So that you may be Unified in Love

[0:00] As you know, we have started a new series called The Powerful Pray of Paul.

[0:13] And today we are going to talk about the unified in love. Unity. We talk a lot about unity.

[0:30] In our churches today. The question is whether we are really united. We talk about diversity in our churches.

[0:47] And we see it as a strength. But within that, the question is whether we are really united.

[1:00] I am going to read from Romans chapter 15 verses 5 to 7. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.

[1:23] So that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another.

[1:35] Then just as Christ accepted you in order to bring praise to God. First of all, we need to understand what is going on here.

[1:50] We understand from chapter 14 early on, Roman chapter 14, that the community of Rome was made up of two groups of people.

[2:06] The first group of people. The first group is made up of Christians who continue to observe strict dietary and Sabbath rules. And Paul called people.

[2:18] And Paul called weak. They are weak. They are weak. The second group is made up of those who had abandoned these practices.

[2:31] Paul called them the strong. I have to say that Paul sees himself as the strong at this point. So this gave rise to value judgment between these two groups.

[2:47] I can just imagine during their monthly church lunch, those who had strong faith looking at those who had weak faith like unspirituals since they were observing strict dietary rules.

[3:07] Because the church in Rome is in trouble. Just as today, churches.

[3:18] You go to a church, you find that they have small groups. And those small groups are made up in terms of ethnicity.

[3:34] You've got English in the corner. They meet in somebody's house. They are all English. Over here, you have Caribbeans.

[3:49] And they don't want any other person from other ethnicity to come there. And you've got Africans, Ghanaian, Nigerian.

[4:05] They meet here. They don't get along well, all these groups between them.

[4:17] And the language that is spoken often is white people, black people. And you see these people from Western England.

[4:31] That's the way they behave. Don't worry about them. That's the language that we all use in church.

[4:45] Sunday morning, good people. Diversity. We talk. We pray in town. We worship the Lord. We listen to the sermon. Oh, today was lovely.

[4:57] During the week, each one in its corner. Church is in trouble. So what Paul, what's Paul's reaction or response to that?

[5:14] So Paul says clearly, everyone must form their own judgment. And only God can search the heart. It is not for brothers to judge one another.

[5:26] Everyone will have to personally account for their action before God. Not all believers have the same maturity in faith. It is better to renounce behavior that we consider legitimate.

[5:42] If it risks scandalizing a brother, who would consider it utterly wrong? Love and respect for the weakest must always guide our actions.

[5:59] So Paul was saying to the church in Rome, as well as to the people of God at Ernie Hill Baptist Church, be careful how you treat others.

[6:12] Avoid being judgmental. Wait your word before they are spoken. And allow God to be the one everyone is accountable to.

[6:26] Now in chapter 15, Paul summarizes what he has been saying in chapter 14 about the weak and indicate what should be the attitude of the strong toward them.

[6:43] From verses 5 to 7, the apostle prays that believers in Rome will have Jesus' attitude. Paul took time to pray that people in Rome, these believers in Rome, will have Jesus' attitude.

[7:05] Every believer, whether weak or strong, will strive to reach the goal of living in harmony with one another.

[7:16] This is Paul's prayer. He wants people of God to live in unity, in harmony. He wants them to live as a family.

[7:27] Finally, in other words, in Rome, including those at Ernie Hill Baptist Church, will live in unity in order to glorify God.

[7:42] Friends, the purpose of the church is to glorify God. But you can't glorify God if you are divided.

[8:02] We can disagree on certain things, but stay united. Of course, we are not talking here about sin.

[8:13] As a fellowship, we have the right to challenge each other when it comes to sin. If you see your brother sinning, you have the right to go and challenge them.

[8:26] But here, we are talking about the things that the Bible doesn't give much instruction to. For instance, the Bible doesn't say who should be the minister of this church.

[8:39] Does it? It doesn't. How long a sermon should last for? Which structure the sermon should have or how to lead the worship service?

[8:51] The Bible doesn't say all these things. So according to Paul, the one who preaches for 40 minutes should not be blaming the one who preaches for 20 minutes.

[9:06] That's verse 1. Let God be the judge. Say amen to that. What is unity?

[9:19] The state of being united or join as a whole. A united church is a weapon for the devil and his kingdom.

[9:33] A united family is a danger for the world of darkness. For some of you, there is no chance of being united as a church anymore.

[9:44] Since you find it difficult to forget what happened and move on. You have tried to forget, but it keeps on coming back. Especially when you are stuck.

[9:57] You can't forget. You come to church on Sunday morning, but you know for sure that your heart is no longer here.

[10:09] You are waiting for a specific time to leave. I want to say to somebody this morning.

[10:25] Don't leave the church. Don't leave the church. Others live within a divided family. They don't speak to each other.

[10:36] They argue all the time, and they hate each other and live like they are in a competition. in a competition. You go into a family, you find husband and wife, they don't speak to each other.

[10:56] For many days, weeks, or months, they live like animals or enemies.

[11:09] Forgiveness is far away from them. Some people have just inherited this unity from their parents or their great, great grandparents.

[11:28] They come to church every morning, but you don't speak to your sibling or your parent, your husband, your wife.

[11:41] But you come to church. You worship God. I always say, when we come at the morning service, we are like angels, especially when we sing, when we worship God.

[12:03] but the true you is not on Sunday morning. It's outside there when we got home. Paul prays that the church will be united.

[12:23] But the church starts within the family first. Before you come to church, your first church is your family.

[12:34] Are you united? There's a family. Before Paul, somebody has prayed. Let's listen to the master's prayer.

[12:49] John chapter 17, verses 20 to 21, and then verse 23. My prayer is not for them alone.

[13:00] I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message that all of them may be one. Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.

[13:13] May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. verse 23. I in them and you in me so that they may be brought to complete unity.

[13:27] Then the world will know that you sent me and I have loved them even as you have loved me. Jesus prayed for his disciples that they will be protected by God and they will remain united.

[13:47] He also prayed for those who will come later that that is you and I. He knew that there will be people who will be who will believe in the apostle's message.

[14:00] So he prayed for those people and asked that they will be united. Jesus wants his church to be united.

[14:12] Jesus want people who say they are his followers to be united. Are we united?

[14:30] That's the question that each one of us should be asking in the answer. C.H. Spurgeon says this, Let us aid each other as far as possible in every holy spiritual enterprise, which is for the promotion of the kingdom of the Lord.

[14:53] Listen carefully to what follows and let us chase out of our hearts everything which would break the unity which God has established.

[15:08] The cause of many divisions among God's people is the human heart. Jeremiah 17 verse 9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.

[15:24] Who can understand it? Who can understand it? Sometimes your actions or word will describe your heart.

[15:38] What I mean is that by your action we will know whether your heart is clean or not. Unity is established within a church or family when people's hearts are clean.

[15:58] You say hello to your brother with a big smile on your face but in your heart you don't like them. You know that you don't like them.

[16:13] Hi! See, that's the heart of human being.

[16:32] Can I ask every single person in this room, how is your heart? Friend, you can hide things from us but you can't hide things from God because he sees your heart.

[16:49] He knows what is going on in your heart. How is your heart? Is your heart clean? What is hidden in your heart that we can't see?

[17:04] Surely to have a new minister in this church will not resolve our problem unless we decide to live in unity, unless we decide to clean our heart, unless we decide to change the way we do things, unless we decide and heal Baptist church to change.

[17:27] If we want the church according to God's will, we need to check our hearts, we need to repent, we need to change our mindset as well as the way we do things.

[17:44] our respect, our people's opinion, but surely you as an individual, you can come here and make us, all of us, to do what you want.

[18:03] Then we will not be united. are we united?

[18:22] Psalm 133 verse 1, how good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity.

[18:34] unity is both good and pleasant for God's people. It gives a sense of happiness, satisfaction, and attracts others.

[18:46] When the church is united, the people outside become curious. They want to know what Christians have that makes them moving and succeeding in their business.

[19:02] is there something that we can learn from them? HHBC, where are you?

[19:14] I stand before you as your brother and tell you, search your heart, humble yourself before the Lord, and produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

[19:27] Repentance means change your direction. You were going on the left and then change.

[19:39] Start going to the right. That's what it means to repent. Stop thinking that you know more than others.

[19:52] Stop treating others like they are nothing. Stop being hypocrite. Stop gossiping and complaining. We need to change.

[20:02] We need to change. We need to clean our heart. We need to stop being hypocrite. You smiled to me, and behind my back, you are saying things that are not nice.

[20:17] Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Sunday morning, good people.

[20:35] Good people. Oh, gosh, today in church. Did you hear? No, no, it was fantastic, wonderful. But what do you do about this preaching?

[20:48] Yes, it was good. What do you do about it? a good message is the one that changes you it's the one that you do something about it that's a good message it's not good because the preacher has said good things that you want to hear but it's good because he changes you and you do something about it wake up and look the Lord has begun already something new among you I want to say to everyone every male in this room that you are the pastor of your house how is the church in your house doing is there unity is there unity friend why would you tear your family to pieces until when will you live in this division or this unity within your family or within the church of God humble yourselves and be united so what is the key for unity

[22:18] John 13 35 let's read together one two three interesting it doesn't say if you love me no God knows that you love him already it doesn't say if you love me no no no no no interesting it doesn't say that brothers and sisters we talk about unity but we don't understand what it means we don't understand what it means and we say we say we are a family we hate each other we are a family we don't we want we don't want to see others but we we are a family there is a sign by which people in Earn Hill here will know that believers at Earn Hill

[23:33] Baptist Church are disciples of Jesus Christ your love for God will be seen by the way you love others the word disciple could also mean student a student is someone who is committed to learn from a particular school or teacher students from some schools wear uniforms but why uniform one of the reasons why students wear uniform is that it promotes the feeling of belonging within the student body in the same way love is the uniform that's my definition love is the uniform that Christians must wear in order to be recognized as Jesus disciples whether you are at primary or secondary school of Jesus you must wear the uniform of love so people can identify that you really are

[24:48] Jesus love love will set you apart and promote the kingdom of God can I suggest that if you have no love then you probably belong to a different school some of you are a problem even at workplace they are a problem there is nothing that shows that they are really disciples of Jesus Christ like the way they respond to people or they behave they behave can I suggest that if you have no love then you probably belong to a different school we talk a lot about love but do we really love according to 1st

[25:51] Corinthians chapter 13 verses 4 to 7 what love isn't love isn't proud self-seeking easily angered what love doesn't do doesn't envy boast dishonor others keeping record of wrong delight in evil then we've got the second list what love is love is patient love is kind what love does rejoice with the truth protect trust hope persevere brothers love should move from feeling to a covenant it should be a choice because if your love is only about feeling the day the preacher preaches things that you don't like to hear you start thinking no there is no there is no spirit here

[27:22] I need to leave the church I need to move on I need to go somewhere else because it's about feelings it's about feelings when love becomes a covenant you will still love regardless of your feeling Peter can say today Lord I love you tomorrow he denies the same person at his resurrection after his resurrection he didn't hold a grudge against him he said Peter do you love me he didn't say do you remember a few weeks ago you denied no he didn't say that that's why he said that's why Paul is saying he prays that you will have this the same attitude that Jesus had do you get that now he didn't say to

[28:33] Peter you remember that you denied he didn't say to James I need to do something to Peter because this guy denied me Peter do you love me feed my sheep it's a covenant it's not a feeling with Jesus it's a covenant think about you as an individual think about people within your family think about how you live your life in your family is there any unity your family and now think about this church here the way you live your life the way you behave the way you talk the way you think about this church we are going to pray and today we pray for unity especially for this church look to the first list this one find things that need to be removed from you but it could be that there's nothing there that you want

[30:54] God to remove in your life it's something else keep it in your mind and I've got some piece of papers here with me I need some volunteers brother Peter do you want to bring your lovely Vanessa here please you can stand there you here sister then think carefully about what I have said you got a list think about things that need to be removed in your life once you decide what you want

[32:04] God to remove in your life you come up you get a piece of paper write these things down and we don't write your name on the piece of paper we don't need it just write things that you want to be removed in your life as I said some maybe things that you want God to remove are not here but you can see write them or you can add those things that's the first thing we will do and then once we finish we will then pray that God will remove I will need to few leaders of this church to come and go out and burn all this purpose outside you've got pens here when you come just get one pen and please give me back my pens when please we can start finish come you hold this look careful

[33:41] Emily please I need you Emily look careful what is going on here this is an expression to show you can you wear this please okay we have here oh this is there but wait for a moment it will go through I'll show you what is going on here look this is a glass Emily you got a glass this is dirty water from my wife's kitchen so this is the church this is the church look this is the church dirty sin

[34:42] I'll put it here everyone can see dirty water and then you have clean water look what is going on the Holy Spirit is doing something within the church the water is that's what we need we need the

[35:43] Holy Spirit here we need God you know when somebody is in prison back home in Congo thank you I didn't want I thought of you I didn't want to get in trouble with Rob so I brought a globe God bless you so all of you can go back to your seats back home when somebody is in prison that's it there's nothing they can do they need somebody outside to help them go to move in the rest all you he s bad you huh who and there

[36:47] I need