The Unity Factor
Philippians 2:1-5
I. The Commissioning of Church Unity (v. 1-2)
A. Paul Commissioned Them to Be Like-Minded
1. This does not mean being carbon-copies
2. This does not mean we all will have the same ideas
3. This does mean that we will be agreeable even when we disagree
B. Paul Commissioned Them to Have the Same Love for One Another
“We ought to love one another equally because Christ loved equally and died equally for everyone that is a believer today and that will believe”
C. Paul Commissioned Them to Be of One Accord
1. Of one accord in our desire – to see Christ glorified in changed lives
2. Of one accord in our passion – to lift up Jesus in praise and worship
3. Of one accord in our ambition to be a Great Kingdom Church (Acts 2:40-47)
“….and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:47
D. Paul Commissioned Them to Be of One Mind
1. We must have the same purpose in mind
2. We must have the same result in mind
II. The Confounding of Church Unity (v. 3a)
A. “Let nothing be done….” refers to the motives for doing things
1. To do nothing is better than doing it for the wrong motive
2. To do with wrong motive is usually out of self gratification or for recognition
B. Self Ambition Confounds Unity
1. Self ambition is a twin to selfishness
2. Self ambition usually raises up three deadly enemies to church unity:
• Factionalism – Division caused by choosing sides
• Rivalry – Division that turns the Great Commission into a “Great Competition” to get your own way
• Partisanship – Division based on a difference of opinion
C. Conceit Confounds Unity
1. It is rooted in self-seeking glory (Matt. 6:5-16)
2. It is the root of self ambition and ultimately practically all church divisions or splits.
III. The Completion of Church Unity (v. 3b-5)
A. Our Attitude in Service for One Another Will Determine Our Unity
1. We Must Be Humble
2. We Must Lift Up Others
3. We Must Become Servants of Others (John 13)
B. Our Attention to Others Will Determine Our Unity
1. We Must esteem the interests of others within the body Christ
2. We must esteem the importance of others outside the body of Christ
“Others is the key to this passage. It is the Christian faith which first made that word others important. Why did Christ come from heaven’s glory to this earth? It was for others. Why should we carry the gospel? For others. To think of others rather than ourselves is having the mind of Christ” – J. Vernon McGee
C. Our Unity Gives a Picture of Who We Really Serve and Love
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they all may be on, as You, Father are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent me” – John 17:20-21
