Together 1 – Detailed Notes
Series: Together
Why This Series?
The world is trying to rip us apart.Protest groups, promotion of self-identifying thoughts, critical race theories, binary vs. non binary, gender descriptors, all in the name of acceptance crush life giving unity. Humanity has produced some of the most divisive regimes ever known.
When our world is divided, and people are hurting, what’s our responsibility as followers of Christ? Where do we even start? In this series, we’ll learn how we can embrace the role God wants us to play in key areas and relationships that will bring unity and healing. In the realm of God’s direction both diversity (all nations and tongues) and unity co-exist to produce harmony.
Jesus knew that true peace and harmony would only happen in the natural if we were united supernaturally TOGETHER with God.
Series Theme Scripture: John 17:20-24
“And I ask not only for these disciples, but also for all those who will one day believe in me through their message. I pray for them all to be joined together as one even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one. I pray for them to become one with us so that the world will recognize that you sent me. For the very glory you have given to me I have given them so
that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy. You live fully in me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that you have sent me, for they will see that you love each one of them with the same passionate love that you have for me. “Father, I ask that you allow everyone that you have given to me to be with me where I am! Then they will see my full glory— the very splendor you have placed upon me because you have loved me even before the beginning of time.
This Week:
1. The Power and Path of Unity
The weeks that follow:
2. Live in unity (marriage, children)
3 .Relate in unity (church)
4. Pursue unity (Holy Spirit) _____________________________________________
The Power and the Path of Unity
1 Corinthians 15:58 TPT
So now, beloved ones, stand firm, stable, and enduring*. Live your lives with an unshakable confidence. We know that we prosper and excel in every season by serving the Lord, because we are assured that our union with the Lord makes our labor productive with fruit that endures#.
The Power* The Path#
THE POWER OF UNITY
Unity is a common topic in the Bible, promoting the peacefulness of living unified in harmony.
The solidarity, confidence, endurance, unity, and stability in all our relationships comes only from our solidarity, confidence, endurance, unity, and stability in our relationship with God.
The world works in connection with the enemy by offering a fabricated sense of community, or unhealthy forms of community that render us powerless and broken.
PROVERBS 18:1
A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.
This is why the enemy attacks community in an outright assault to push you into isolation, or tries to distract us with a fabricated sense of community, or perverts our desire and need for community by getting us into unhealthy forms of community.
The enemy uses every tactic and temptation he has against us to push us away from God and disconnect you from healthy community.
When the community of family fails, when the community of friends fail, when a community of the church fails, we carry deep seated hurt and we pull back, retract and isolate our heart burying our vision and purpose in unforgiveness and hurt that most often results in us blaming God.
Satan attacks our community with one another to distort our purpose and blur our vision by undermining our relationship with God. __________________________________________________ The world calls God non-existent and community crumbles. We call God supreme and our unity surges!
God has put it into the fabric of our humanity to live in community, and for life to be at its best (reaching our full potential, purpose and vision), it means for us to be in life TOGETHER with Him (communion) and with others (community).
Walking out our vision and purpose requires genuine community. True Community in turn requires communion with God.
Our ability to be THE body of Christ, has the POWER to unlock purpose and vision that conquers even the gates of Hell. __________________________________________________
The Path of Unity
If we are on the path with Jesus, we are supernaturally bound to others on that path.
Ephesians 1:5 NLT
Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere.
Our lives will not reach their full potential without Christ- centered relationships that form a Christ-centered community. __________________________________________________ You can do many things alone, following Jesus and reaching our full potential are not among them.
The Christian life is a “life TOGETHER.”
1 Peter 3:8-11 TPT
Now, this is the goal: to live in harmony with one another and demonstrate affectionate love, sympathy, and kindness toward other believers. Let humility describe who you are as you dearly love one another. Never retaliate when someone treats you wrongly, nor insult those who insult you, but instead, respond by speaking a blessing over them—because a blessing is what God promised to give you. For the Scriptures tell us: Whoever wants to embrace true life and find beauty in each day must stop speaking evil, hurtful words and never deceive in what they say. Always turn from what is wrong and
cultivate what is good; eagerly pursue peace in every relationship, making it your prize.
PURSUE THE PEACE OF UNITY
THE PURSUIT OF A PEACEMAKER
Matthew 5:9 NLT
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Difference between a peacekeeper and a peacemaker.
A peacekeeper is tasked to keep external peace but the peacemaker is primarily concerned with internal peace.
Peacekeepers are stationed across the world seeking to provide an environment that fosters the absence of all conflict. But biblically guided peacemakers seek to align their mission with that of Jesus’ desire for us.
John 14:27 NLT
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
THE CHARACTER OF A PEACEMAKER Micah 6:8 ESV
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
To act justly we listen more.
To love mercy we pray for others more than ourselves. To walk humbly we love harder and sacrifice more.
Ephesians 5:3
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
Ezekiel 36: 26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
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