Sunday, July 12, 2009 
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:1-5
4I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Sermon Title: "10 TANGIBLE THINGS" Sunday, July 12, 2009
ASSOCIATE PASTOR STEELE: God has given
this church an enormous responsibility, we are to make
disciples of every nation. We can't do that by
ourselves. We must unite in our purpose, in our life
for one another and in our love for the Lord. Unity
does not just happen. We have to work at it.
We need to learn to be thankful for people who
are different than we are and appreciate the different
gifts we have within our church in order for us to
reach our potential and fulfill our responsibilities.
We have to understand how our differences actually
compliment, not compete. In order to achieve unity we
must incorporate and practice the attitudes described
in Ephesians, Chapter 2 verses two and three.
Scripture says we're supposed to bear with one
another, not get mad or upset or angry because
somebody said something we did not like. You know
what we should do if there is a person within our
church family that really bothers us? We should pray
for them. We should spend time getting to know them a
little bit better and try to see what it is God wants
them to teach us. You would be surprised what the
Holy Spirit can do in a situation like that.
The night Jesus was crucified he prayed the
church be unified and the believers be one in purpose.
Now being unified or having oneness in the church does
not mean it destroys our individuality. The Holy
Spirit has given each and every one of us special
gifts, unique talents for the building up of the
church, and that's something to celebrate.
Are you using your unique abilities to strengthen
the church? Are you using your gifts and your talents
to build up the body of Christ? In the early church
unity was a top priority. They realized in Jesus
Christ divisions disappear. Paul says it this way,
there is neither Jew or Greek, slave nor free, male
nor female, for all are one in Jesus Christ.
I would like to suggest 10 tangible things we can
do together as a church to accomplish this goal of
unity. I'm not suggesting in any way that this is a
comprehensive list, but simply a starting point.
Number one, focus on the right things. By that I
mean concentrate on what is important. Celebrate
things that unite us and don't dwell on the things
that divide us. Spend time each day in prayer. Spend
time each day reading your bible. Spend time each day
in worship. I believe that as we draw closer to God
we will draw closer to each other in that process.
Number two, live by the golden rule. When we
treat others the way we want to be treated, we tend to
be a lot nicer. Number three, always be willing to
cry for others and laugh at yourself. By that I mean
we must develop sincere concern for our neighbors and
we can't take ourselves too seriously in the process.
Number four, never let a day go by without doing
something to make life better for someone else.
Number five, never let a day pass without telling
someone you love them, and if at all possible, follow
it up with a hug. Number six, be quick to praise
and slow to criticize. Sometimes our human nature is
to be quick to criticize and slow to praise, that
divides us.
Number seven, as mentioned before, if you are
angry with someone, pray for them twice a day. Number
eight, invest in the life of a young person. Our
children are the future. Some of their enthusiasm,
some of their spark for life may rub off on you.
Number nine, count your blessings. We all have
something we can complain about, but there is also a
lot we have to be thankful for. Number 10, let the
love of Jesus Christ shine through you. 10 simple
suggestions, not a comprehensive list, but just a
starting point for helping us to be what Christ has
called us to be.
Scripture lesson this morning says there is one
body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one
baptism and one God and Father of all, and we are
called to do everything we can to keep the peace and
protect the unity because we all serve the same God.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.