Simple Unity

Dakota Community Church

August 5, 2012

Simple Unity

I hope and pray that you are enjoying these combined services as much as I am.

The Sunday of the long weekends in Winnipeg summers can be a challenging experience for those in leadership and those without cottages or campers, this helps!

I can remember years ago there was an episode of Seinfeld where George was having fits because Elaine was getting to know his girlfriend Susan. Independent George and relationship George had to prevent their worlds from colliding and “blowing up”.

“It's just common sense. Anybody knows, ya gotta keep your worlds apart.”

- George Costanza

While this may be true for George - this is definitely not the case of PCC and DCC.

I am the unique position of being able to get to know many of the members of both of these congregations. When we look at each other with our corporate personalities we see two very different assemblies, but as we learn to know one another individually we find brothers and sisters with the common bond of faith in Christ that is more than enough to overcome any differences when we yield to the Spirit and humbly prefer one another above ourselves.

My prayer is that each of you would begin to cross the dividing lines and seek to form meaningful friendships that will take unity from a concept we embrace to a reality based on love and grace.

If you have a Bible please grab it and turn to Romans 14 (page 804 in the DCC pew Bible)

Romans 14:1-23

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2 One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’”

12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. 14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15 If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16 Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.