We Are All In This Together
Some Purposes Of The Church:
- To Equip People
- To Serve One Another
- To Encourage One Another
- To Obtain Unity With Each Other
- To Become Mature Believers
UNITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST IS THE FOCUS FOR TODAY
Paul Says In Ephesians 4:
To Live The Way God’s People Should Live
Because He Chose Us To Be HIS
- Humble And Gentle
- Be Patient And Accept Each Other With Love
- Joined Together With Peace Through The Spirit
- Continue ALLOWING PEACE TO HOLD YOU TOGETHER
- One Body And One Spirit And One Hope
- One Lord And One Faith And One Baptism
- One God And Father Of Us All
Christ Gave Each One Of Us Special Spiritual Gifts
Everyone Received What He Wanted To Give
He Gave Gifts To People
- Some To Be Apostles
- Some To Be Prophets
- Some To Go And Tell The Good News
- Some To Care For Others
- Some To Serve Others
- Some To Teach
- Christ Gave These Gifts To Make The Body Of Christ Stronger
SERVE | ENCOURAGE | UNITY | MATURITY
To Serve One Another
To Encourage One Another
To Obtain Unity With Each Other
To Become Mature Believers
Paul In Ephesians Challenges Us
To Respond To The Gospel
By How We Live Our Own Life
The Church Is A Big Family With Many Different Cultures, Languages, Economic Classes BUT WE ARE ONE
One Body Unified By One Spirit
One Lord With One Faith
One Baptism With One God
UNITY IS NOT THE SAME AS UNIFORMITY
MANY TYPES OF PEOPLE
WITH ONE HOLY SPIRIT
USING UNIQUE TALENTS TO SERVE CHRIST
TO BUILD UP THE CHURCH
As A New Humanity With Jesus As The Head
Ephesians 4 Thru 6:
TAKE OFF OLD | PUT ON NEW
Lies To Truth
Anger To Peace
Theft To Generosity
Gossip To Encouragement
Revenge To Forgiveness
Sexual Impulse To Self Control Of Desires
Drunkenness To Holy Spirit Control
THE MARK OF THE CHURCH IS LOVE AND UNITY FOR JESUS
LOVE IS REPRESENTED IN CHRIST
That One Who Laid Down His Life For Us
The Righteous One Willingly Sacrificed Himself For Sinners
NOTE: Hatred Sacrifices Nothing For Others
LOVE ORIGINATES WITH GOD
Love In The Believer Comes From God
NOTE: Hatred Divides People And May Result In Murder
LOVE UNITES PEOPLE
Jesus Showed His Love By Laying Down His Life For Us
Love Unites People Through Practical Deeds Of Self-Sacrifice
NOTE: Hatred Is Motivated By Personal Sin
LOVE IS MOTIVATED BY GOD’S LOVE IN CHRIST
If God So Loved Us We Also Ought To Love One Another
NOTE: Hatred Is The Evidence Of Spiritual Death
LOVE IS THE EVIDENCE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE
This Fruit Of The Spirit Never Grows To Perfect Maturity In Life
One Should Be Able To See Growth In Love
The New Direction Will Be To Grow In Love For Others
WE ARE UNIFIED:
The Son Of God Came And Pitched His Tent Among Us
He Took On Humanity And He Lived With Us
He Sent His Holy Spirit To Live Not With Us BUT IN US
WE ARE ALL ONE IN JESUS CHRIST
So The Very Essence Of Life In The Church Is Relational
Being Made In God Image We Are Made For Relationships
We Are To Grow Up In All Aspects Into Him Who Is The Head
The Whole Body Being Held Together As One
The Whole Body Being Held Together As One
The Whole Body Working Together As One
If There Is Any Encouragement In Christ
If There Is Any Consolation Of Love
If There Is Any Fellowship Of The Spirit
If There Is Any Affection And Compassion
Make Our Joy Complete By Being Of The Same Mind
Make Our Joy Complete By Being Of The Same Love
UNITED IN ONE SPIRIT | INTENT ON ONE PURPOSE
- Doing Nothing From Selfishness Or Empty Conceit
- Have Humility Of Mind
- Regard One Another More Important Than Self
- Look Out For The Interest Of Others FIRST
- Then You Can Look Out For Yourselves
This Is The Attitude Of Jesus
He Was Selfless And Willing To Go To The Cross For Us
You Are Either In The Light Or In The Darkness
You Are Either Saved Or Lost
You Are Either In The Fellowship Of Christ Or Not
It Is Not What You Say
It Is What You Do
It Is How You Live
It Is How You Walk
THERE THE TRUTH IS REVEALED
Truly In The Fellowship You Will Walk In The Light Of Truth
You Will Enjoy The Fellowship With Others In The Light
You Are Continually Being Cleansed Of Your Sins
DISCUSSION GUIDE
What Three Things Does Paul Say About How Believers Should Conduct Themselves? (Ephesians 4:2-3)
Paul Says Believer Should
- Be Humble And Gentle
- Be Patient, Bearing With One Another In Love
- Keep The Unity Of The Spirit Through The Bond Of Peace
What Are The Seven Elements Of Unity? (Ephesians 4:4-6)
There Is (1) One Body, (2) One Spirit, (3) One Hope, (4) One Lord, (5) One Faith, (6) One Baptism, And (7) One God And Father Of All, Who Is Over All And Through All
What Gift Has Been Given To Foster Unity In The Body Of Christ? (Ephesians 4:7)
God Has Given Us Grace To Help Foster Unity
What Jobs Did Christ Give To People? (Ephesians 4:11)
Christ Decided That Some People Would Be Apostles, Some Prophets, Some Evangelists, And Some Pastors/Teachers
What Is The Job Of These Church Leaders? (Ephesians 4:12)
These Church Leaders Are To Equip People For Works Of Service
What Is The Result When Church Members Are Equipped To Serve? (Ephesians 4:12)
When Church Members Serve The Body Of Christ Is Built Up
What Is The Goal Of Building The Body? (Ephesians 4:13)
The Final Goal Is To Reach Unity And Become Mature
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