who are prideful, who feel they should be in charge, or people who are upset because they didn’t get there way. More churches are split over whose child will play Mary in the Christmas play than over any contentious theological issue. I like what Romans 12:16 in the Living Bible says, “Work happily together. Don’t try to act big. Don’t try to get into the good graces of important people, but enjoy the company of ordinary folks. And don’t think you know it all!” Simply put, be humble!
So when you come into this service, check your ego at the door. Be willing not to have the last word. Be willing to not get your way. Be willing not to have the final say. And be willing to seek the common good over your personal preferences. And be willing to put aside your rights in order to do what is right in God’s eyes. Let me explain this. I came across a story awhile back that I felt applied to our church seeing how it is politicin’ season here in Wayne County; it appears that a pastor noticed one of the ushers wearing a large political button for a particular candidate, and when the pastor saw it he asked the usher to remove it. The usher stubbornly said, “Why should I! I think he’s a great candidate and everybody should vote for him.” The pastor then explained that perhaps a member of the opposing party is here and is a non-believer, that button will turn him away. Now which is more important, to win a vote for your man, or to win a lost soul to Christ? The usher saw the point.
Now I have many strong political opinions, and I am a card carrying member of a particular political party, some of you know which one, others of you don’t, and for those who don’t know…it’s going to stay that way. My goal up here in this pulpit is to win you to Christ, not to a political party. Now you may be convinced over political issues, but in humility, recognize that there are those here who disagree with you, and I ask that you respect those individuals and their right to disagree with you.
Now the next attitude that is necessary is that their needs to be an attitude that is willing to overlook the idiosyncrasies of others. Look at the last part of vs. 2 again. It means to literally bear with one another. I like how the Living bible puts this verse. Let’s say that verse together as it is found in your study guide. It says, “Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
In the church, there will be people who will do things that will irk you. Perhaps it’s a member who is rude and interrupts you all the time. Perhaps it’s a member who comes to church and chews gum while singing. You know we all have these little pet peeves that annoy us. I have three pet peeves that drive me crazy when I see them. They are an un-ironed shirt, unpolished shoes, and when a back of a man’s neck is not shaved. I often considered coming to church with an iron, a shoe shine kit, and a razor and fix people up as they come through the door, but I’ve learned to overlook those things.
And if we are going to be a harmonious church we need to overlook the little things that others may do that get on our nerves. Maybe it’s a person who sings off key, or a person who tends to be a high maintenance member, but bear with each other in love. Love enables us to overlook these things. Just as in marriage, a woman can overlook her husbands faults, so in love shall we do the same. So if you’ll overlook my constant references to the University of Kentucky, I’ll overlook those hairy necks.
The next attitude that is necessary combines all the others and its simply that there must be a willingness to work at this unity. Look at vs. 3. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” It takes effort to be united. Our natural tendency is to stay away from those who are different than we are. But in the church, we are all different. And we must put forth the effort to work at being a united church.
So, what is unity? Well recognize that unity is not uniformity; it is not being the same or thinking the same. It concerns gathering around the same things and being bound together because of them. People go to a football game because they have the same basic interest to watch a good ball game, not because they are all the same. And here in this church, though we are different in many ways, we are gathered in His name to worship and glorify God.
Now we’ve looked at the attitude we need to have to cultivate unity, but what is the basis for our unity? Well, the basis is found in two things; first we are a community of believers, and second we are bound together in our love for Jesus Christ.
First we are a community of believers. It says in vs. 4 that there is one body and one Spirit. When God created the church, he didn’t create it as a brick building to worship in; He created it as a community to belong to. God created the church to be a family, a community of people who come together to worship God, to love and care for each other, to grow into maturity, to serve others, and to attract others into a relationship with God and each other. That is why the church exists.
And God created us to need one another. No one Christian can be the Christian he or she has been called to be apart from the church. Your decision to be a Christian may be a personal decision but it is not a private one. You are a part of the body of believers. And to ensure that we would stick together, God gave each of us a gift that alone is incomplete, but when brought together with others, it fulfills our needs. God has distributed the gifts to ensure that we would need each other. Look at vs. 7, “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it,” then jump down to vs. 11, “ It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
Each of us serves a part in this church, and if you are not utilizing your gift, then you are robbing this church. Rick Warren said that God gave you your gift nor for your sake but for my sake, and He gave me my gift not for my sake, but for yours. And each of us must employ that gift. Most have the idea that the work of the church is that of the pastor alone. John Stott puts it humorously: he said many people’s idea of church is one of a bus: one bus driver and many drowsy passengers who only ring the bell and say, "It’s time for me to get off" That’s not how God intended the church to be. It’s a place where we all work together as one to fulfill the works God has prepared for us. As the old disco song goes, “we are family!”
The second base for our unity is that we are united in our love for Jesus Christ. Now, we can have relationships based off just about anything. We form bonds with people who share the same hobbies as we do, or the same political views. We can share a bond that is centered around sports. Just ask my wife Denise, if I see a person wearing a UK shirt, we instantly become buddies and talk for a while. But eventually those bonds fade away. We lose interest in our hobbies, fans jump off the band wagon, people mature and change, and the bonds that once held us together fade away.
Even a tragic event only bonds us temporarily. Remember how after the tragic events of 9/11 brought the congress together on the steps of the hill and together they sang, “God bless America.” But when the emotions faded, the bickering returned. But as a Christian, we share a love for the One who was, and is, and ever will be. And it is Jesus Christ that bonds us together as a family in Christ, Look at vs. 15, 16. “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Now in the few moments we have left, I want to give you some practical ways to foster this unity within the church. First, keep a tight reign on your tongue. Now we are told to speak the truth in the church, but we are told to speak the truth in love. Someone has said that truth without love is brutality, love without truth is hypocrisy, and truth with love is Christianity. We are called to speak the truth, but in a loving way. So before you say something, first ask yourself, is this necessary? Do I have to say this? A guest preacher was shaking hands with the people as they came out and a woman shook his hand and said, “That’s the worse sermon I’ve ever heard.” She left and came back in line and said, “He must of put that sermon together on his way to church.” Again she got back in line and this time said, “That was the longest half hour ever.” The man asked the preacher what her problem was, and he said, “Oh don’t worry, she doesn’t mean it, she just repeats what she hears everybody else say.” Are you saying what you’re saying because you mean it, or just what you’ve heard others say? Then ask yourself is this beneficial to the body? We are open to constructive criticism here at this church and we welcome your input, as long as it is constructive.
As a Christian, you should not say something for the sole purpose of hurting someone. Eph. 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”.
Second, agree to disagree and decide to still love each other. There will be those here in this church who have a different idea of how the church should be operated, what should be served at the fellowship dinner, and what is the best way to run the government. A test of maturity is to disagree with someone and still be able to love them.
And finally, stay focused on the mission. When the church is busy doing what it’s supposed to be doing, there isn’t time to fuss and fight. Darryl Dash once spoke about a Navigators conference he attended where the guest speaker was a retired army veteran. He spoke about the difference between those men who fought in the front lines, compared to those responsible for the rear echelon ministries. He said that the guys on the front lines didn’t complain much. They were too busy fighting the enemy. Camaraderie was built quickly; because people had to work together…it was a matter of life and death so they took their objectives and strategy seriously. Successful execution was imperative, little things like how good the food tasted didn’t matter, what mattered was that they were still alive to eat food.
But once you went a few miles behind the front, however, attitudes changed drastically. Back there, griping was a way of life. Men complained about everything – food, the weather, the commanding officers, something was wrong with everyone and everything.
So it is within the church. Those who not involved are those who often sit back and complain the most, but if we are all involved in frontline ministries, we will be engaged in making an important contribution. Being in the battle isn’t always fun, there will be some on your side who may irk you, but it sure beats frittering away your time and talent on the back pew. So this morning if you are tired of wasting away in the pew, settle in your mind that you will be the church, a community of believers bound together by our love for Jesus. And it doesn’t matter who you are, or what you’ve done, there is room at the cross for you, and there is room here in this church as well.
Sermon Study Guide
Series: What Makes a Great Church!
Sermon: A Church that is united.
Text: Eph 4:1-16
I. There must be the right __________ to cultivate unity. (Vs. 1-3)
a. There needs to be an ambition to live a _____ life. (vs. 1)
Phil 1:27-28 says, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God”
b. There must be an attitude that is not driven by _____. (vs.2a,b)
Romans 12:16 (Living Bible), “Work happily together. Don’t try to act big. Don’t try to get into the good graces of important people, but enjoy the company of ordinary folks. And don’t think you know it all!”
c. There must be an attitude that is willing to overlook ________. (vs. 2c)
Eph. 4:2 (Living Bible) “Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
d. There must be an willingness to _______ at this unity. (vs. 3)
II. What are the _______ for this unity (Vs. 4-6, 15-16) (Vs.7-14)
a. We are a __________ of Believers. (vs. 4)
b. We are united in our love for ________. (vs. 5, 15-16)
III. Practical Applications to help ________ this Unity.
a. Keep a Tight reign on your _______.
Eph. 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”
b. Agree to ________ and decide to still _____ each other.
c. Stay ______ on the mission of the church.
