United- One Body

United- Week 1 – “One Body”

Ephesians 4:1-6

¹Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—  ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

What does look like for New City Olathe?

One Body

One Spirit

One Hope

One Lord

One Faith

One Baptism

One God

1. What is the ?
2. How do I become part of the ? 
3. How does the stay one?

What is the Body?

1 Corinthians 12:27

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ and individual members of it.

1 Corinthians 12: 14-26

¹⁴ Indeed, the body is not one part but many.  ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body.  ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body.  ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  ¹⁸ But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.  ¹⁹ And if they were all the same part, where would the body be?  ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.  ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”  ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable.  ²³ And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect,  ²⁴ which our respectable parts do not need. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable,

What part of the might you be?

1 Corinthians 12:25-26

²⁵ so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other.  ²⁶ So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

God’s goal for His local church of Jesus followers is a body in unity.

How Do We Become Part of The Body?

1 Corinthians 12: 12-13

¹² For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ.  ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink.

You Can Be a Part of The Body in and Through

What does “through Christ” mean?

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

¹Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand  ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.  ³ For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Romans 10:9

⁹ If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

How Does the Body Stay One? 

Ephesians 4:1-3

¹Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,  ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  ³ making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

“The Calling You Have Received.”

“With all Humility” = Moral

A reminder that we are all the same when it comes to Jesus

We all need Jesus’ help

Everyone is level at the cross

“And Gentleness” = Gentle

What do I mean by Gentle strength?

Gentleness is having and but choosing not to use it to break someone’s spirit.

Isaiah 42:3

He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick; he will faithfully bring justice.

“With Patience”

Waiting Sufficient Time Before Expressing Anger. This Avoids The Premature Use of Force (retribution) That Rises Out of Improper Anger (a personal reaction).

James 1:19

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,

“Bearing with one another in love,”

“I always love you I just don’t always love what you love”

Romans 15:1

Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves.

“In love” Agape divine Love or supernatural love; God’s love

“Making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.” 

To Guard and Keep Watch Over Our Unity

“Through the bond of peace.” 

Philippians 2:14-15

¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling and arguing,¹⁵ so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world,

Our Oneness Will Have a Direct Effect On The Lost World Around Us!