Preserving the Unity in Your Community

Mary Beth Gladwell

John 13:5

The depth and length of relationships that we have with one another, in the Body of Christ, is the final apologetic. To maintain unity we must engage the battle in our thought life, practice forbearance with one another, and practice humility.

The God Who is There in Conflict

Bev DeLashmutt

Romans 2:1-3

Unresolved conflict stirs up many negative emotions, including confusion for how God is involved. God does, however, have a will for conflict, and it is that he seeks to be glorified. He is glorified both through resolution and when even one person obeys his principles for conflict. This means that no matter how the other person may respond, we are responsible for our own response. We are called to withhold judgement, address our own failure first, relate wisely, seek God for our needs, and treat the other as we want to be treated. Through these steps, we can have a more God-centered approach and response to conflict.

Satan Is on Your Leadership Team

Ryan Weingartner

James 4:7-8

While Satan may not be visible to us, we can be sure that he is actively involved on our leadership teams. One of his particular ministries is accusing people to each other, dividing teams of Christians. In order to combat Satan and his attempts to thwart our mission and unity, we must first recognize his presence and identify is common targets. Then in our awareness, our commitment to spend time together, and our focus on positive things we can in turn thwart the evil one.

Principles of Body Life

Conrad Hilario

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

The Apostle Paul presents the biblical model of the church as the Body of Christ--a diverse organism in which every part has a unique and essential role and all are welcome.

Being IN the world and not OF the world (part 2)

Ryan Lowery

1 Corinthians 5:9-11

The final part of the Upper Room discourse is discussed focusing on Jesus' prayer. His prayer is centered on three things: 1.) Jesus and the Father; 2.) the Disciples; and 3.) all future generations of believers. Here we see the call for believers to be both culturally relevant and distinct from the world system.

Joy & Unity

Jim Leffel

John 17:20-23

Unity in our lives matters because we are witnesses of God's grace and good news. There are many ways in which we can all pursue unity with one another. We learn, not only how we can pursue unity, but that when we pursue unity with the same humility Jesus demonstrated by dying on the cross, we will have real joy in our lives.

Unity

Ben Foust

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

The church faces another obstacle: factious disunity. Why is division such a big threat to the church, and what can we do to diligently preserve our unity?\r\n

Spiritual Authenticity

Ben Foust

Matthew 23:27-33

In the story of Ananias and Sapphira, we see God protect the church from another serious threat: hypocrisy.\r\nHow do we answer the difficult questions raised by this passage? And how does Christ free us from the pull of hypocrisy?\r\n

Combating Egotism in God?s Community

Conrad Hilario

1 Corinthians 3:4-23

As the early church faces budding factions as members rally around different charismatic leaders, Paul warns them against such division and urges them to remember that it is not the people doing the primary work, but God. Likewise, the church today should be on alert for a similar division and should strive to combat egotism, and instead recognize our proper place as instruments in God's plan, looking forward to God's greater reward.