UNITY

UNLEASHING THE POWER OF UNITY—By Eddie Lawrence

Phil 2:1-4 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. KJV

 

  1. OUR UNITY IS MORE THAN A SPIRITUAL CONCEPT

Phil 2:1-4 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be ….

-What good is it to have the right doctrinal position on unity if you are not in unity. That is what Paul is saying to the Philippians.

-Hours before Jesus was nailed to the cross, he was draped in travail and intercession in Gethsemane praying for all of us to be one and to be unified and to function like he and Father function. This is the key to seeing God’s glory manifest in our lives.

ILLUS- There is a difference between being together and being in unity. A husband and wife can be together in the same house and not have any unity and harmony.

HUMOR- Like two cats whose tails are tied together. They may be together but they are not in unity.

 

  1. OUR UNITY MEANS WE CAN BE LIKE-MINDED

Philippians 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, …

-A few verses later Paul describes the mind of Christ. This is what we as Christians are to have and it is the way we begin to be like-minded.

-Our perspective must be from our position in Christ.

-We see as Christ sees.

ILLUS- Remember one of those submarine movies on TV where the admiral sees something through the perioscope and then invites someone else to see what he is seeing. Jesus as our captain invites us to see what he sees.

 

  1. OUR UNITY MEANS WE CAN HAVE THE SAME LOVE

Philippians 2: 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, ….

-When we have the same love, there is an awesome power released in our midst. We are love Jesus. We are to love one another. We do this through God’s love not our own natural love that is often based on what we like or don’t like. It is God’s love that is filled with commitment and sees the purposes of God. It is sacrificial. It is the love that kept Jesus on the cross while praying for those who rejoiced in seeing him there.

-Divisions are creating when people love the worship but not the God who is worshipped; when people love the preacher, but don’t receive what he preaches, etc.

KEY- Jesus tells us in John 13:34-35 that we are to love each other the way he loves us! Therefore, it is vital that we know He loves us and the way he has loved us and continues to love us. Our identities are to be rooted in the love of God. We are lovers because of the we have are loved. We love Him because He has first loved us.

 

  1. OUR UNITY MEANS WE CAN BE ONE IN SPIRIT AND OF ONE MIND

Philippians 2: 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Principles:

Prayer of agreement- Jesus honors our agreement in prayer with him.

Warfare Synergy- one can put a thousand to flight. Two can put ten thousand to flight.

Bridal Intimacy- Unity is the place where intimacy grows. In marriage, with Christ, and with His church.

 

  1. OUR UNITY MEANS WE CAN BE GENUINELY CONCERNED FOR ONE ANOTHER

Philippians 2: 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves

Practical Side: Where there is true unity people treat people in deference and love. Simply put, operating in the love and grace we have in Christ, we can over ourselves and begin living beyond ourselves and seeing Christ in action through our lives. This is what causes the world to know we are Christians.

 

CONCLUSION: Will we do this? Are we doing this? Can we do this? Only by getting into the place where our love for our Lord is paramount, our love for one another is evident, and our lives portray that we value those around us to the extent that we will sacrifice ourselves for them.