Mission:Possible | Spirit-Empowered Witnesses
On Mission: United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Acts 4:32-5:11
Our missional impact as Christ's witnesses who boldly proclaim the good news of the Kingdom in His name will be dependent on the intentional effort each of us make to maintain and foster our unity in Christ.
Looking into the life of the early church we discover how unity in the body of Christ is established, how it is fostered and how it can be put at risk.
1. Our unity is established by God (vs. 32a)
- “All the believers…” Were united by their common faith in Jesus Christ – the gospel (Cf. 1:36-39, 41)
- They shared this fundamental ‘gospel identity’ in the core of their beings – “one in heart and mind.”
- They lived how Jesus prayed his followers would live (cf. John17:11) – “they may be one as we are one”
Celebrate and treasure the God-given spiritual unity we share in Christ! (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-13)
2. We are to foster the unity we have received (vs. 32b-37)
- Eph. 4:3, “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
- Our common ‘gospel identity’ shapes our perspective of what we “own” and how we share with others
- Spirit filled unity is fostered through sacrificial generosity – a result of God’s grace working in us
Contribute generously to fostering the unity we enjoy in Christ! (It significantly impacts the effectiveness of our gospel witness cf. Acts 2:47, Jn. 13:35)
3. We are to personally avoid putting our unity at risk (5:1-11)
- One of the greatest threats to our unity is personal hypocrisy.
- God knows (cf. Prov. 5:21-23; Jer. 23:24; Lk. 12:2-3; Heb. 4:13) and he can’t be mocked (Gal. 6:7)
- Lying to God and robbing him of glory puts our unity at risk and places individuals under the holy just discipline of almighty God.
Commit to walking according to the Spirit and don’t endanger the unity of the body of Christ!
It was the believes’ great unity in Christ that enabled the rapid spread of the gospel! We will be most effective on mission when we recognize, foster and protect the unity we have received.
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