Church in the Peak Podcast

23rd May 2010 - Ian Clague - Unity (part 2)

Ian continued speaking on the theme of Unity (which he had also been speaking about on 11th April 2010.

Ian started with Zechariah 4:6 “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” Ian explained that, for the Israelites, rebuilding the temple was an impossible task – similar to us trying to flatten Mount Everest by ourselves with spades. In this verse, God is reminding the Israelites that by his Spirit, nothing is impossible.

Eph 2 v 11 onwards
• you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
• and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
• His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,
• Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household,

He we saw the work of Jesus on the cross brings unity again to rich and poor, language, colour, age, – whatever satan would have used to bring enmity. The unity of the spirit overcomes this.

The Tower of Babel Gen 11
God proclaimation of unity aside from and its power. – Independence / self sufficiency apart from God – they had the social unity and technological ability. BUT god had said spread out over the earth and this would likely have kept them in one place. So god confuses, brings language and disperses

Main text Ephesians 4:1-6

what this unity is not – Ecumenicalism – A work of man. It is not a thing that can be orchestrated/ or created by the effort/planning or structures of man. – Its not a common attitude, approach or set of rules that if we sign up to it means we are a member of the body – Doesn’t mean we have to think same things and act the same way – the outworking of our different character and gifts are different, reflecting the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts – Unity does not require you to be a doormat where you simply say yes to everything everyone else says.

What is it? A free gift of God, spoken of by Jesus and outworked by the Spirit

Nothing you or I can do can bring about unity it a property of the church received solely a gift of the Holy Spirit who then works out its fruit amongst us. However at the core of this passage is a plea from Paul – to be Eager to maintain the unity of the spirit. Reminder:- Eager – (meaning to be diligent, labour, make an effort) aintain – (tay-reh-o)– to guard from loss or injury By Keeping your eyes on and holding fast to the Unity we have received. So – There is a unity of the spirit, it can be lost, or injured and we are to watch, guard and labour diligently with all effort to hold onto this oneness that is ours in the Holy Spirit. Now we have considered what the unity of the spirit is – and we have to be eager to maintain it –

What can undermine unity
• Pride – I want to be first – though, place, position
• Provoking one another
• Self centeredness
• A judgemental attitude
• The tongue – gossiping, lying, slander, grumbling
• Allowing our lives to drift from the plumbline of Gods word
• Not fellowshipping with the Holy spirit, so we are not so able to hear his still small voice – unity comes from the vertical not the horizontal (marriage model)

Finally – Why is unity important
• A witness John 17v 23 May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them
• Necessary for god’s purposes – the Go word from jesus was to the body together not to one individual
• Honours God, if that’s what my dad’s like I want to be the same – Trinity
• Ps 133 v 1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
• Disharmony is the enemy of the church – history
• We sense of a fresh move of God coming in our nation. A crucial time to protect the unity of the spirit. The things that undermine the Unity tend to come to the fore when the spirit starts o re-shape the church. It moves us out of our comfort zone. Hence the need to get caught up in the vision for ourselves. Otherwise it can feel like something that is being done to us.

Eagerly maintaining unity – how can we do this –
Below (and attached – see link at bottom for Word version) is a list of faith statements that we might want to allow the holy spirit to provoke us in on a regular basis. So that as we move forward in the plans he has for us we walk in agreement and unity with one another.

Questions
• Ask people how the recent prophetic stream we have received as a church has provoked them
• How can we ‘expose’ the unity we have received as a free gift from the Holy spirit so that as Jesus prayed in John 17 ‘May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me’
• How can we be Eager to maintain the unity in a way that is not legalistic, but is rooted in faith and grace

Practical Scriptures about how to achieve unity (also, see link at bottom for Word version):

• I will love my brothers and sisters in Christ (John 13: 34-35)
• I will actively seek to encourage those around me in the body (1 Thes 4:18)
• I will spur people on towards love and good deeds (Heb 10:24)
• We have a heart to build one another up (1 Thes 5:11)
• We will edify one another (instruct so as to encourage intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement) (Romans 14:19)
• I will admonish my brother in love and gentleness (Col 3:16)
• I will serve the body (Gal 5:13)
• We will bear with one another (Col 3:13)
• I will forgive my brother (Eph 4:42)
• We will be kind to one another (Eph 4:32)
• We will be compassionate to one another (1 Pet 3:8)
• We will honour one another (Rom 12:10)
• I will live in harmony with my brothers and sisters (Rom 12:16)
• l will be gentle and patient with my brothers and sisters (Eph 4:2)
• I will accept my brother as he is (Rom 15:7)
• We will submit to one another (Eph 5:21)
• We will confess our sins on to another (James 5:16)
• We will pray for one another (James 5:16)
• We will offer hospitality to one another (1 Pet 4:9)
• I will carry my brothers burdens (Gal 6:2)

Listen now! (0:37min / 10MB)