Three Keys to Church Unity (Ephesians 4:1-3)

Church Unity as a Gospel Imperative

Open your Bibles to the 4th chapter of the book of Ephesians, if you would. Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, and chapter 4. And let's pray as we begin. Our God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is to You whom we come to offer worship, because You delight in the worship of Your people, and it is our delight to offer it.

We pray by Your Spirit this morning here in this place and time, that this offering of the Word as it is preached would be pleasing to You, that You would bless it, that Your Spirit would apply it to each of us in the exact and special way that we all need, and that only You can know.

May we draw closer to Christ and one another this morning, because we have been here. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. On the back of a $1 bill is a picture of the great seal of the United States. That seal was adopted by the Continental Congress in the year 1776, and it was to represent the forging of the original 13 colonies into one new nation.

The motto there on the great seal in Latin, e pluribus unum, means, Out of many, one. Out of many, one. But presently, and this is no newsflash, our country is deeply divided.

Deeply divided.

And it's perhaps no more graphically depicted than a picture of the United States map colored into swatches of red and blue.

Red and blue.

And whether by the grace of God we find our way out of this situation, or whether the Union will slowly dissolve into a bickering balkanization, only God Himself knows. But regardless of whether our political system can and will endure, it is essential that churches not succumb to the spirit of the age and descend themselves into dissensions and disputes and to be torn asunder by it.

It makes a mockery of the unity that was purchased by the blood of the very Son of God. In John 17, Jesus Himself prays that God the Father would unify everyone who believed in Jesus in accordance with the apostolic message so that the world would observe their unity and conclude that Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world.

That spiritual unity was accomplished and realized in the birth of the church. The birth of the church at Pentecost via the indwelling ministry of the Spirit of God in which all true believers are made one in the Spirit.

Jesus' prayer was answered. But the issues of external unity have plagued the church of Jesus Christ since its inception and continue to this day. Let me state this as clearly as I can for you. The lack of external unity will hamper a local church's participation in the Great Commission.

In other words, unity is an essential gospel element. An essential gospel element. A church in division is a stench in a local community and it can take years to overcome that negative reputation among unbelievers.

A church experiencing dissensions and divisions saps the spiritual strength of its leadership and makes the church susceptible and vulnerable to the attacks of Satan. Our missionaries rely on the strength and integrity of the home church as a supply line for them at the very forefront of spiritual battle.

When a church loses unity, the missionary endeavor is hindered. In some cases, it's even extinguished. The missionaries themselves become like children in a divorce with conflicting loyalties. Unity is a gospel imperative.

My message for you this morning is entitled Three Keys to Church Unity. Three Keys to Church Unity. And we find it here in our text in the first three verses of the fourth chapter. Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. In these three verses, the Apostle Paul gives us three keys for unity in the local church so that we can maximize our effectiveness in our pursuit of the Great Commission.

Three keys, essential keys, I might say, for church unity so that we might maximize our effectiveness for the Great Commission. The first we find here in verse one, and it is simply this. Remember that unity is created through the gospel.

Remember that unity is created through the gospel. Look at verse one. Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. Immediately our eyes find the conjunction, therefore, indicating that Paul is making a conclusion here.

He is drawing a conclusion based on what has previously happened here in this letter. It is designed to cause us to slow down, to stop, to think, to ponder. That which we would have just read if we'd have read this letter from its beginning.

In other words, chapters one through three. Pause, think about it. What are the implications of it? I mean, this is the turning point in this letter.

This is significant.

This is huge. It marks the major shift from God's glorious plan of redemption in chapters one to three to the practical outworking of that redemption in chapters four, five, and six. In other words, it's the turning point where we go from how we became Christians to how we should now live that we are Christians.

How do we become Christians? How do we live now that we are Christians? It hinges here. It turns here. In fact, we could say this one verse, verse one, chapter four, it serves as a topical sentence for the remainder of the whole letter.

Walking in a worthy manner. That's the topic sentence. That's the big idea that determines where the rest of the letter goes. The verb to walk, peripeteo. It occurs over and over and over in this letter.

Here in verse one. To walk in a worthy manner. There in verses one to 16 where it's about walking in unity. We find it again in verse 17 where there he says, Walk no longer as the Gentiles walk. There it's about walking in holiness.

Verses 17 to 32. We roll over to chapter five. And there in verse two, we're told to walk in love. Verses one to six talks about walking in love. Verse eight, we're told to walk as children of light. We're to walk in the light.

And finally, down to verse 15 of chapter five, we're to walk in wisdom. We're to walk in wisdom. So these are the major categories that Paul addresses one by one by one as he takes up what does it mean to live in light of being a new person in Christ.

This verb to walk, this metaphor really, speaks of our conduct or our lifestyle. It was very popular with Paul. Paul himself uses it 32 times. Sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. Here in this context, back in chapter four, the form of the verb, and we won't bother with that, other than it just tells you that the believers are to change something about the way they have been living.

In other words, how they once lived, now that they are new in Christ, has to change. They can't keep living the same old way. What has to change? They have to now live in a manner that is worthy. In a manner that is worthy, axios, the adverb, it means to be worthy or suitable.

Literally, it means to bring up the other beam of the scales. Think about a balance beam, you know.

Bring it up.

Bring it into equilibrium, we could say. In other words, Paul is exhorting them that their conduct has to come into balance with their divine calling. They need to live like who they really are now. Chapters four, five, and six is just an amplification of what that means.

And the first discussion is unity. That's the first thing that's on his mind, is church unity. Why? Because it is essential to the propagation of the gospel. It's essential. Beloved, we were once dead in our trespasses and sins.

Chapter two, verse one. We were by nature children of wrath. Chapter two, verse three. And it's only as we came to understand and believe the gospel as a result of God's gracious initiative that Paul can now refer to it as our calling.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. Not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not as a result of works. So that no one may boast. Chapter two, verses eight through ten. Now, as outlined in chapters one, two, and three, God the Father has called us.

Do you see it? Again, verse one of chapter four. Manner worthy, bring up the balance, bring it into equilibrium of the calling with which you have been called. Chapter one. God the Father has called us into the blessings of personal salvation through the sacrifice of Christ, having predestined us to become his children through spiritual adoption.

God the Father has called us into spiritual union with the resurrected and exalted Christ so that we might share in his riches and rule. Chapter one. God the Father has called us into a new spiritual body comprised of Jew and Gentile, having reconciled us first to himself and then to each other through the death of Christ.

Chapter two. God the Father has called us into his household, constituting us a new temple in which the spirit dwells. And through that spirit he has given us unhindered access to himself. Chapter two.

God the Father has called us into the church, previously unknown to the saints of old, but now revealed as the depository of God's manifold wisdom among the angelic realm. Chapter three. God's gracious calling not only lavishes blessings upon us, but along with those blessings it brings a solemn responsibility to live as a redeemed people in community.

And the community is the local church. It is the gospel that creates the unity, but it is spirit-empowered living that enables us to manifest that unity despite the onslaught of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The first key. The first key to unity is to remember that unity is created through the gospel. It is a gospel imperative.

Unity Cultivated Through Loving Tolerance

Second.

Unity is cultivated through loving tolerance.

Verse two.

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love. Unity is cultivated through loving tolerance. In order to walk in a worthy manner, in order to live like who we now are in Christ, it's necessary that certain graces are operative in our lives.

And these graces are the product of a life yielded to the indwelling spirit of God and are not natural to humanity. This is a very unnatural thing which is happening right here. This many people, one place, who love one another, this is unnatural.

This is only a spiritual possibility. So it's important. It requires constant and conscious cultivation for this external unity to grow. Again, remember, we are one. We are one. If you are a member of the church of Christ, if you have, by faith, believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, then the spirit of God dwells in you and we are one.

But the external unity, that takes work. And it takes hard work. And Paul lists this cultivation that has to happen here in verse 2. Look at it again. Notice he lists three of them here. The first two he connects with the conjunction and.

And then the third one, patience, gets further explanation in the last clause of the verse. So with all humility and gentleness, with patience. These are the means by which external unity is cultivated.

Let's talk about them. With all humility. With all humility. The Greek word translated humility means literally lowliness of mind. Lowliness of mind. It is rare in secular Greek. This word is rare. And when it does appear, it is used in a derogatory sense.

It was thought of in a very derogatory way in secular Greek society. It was seen as a sense of just being servile or weak. But for the Christian, new meaning has been poured into this word. Humility now, rather than being despised, becomes a virtue that we prize and we long towards.

We work towards.

And it comes as a result of rightly thinking about our relationship to God. That's its source. In fact, it's the opposite of pride. Pride provokes disunity. Humility produces unity. It's the fertilizer of unity.

And gentleness. Notice that word, gentleness. It has a similar idea to humility. More nuanced, perhaps. It carries the idea of meekness or mildness. Its opposite would be roughness. Gentleness is a result of Spirit-filled living.

It is thus a fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5 and verse 23. The fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. It is produced by the Spirit.

It is a fruit of that Spirit. Now, gentleness should not be confused with weakness. In fact, even in Greek, the word itself was used in reference to a stallion who is under control. So, some would even say, what is gentleness?

Gentleness is strength under control.

Okay. Okay.

Because gentleness implies the exercise of self-control. It's exhibiting a conscious choice not to use our power for the purpose of retaliation. That's what it means to be gentle. Jesus himself describes himself in Matthew chapter 11 verse 29 as gentle and humble of heart.

When wronged, a gentle person does not seek revenge. A gentle person does not seek revenge. And it does so without complaining, bears the irritation, bears the falls, bears the injuries of others. Notice, by the way, the adjective all there.

You see it?

Verse 2.

With all humility and gentleness. In other words, with humility and gentleness to the highest degree, to the fullest extent, to the greatest limit, are we supposed to be just a little humble and kind of gentle?

Paul is saying this needs to go to the farthest extent with us. Meaning that this is something we will pursue the rest of our lives. We will never arrive. But we will continue to pursue in the power of the spirit.

Again, verse 2, notice patience.

Macrothymia is the Greek word.

I tell you that because I'll refer to it back in a minute.

Patience.

It's a third quality of a person who is walking in conformity to their calling, to their new status in Christ, to the new man that they now are. What is patience? What is patience? I think we can get a good glimpse, by the way, of this essential virtue.

And I won't turn you there, but you can just listen. In Exodus 34, 6, where God reveals his name to Moses as one who is, among other things, slow to anger. Slow to anger. And the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the word that's chosen to translate that is macrothymos.

You can hear the similarity. It is the same word. Slow to anger is what it means to be patient, in other words. Then the Lord passed by in front of him, that is Moses, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth, who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin.

Yet he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren, to the third and fourth generation. Patience is also a fruit of the Spirit, right?

Back to Galatians 5 .23 again. And it is seen when we make allowance for other people's shortcomings. And we endure wrongs against us rather than fly off the handle into a rage or seek vengeance. And thus, showing tolerance is the practical expression of patience.

Again, look at the verse. With all humility and gentleness, with patience, further describes showing tolerance for one another in love. Now, I know tolerance has taken on a bad rap. And that's too bad.

I'm not willing to give the word up.

I'm not willing to give it up.

We're to show tolerance for one another. We're to give one another space. Listen, you don't have to be a believer for very long before you begin to get bumped and jostled along the people of God, huh?

Sheep have sharp hooves. The word tolerance here, by the way, is a reference to being or enduring with respect to things or persons. It's used over in Colossians 3 .13 there, where Paul asks them to tolerate or bear with those in the assembly.

That verb showing tolerance here, by the way, it appears in the Greek. It's in the middle voice. And that just means that we're involved in the action of the verb. That's the only important thing for you to know.

In other words, it could be more literally translated, holding yourselves back from one another. Again, look at verse two. With all humility and gentleness, with patience, holding yourselves back from one another in love.

That would be a really literal kind of way to translate that. Holding yourselves back means tolerating one another's differences, patiently enduring one another's foibles and provocation. How are we to do it?

How do you do that? Do you just kind of suck it up, bite my tongue? If you knew what I was really thinking, smiling on the outside, burning on the inside. No. No, that's not what Paul would have for us at all.

Look again. Holding yourselves back from one another. Look at the last clause. In love.

Do you see it?

In love. By love we could translate it. With love we could translate it. That preposition could be by or with. We're to hold ourselves back from actions and attitudes that cause disunity.

How?

By loving one another. Because love seeks and believes the best of other people. 1 Corinthians chapter 13.

God is love.

And when we hold ourselves back from disunity and division, we are bearing the family image. How about a Charles Spurgeon story? Are you ready for one? This one's legit. It comes from a book that he wrote.

There are so many Charles Spurgeon stories that are apocryphal. But this one's legit. Charles Spurgeon in his book, Lectures to My Students. You can check page 38 if you want to check.

He tells a story. This is fascinating.

He tells the story of a young man who desired to go to India as a missionary with the London Missionary Society. Mr. Wilkes was appointed to consider the young man's fitness for such a post. He wrote to the young man and told him to call on him at 6 o 'clock the next morning.

Although the applicant lived many miles off, he was at the house punctually at 6 o 'clock and was ushered into the drawing room.

He waited. And he waited. And he waited.

Wonderingly, but patiently. Finally, Mr. Wilkes entered the room about mid-morning. Without apology, Mr. Wilkes began. Well, young man, so you want to be a missionary? Yes, sir, I do. Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?

Yes, sir, I certainly do. And have you any education? Yes, sir, a little. Well, now, we'll try you. Can you spell cat? The young man looked confused. He hardly knew how to answer such a preposterous question.

His mind evidently halted between indignation and submission, but in a moment he replied steadily, C-A-T, cat. Very good, said Mr. Wilkes. Now can you spell dog? The young man was stunned. But he replied, D-O-G, dog.

Well, that's right.

I see you will do well in your spelling now for your arithmetic. How much is 2 times 2? The patient youth gave the right reply and was dismissed. Later, Mr. Wilkes gave his report at the committee meeting.

And he said, I cordially recommend that young man. His testimony and character I have duly examined. I tried his self-denial. He was up in the morning early. I tried his patience by keeping him waiting.

I tried his humility and temper by insulting his intelligence. He'll do just fine as a missionary. Just fine as a missionary. The first key is to remember that unity is created through the gospel. The second is to recognize that unity is cultivated through loving tolerance.

And the third is that we are to embrace the reality that unity is kept through hard work. It is kept through hard work.

Preserving the Unity of the Spirit Through Hard Work

Verse 3.

Being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Being diligent to preserve. To be diligent. Oh, if I heard that word once, I heard it a thousand times as a young man. Son, you need to be diligent.

Yes, dad.

In other words, I need to work hard. It means to work hard. It means to be busy. It means to be eager. It means to make haste. It means to spare no effort. That's what it means to be diligent. And we're to be diligent to preserve something, to keep something, to maintain something.

To preserve something already in existence. And in this case, it is, notice, the unity of the spirit. In other words, it is the unity produced by the spirit. And we do this by maintaining it visibly.

Visibly.

It means to be diligent to live and conduct ourselves in a way that does not contradict the spirit's work in making us one. And thus blaspheming his name. That's why Paul speaks so harshly to the Corinthian assembly in chapter 11 regarding their divisions that have arisen over the Lord's Supper, which is the very thing that Christ gave us to celebrate and solemnize and display the unity that we have in Christ.

It is a celebration of that unity. And yet, when the table is marred with divisions, when the body is marred with divisions, it's blasphemous. We must be diligent. We've got to work hard at this to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

Or, perhaps more literally, in the bond which is peace. The bond which is peace. Peace is the bond that holds us together, in other words. Believers were to make every effort to live at peace with each other because that is the glue.

That is the bond that enables us to hold together and give visible representation to the spiritual reality of our oneness in Christ. It is the visible unity that displays the theological reality of oneness in Christ.

Of people who would never associate with one another, yea, in the first century, hated one another, Jew and Gentile, now one in Christ. Alright, in the time that I've got left, let me suggest some practical ways.

Some practical ways that we can be diligent, that we can work hard to preserve the unity that we have. And I thank God for the unity of this fellowship. It is a treasure, it is a jewel, it is a prize.

There is a few. These are suggestions, not commands. Commit yourself to personally and regularly praying for the unity of this church. Make that a part of your regular time of prayer. Pray that the hurts and the offenses, the slights and the oversights could be and would be overlooked in love.

And begin with yourself and then broaden it out to others. Second, discipline your mind to remember the gospel. Discipline your mind to remember the gospel and the ugliness of sin from which God has saved you.

And be thankful. And be thankful. He who has been forgiven much, forgives much. He who has been forgiven little, forgives little. If you're struggling to forgive, you need to go back to the cross and remember what has been forgiven you.

Discipline your mind to remember that gospel. This one may be apocryphal, but here's another Spurgeon quote for you. Brother, if any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him, for you are worse than he thinks you to be.

If he charges you falsely on some point, yet be satisfied, for if he knew you better, he might change the accusation, but you would be no gainer by the correction. If you have your moral portrait painted and it is ugly, be satisfied, for it only needs a few blacker touches, and it will be still nearer the truth.

Truer words were never spoken, whether they were indeed spoken or not. Three, do not be quick to assert your rights. Do not be quick to assert your rights, but seek to serve rather than to be served, and thus emulate your Savior.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life a ransom for many, Mark 10, 45. Four, practice the one another's. Practice the one another's. According to Dustin Binge, in his book, The Loveliest Place, there are, quote, 59, and I was shocked at that.

I started to try to verify it, and I got up to a big number. He says 59, I'll take it. There are 59 one another statements in the New Testament that speak directly to what we are to do or how we are to act toward each other.

59.

What an amazing summer Bible study that would be, huh? You could do it on your own or do it with some friends. 59 one another's. Let me just rattle off a few of them for you, okay? Just to kind of get you started.

This all just comes from the book of Romans from a really fast look through. It all begins in chapter 12.

Why?

Because chapters 1 to 11 are all about our standing in Christ and how we got there, and chapter 12 to 16, 15, is about how we are to live now that we are in Christ,.

Just like Ephesians.

Romans 12, 10, be devoted to one another. Romans 12, 16, be of the same mind toward one another. Romans 13, 8, love one another. Romans 14, 13, do not judge one another. Romans 14, 19, pursue peace which builds up one another.

Romans 15, 5, be of the same mind with one another. Romans 15, 7, accept one another. Romans 15, 14, admonish one another. Romans 16, 16, greet one another. That's enough to get started. That's enough to get started.

Practice the one another's. Because they will provide the fertilizer for the growth of visible unity among the body of Christ. Five, make every effort to reconcile damaged relationships before they damage the health and unity of the body.

Don't let them sit there and fester. And six and finally, don't take communion. Do not take communion if you know you're out of fellowship with another believer in the body here. Go to them, be reconciled, and then take communion.

Don't make a mockery of it. Remember, unity is created through the gospel. Recognize that unity is cultivated through loving tolerance. Embrace the reality that unity is kept through hard work. And if in and by the power of the Spirit of God we can cultivate these three keys, then this body of Christ will maximize its potential for the Great Commission.

And in that, we can greatly rejoice.

Let's pray.

Our Father, it is of the nature of the miraculous, the supernatural, that men and women who by their own nature would be at enmity not only with You, but with one another, can be reconciled first to You and then to one another.

And it is only by the blood of Christ that this is a reality. Our Father, how we thank You for that and how we rejoice in the fact that there is nothing that we can do or not do that can fracture the true and final unity that is ours in Christ by Your indwelling Spirit.

That we will spend eternity together and perhaps sitting side by side at the marriage supper of the Lamb with that Person who has been the most difficult for us on this side of heaven. But Father, we dare not rest just in that theological truth, that spiritual reality.

We recognize as Paul has impressed it upon us, not only here, but in many other places in the New Testament, that there is something that we must be about in this. That we have a role to play. Not in the flesh, not in the power of the Spirit, but we have a role to play.

May we play it well. May this community, as it observes, Kootenai Community Church, marvel and remark, those people love one another. What is it that they have that makes that possible? And then grant us the boldness to open our mouths and to speak of Christ, for His glory forever and ever.

Amen.