The Desire for Unity
· Believers are family, brothers and sisters in Jesus
· Jesus’ desire for us is that we would live in unity (John 17:22-23)
· This unity is living in peace with one another
· This unity is counter culture
Disunity comes from “I”
· What divides us quicker than anything is when we focus on ourselves
· The divisions at Corinth seem to be about preference, not doctrine
· Should doctrine ever divide us? (2 John 1:10)
· The 5 Fundamentals of the Christian faith become the dividing line – truth faith verses apostacy
1. The inerrancy of Scripture – the Bible is true
2. The virgin birth and deity of Jesus – He is fully God, fully man
3. The substitutionary atonement of Jesus death – grace alone, by faith alone
4. The bodily resurrection – Jesus is alive today
5. The second coming of Jesus – He is coming back
· Within the parameters of the fundamentals, we shouldn’t divide
The Unifier is Jesus and His Mission
· Keep focused on Jesus
· Live on mission - preach the gospel
· The gravity of a church is always inward
· We must continually stay focused on Jesus and His mission for us
· Unity comes when we keep our eyes on Jesus and on His mission