One
Romans 12:3-8 NIV (READ)
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
I remember a song that was titled “One Is The Loneliest Number” by Three Dog Night, and I believed that until I realized that being a Christian, it was many who made up the one, the one Church. We who are many are one is the cry of the church. The church has much to offer the world around us if we but love them and care for them as Christ did. We all have different gifts (skills-Talents) That can and should be used for the Kingdom of God and its expansion. We are who we are because of God, God is not who He is because of us.
Read Romans 12:3-8 (The Message)
3I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
4In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. 5The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, 6let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; 7if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; 8if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
1. We have been called to be ONE!
A. One in Christ.
1st Corinthians 12:12-14 NIV
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
1st Corinthians 12:12-14 (The Message)
12You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. 13By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.
14I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together.
B. One in Faith.
Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV
4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:4-6 (The Message)
4You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. 5You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness
That is the basic, foundation on which we must build on.
Without this foundation we can never be one.
One Lord – Jesus the Christ
One Faith- In Jesus, the son of God
One Baptism- A burial (Romans 6:4, we were buried with Him)
4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
These things are not negotiable.
One God- Jehovah, not Buddha, Allah, or any other thing or one calling itself or himself god.
2. We have been called to ONE in direction.
Ephesians 4:12-16 NIV
12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until 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.
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From 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.
Ephesians 4:12-16 (The Message)
12to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, 13until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.
14No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. 15God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. 16He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.
A. Preparing –teaching- training
God’s people not OUR people for works to serve in His Kingdom as He has called them, not how we want them to serve.
B. Build them up.
Build up the body of Christ not tear it down, encourage (Hebrews 10:24)NIV
24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
we must let Gods people serve as He calls, in the way He calls.
C. Reach Unity in Faith. (Knowledge)
Knowledge of Christ, the Basics, things of salvation.
Knowledge is the beginning of wisdom
Wisdom is putting knowledge into practice.
Wisdom brings maturity, Alive in Christ, complete, strong, able to stand up to false teaching and know the difference.
Being in balance, knowledge—Love.
In Conclusion:
I ask are you ONE in Christ? Are you one with His body? Are you growing up in Christ? Are you serving Christ as God has called you to? Let all of us join together as we become ONE in Christ. ONE IS NOT THE LONELEST NUMBER, IT IS THE BEGINNING OF THE HAPPEST NUMBER I HAVE EVER HERD!!!
