UNITY IN CHRIST
I pray also for those who will believe in me...that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--I in them and you in me--
so that they may be brought to complete unity.
John 17:21-22
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--I in them and you in me--
so that they may be brought to complete unity.
John 17:21-22
The nature of Christian unity is agreement in Christ. We gather as the Church--one body with many parts--at the foot of the cross and find our unity in all that Jesus lived and died for. As His disciples, we seek to follow His model by bridging divides (denominational and otherwise), breaking down barriers, and being agents of reconciliation. In addition, we want to obey Jesus' command to love one another--"As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another"--and to live deeply interconnected with each other.
Indeed, God's family is not meant to only gather for worship, but to celebrate, rejoice, learn, create, explore, discover, laugh, cry, bear, share, suffer, mourn, practice, fail, succeed, grow, sustain, remember, look forward, serve, help, give, go, sing, read, memorize, write, meditate, play, exercise, compete, start, finish, dance, defend, travel, discuss, invite, welcome, discern, decide, challenge, hope, reconcile, examine, confess, forgive, exhort, encourage, pray, prophesy, listen, bless, recover, stand, seek, question, comfort, eat, drink, reflect, compliment, admonish, receive, risk, disciple, study, plant, harvest, work, watch, question, harvest, remember, cook, build, repair, walk, inspire and love together!
Indeed, God's family is not meant to only gather for worship, but to celebrate, rejoice, learn, create, explore, discover, laugh, cry, bear, share, suffer, mourn, practice, fail, succeed, grow, sustain, remember, look forward, serve, help, give, go, sing, read, memorize, write, meditate, play, exercise, compete, start, finish, dance, defend, travel, discuss, invite, welcome, discern, decide, challenge, hope, reconcile, examine, confess, forgive, exhort, encourage, pray, prophesy, listen, bless, recover, stand, seek, question, comfort, eat, drink, reflect, compliment, admonish, receive, risk, disciple, study, plant, harvest, work, watch, question, harvest, remember, cook, build, repair, walk, inspire and love together!
FULLNESS OF THE CHURCH
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 1:22-23
which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 1:22-23
The church, the body of Christ, is the fullness by which Christ fills all things. God seeks to saturate the universe with the truth, power, wisdom and glory of His Son, Jesus, by putting the church--not a building but the assembly of believers--on display as the embodiment of Christ and manifestation of Kingdom culture.
Jesus said to His disciples, "Follow me." The Apostle Paul told believers in the early Church, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." The life of a disciple of Jesus--our inward thoughts and motivations, our outward actions and words--should reflect His character and radical life and ministry: knowing and living from the Scriptures, listening to and obeying the Father, loving people unconditionally, offering hope and healing, showing grace and forgiveness, showing kindness and compassion, giving generously and sacrificially, serving with humility, seeking wisdom and speaking truth, living in community with other believers.
God's Kingdom echoes the powerful and complex Hebrew word shalom--the way things ought to be--universal flourishing and fulfillment, wholeness and completeness, peace and social harmony, abundance and prosperity, health and well-being, soundness and security, rest and serenity, contentment and forgiveness, right relationships and reconciliation with God and other people, Through the work of Christ, the shalom that was lost through original sin in the garden has been restored and is available to us today!
Jesus said to His disciples, "Follow me." The Apostle Paul told believers in the early Church, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." The life of a disciple of Jesus--our inward thoughts and motivations, our outward actions and words--should reflect His character and radical life and ministry: knowing and living from the Scriptures, listening to and obeying the Father, loving people unconditionally, offering hope and healing, showing grace and forgiveness, showing kindness and compassion, giving generously and sacrificially, serving with humility, seeking wisdom and speaking truth, living in community with other believers.
God's Kingdom echoes the powerful and complex Hebrew word shalom--the way things ought to be--universal flourishing and fulfillment, wholeness and completeness, peace and social harmony, abundance and prosperity, health and well-being, soundness and security, rest and serenity, contentment and forgiveness, right relationships and reconciliation with God and other people, Through the work of Christ, the shalom that was lost through original sin in the garden has been restored and is available to us today!