04.06.2014 Our Unity in Diversity Shows Christ's Love

4.06.2014 from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

4.06.2014 Worship from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

Thank You for your word – that You love us. Thank You for our church – and all who serve. So many are engaged in service and ministry – it is a tremendous example of people giving themselves – time, energy, money , goods, resources – to accomplish Your works and to be engaged in Your Kingdom. Help me to communicate clearly – from Your heart. Your spirit is present, working in our midst. In Your Name we pray.
We are moving through John – next week is Palm Sunday and after that is Easter.
The third theme of Jesus’ last discussion with the disciples before the crucifixion.
John writes of this often – it fills His epistles: Love.
Love one another.
After Jesus explained the betrayal…
John 13:34 - A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This is a new standard of love. Nothing compared to this statement. This love is based on how Christ loved us – His example of love – you are to love one another in this way. That is the new standard. What we will look at – 4 characteristics of this love in the words of Jesus to the disciples.
Love one another. Love people. I think sometimes it is easier to love ‘the church’ or ‘the mission of God’ or to love ‘the activities’ or ‘the service, doctrine, the Bible, or even to love Jesus’ – than it is to love the people of the church.
How do we show our love for God? By loving people. We can’t see God, but we can see and love His people. It is hard sometimes, if we are honest, to love some of the people of God. And we all have those people. For some people – you are that person! For others – they are that person. There are always people who might be difficult to love for one reason or another.
His love was such that He loved them all to the end – even the one who betrayed Him. Hopefully, there are no Judases in your life.
The first characteristic is found a little earlier – it is this – a self-sacrificial love.
John 13:12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord; and [b]you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
Self-sacrificial – humbling oneself in service to another. This is a humiliating act – to love like Jesus is to humble yourself and serve others in ways that are very low in the eyes of people. To take the jobs and to serve in such a way that there is no recognition – it doesn’t make you seem great in any way – but it makes yourself insignificant for someone else’s benefit.
Sometimes we love to serve because it makes us feel good, or important. That is okay – to feel good about serving – but sometimes service is hard and there is no glamour to it at all – it is more like a pain in the neck. But I want you to joyfully serve others, He tells us.
He then explains that He will lay down His life for them. Self-sacrificial love is cross-shaped – willing to give up our lives for one another.
We will probably not be in the situation where we have to literally do that. But there are so many ways we can give up our lives on a daily basis – Time/Choices/rights/privileges/preferences – being willing to forgive those who wound you. To forgive someone who has seriously injured you, you have to die. This becomes a part of who we are – our personality – and we have to die to that – to genuinely forgive from the heart what someone has done to us.
At times we are to bear with one another – to take others’ problems and carry them. It is easy to break a relationship and leave – but this kind of love bears that relationship in the most difficult time of a relationship – that is what Jesus calls us to do.
When you think about it – all of these guys are going to forsake Him in just a couple of hours – and He bears all of that in His love for them.
1 John 3:16 We know love by this that He laid down His life for us- and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.
Our definition of love is weak – focusing on feelings and emotions and attachments. Family – we are emotionally attached to – and that is a part of love – but this new love is centered on sacrificial action for others. We know love by this – and we ought to do the same. Christian love is seen and understood and known by sacrificial action for others.
John 17: 19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may [f]believe that You sent Me.
22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected [g]in unity, so that the world may [h]know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
– the characteristic of UNITY. This Unity is intimately connected – I in you, you in me, all one – connected to the relationship with God. This unity must be modeled after the unity of the trinity. Our unity with one another – modeled after – moving in the direction of our unity - with God and the Son and The Spirit. How close is Christianity in America like this unity? It is not even close. You hear about problems between churches – division and argument – but Jesus’ prayer was that we would be like Jesus and the Father – Unified. It is not based on background, styles, hobbies, socio-economic status – or sports teams!
The world will believe when we have this unity. You see it at sporting events or concerts! Turn on one of those music channels – when they have a live concert on – it is the most amazing thing in the world! All these people who don’t know each other, who would not hang with each other – and they sing in unison every word of every song – with no inhibition at all – all about a band they like.
They don’t get that kind of unity anywhere – it is not offered.
Think of a sporting event – at OSU, everyone knows what to do at every moment – everyone starts clapping in time – and everyone starts singing, drive, drive on down the field! Every background with one focus!
And the reason they do this – in reality – they don’t experience it anywhere, and they are longing for it.
Think about the flight 370 from Malaysia – there is a lack of sharing information due to ‘national security’ interests – and we have the same problem at work, don’t you? People have ‘security interests’ – and if they allow too much from you – it affects them! Rarely do you find somewhere where others’ growth and potential is promoted!
And the same thing happens in the Christian world – people wrapped up in their own ‘interest’ in the church – their pet concern – and Jesus is calling us to a unique unity:
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
There were those who were known for being aligned with and against Rome – Tax Collectors and Zealots – worshiping together. Masters and slaves – worshiping together – and boy does it cause problems! Jew and Gentile – worshiping together – and boy does it cause problems.
But the church is to show unity across diverse people groups.
Unity does not mean uniformity – God wants people from every tribe, tongue, nation – status group – we don’t need to be in agreement of opinion – here is a famous saying – sometimes credited to St Augustine – In the essentials, Unity – That means – when it comes to orthodoxy – foundational truths of the gospel – the work and person of Jesus – in those things – we are to be in agreement – but not necessarily on all issues biblical, practical, political, or social. In those, there will be diversity within the church - but you can still have unity.
Our ability to maintain unity in diversity will have a transformational power in the world.
The third characteristic – a new community
John 17:15-17
We live in this world – but God has created a new people – a chosen race, a royal priesthood – we are a new race of people in the world – that is what Peter says. Think about Christians of all races – when we gather together as Christians, no matter the race, we form a new race.
We can divide and divide in the world, but in the church we are one. It is a new culture within a greater culture. The word church was not a biblical word originally – the assembly of citizens in a community.
Let’s say the Mayor and Cuyahoga Falls council get together to talk about let’s say – the State Road shopping center = and people come and express their opinions – this was the original intention of the word, church.
The New Testament describes church as a new type of citizenship – part of a new kingdom – and this is your new kingdom – this is your council meeting! How we are to act and conduct ourselves as citizens.
We are in the world, but not of it. As a new community – we are a diverse group of people from within the culture or community – and we are distinct from the culture from which we originated.
That distinction – is seen in our love for one another. That is what makes us so completely different. The world should look at us and say, wow! They are really different – not because of social or political agendas – but because of love.
Part of our mission to the world is to show what it is not! No unity – no true love without Christ.
Let me read this – David DeSilva
"Again because of our immersion, often from birth, in the assumptions, values, goals, and practices of our own..." – we were brought up ‘the American way’ – we used to watch Superman – Truth, Justice, and the American Way – we are immersed in our culture – “we have a tendency to domesticate the voice of scripture so that scripture can live in the house we have built in our society.”
Because we are so immersed in our society – we read the Bible in that context – trying to make scripture compatible with our lives.
“Rather than let scripture tell us how to rebuild the house” – we need to let scripture speak how it speaks and rearrange things around the Bible –rather than letting the Bible fit around our formed way of thinking.
We are to create a community centered around the Bible –and three things have to happen.
1) The community have to be united around Christ
2) Demonstrate sacrificial love
3) Be called to mission – “By this all men will know that you are my disciples.
Fourth characteristic – we are to be called into mission – in order that we may accomplish the mission of reaching people for Christ and making disciples – which cannot happen unless we have a united community created to accomplish this.
John 17: 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may [f]believe that You sent Me.
22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected [g]in unity, so that the world may [h]know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
Twice – that the world may know – Our lack of love is a primary hindrance to the gospel. One of the primary hindrances to us accomplishing His mission in the world today is our lack of unity. A church that is centered around love for Christ and self-sacrificial love for one another will have tremendous impact on the community.
We have allowed worship styles, race, socio-economic status – to hinder our relationship and love.
How important are these things? Are they important enough to stop the mission of Christ?
Bloggers should ask themselves – is this important enough to ruin the mission of Christ?
A new commandment – love one another – by this all men will know you are my disciples – if you have love for one another.
Let’s pray
Lord, help us to learn how to do this – to set aside so many of our opinions and preferences and desires – in order to focus on Christ and the things that matter. Those things that are crucial to the faith – and the need of this world to hear the gospel message – in Your name we pray – amen.