Unity. Everyone wants it. We all desire it. Ever since the tower of babel, we have desired unity. But unity is rarely achieved.
I was thinking of some well known ‘uniteds' recently.
What about ‘Manchester United’, the famous English soccer club? Did you know that there is another team that plays four miles down the road. They are called ‘Manchester City’. Manchester City and Manchester United have a fierce rivalry. That's not very united.
What about the 'United Kingdom'? There’s a famous church I’ve heard a lot about, St Helen’s Bishopsgate. It’s in the heart of London’s financial district. In the 1990s they were bombed twice by the IRA. No-one was injured. But when this stuff happens, it is difficult to see the 'united' in ‘United Kingdom’.
What about the Uniting Church? When it was formed in the 1970s they couldn’t call it 'united' because not everyone joined. Many evangelicals felt they couldn’t join. So it is the 'Uniting Church', still in the process of uniting. But now it hardly looks any closer to its goal. The governing body of the Uniting Church has formally decided to permit people who are in homosexual relationships to be ordained ministers, contrary to scripture. This resulted in those who believe the bible to wonder whether they must leave the denomination.
And the Anglican denomination isn’t much better. In Canada, the Anglican church blesses same sex unions. In England, a gay rights advocate has been appointed as bishop. In the USA, a clergyman living in a homosexual relationship was elected bishop. The Bible says "This is what some of you were, but you were washed, sanctified, and justified" (1 Cor 6). These people say, "You don’t need to be washed, sanctified and justified from homosexual sin. Because it is not sin! This is what you may continue to be!" And the same movement exists in Australia, too, trying to change our churches, to conform them to the wisdom of western society. And with same sex marriage being accepted by the majority of society, the fight will move from parliament house and the public square, to the synod and our denomination, on its long march to the front door of our churches.
And so our Sydney Bishops protest. And the African bishops break fellowship with them. And the Asian bishops ordain ‘missionary bishops’ to try and help the bible believing churches.
Now, in this situation, are we the ones destroying unity? We Bible believers, we are the ones who protest, we break fellowship, we distance ourselves from them. Are we being the divisive ones?
No, for those who have gone this way have rejected the apostles as speaking the truth. They say, “The Bible is an old book. It’s out of date. We now know more than Moses and Jesus and Paul about sexuality. And anyway, do they really mean what they say? That’s just your interpretation. And anyhow, isn’t God loving? That's what you are always saying. Your hard line doesn’t sound very loving.” This is what we conservative Bible believers have to listen to.
But Ephesians chapter 4 verse 15 helps us here. For these people, these supposed Christians who want peace with the world and who want to change the faith once for all entrusted to the saints, forget about "speaking the truth in love". We believe the Bible speaks the truth: the truth about God, the Lord Jesus Christ, about ourselves, and about the way we need to live. What we find in the Bible, we say. And thus the most loving thing to do is to speak the truth. And tough love is still love.
A unity based on rejecting the apostles and the Bible is not loving, and is not Christian, and so it is in the end not the unity of which Paul speaks. For apostolic unity is based on the truth.
The fact is, we don’t have any unity with those who corrupt the truth. Those who reject Bible teaching and morality yet claim to be Christian are false teachers. "You will know them by their fruit." They might say they are Christians, but not everyone who says they are Christian is one. No Christian rejects the Bible that gives us the Lord Jesus Christ. No Christian rejects the apostle Paul and his words. The apostle Paul says that homosexual practise is a practise that is wicked and deserving death (Rom 1:18-32). These supposed Christians say it’s OK. Who do you think is giving us the Christian position? I will go every time with the apostle Paul.
In Ephesians 1, we saw that every spiritual blessing is already ours. For you who trust Jesus, you are already rich. God is your Father. You have redemption, forgiveness, and adoption. Your sins are wiped away because of Jesus' death. So don’t seek after this world’s riches. For you already have everything.
And then we looked at Ephesians 2. And we saw that all these blessings are found ‘In Christ’. We were dead men walking, but in Christ God made us alive. And Jesus is now in heaven. And so God considers us who trust in him already in heaven with him. So God saved us by grace, through faith, not because of our works, so none of us have anything to boast about.
And then we looked at Ephesians 3. And we saw that Paul had something to pray about. But he got too excited. He got distracted about a secret, that we gentiles, that non-Jews, can be part of God’s family.
So you can see that the first three chapters of Ephesians have been about unity. We are united with Jesus by trusting him. We are united with God’s Old Testament people, the Jews. And we are united with each other in Christ.
And so now Paul wants them to do something. In light of the unity that they already have–with Jesus, with the Jews, and with each other–Paul says this. Verse 3.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (NIV)
You Ephesian Christians, you have a unity, says Paul. We don't have any unity with false teachers and heretics, nor with those who reject the apostles' teaching, but with those who trust in Christ and cleave to the apostles. Now keep what Jesus has won for you.
And you see that Paul has some specific advice for maintaining unity in verses 1-2 among the Ephesian Christians. Verses 1 and 2:
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. (NIV)
Be humble. In other words, show humility. Be like Jesus and consider others better than your selves. Be the first to serve and give, and not the one to take.
Be gentle. What is gentleness? It is strength restrained. Gentleness is might and power withheld. It's like the old 'Pascal Marshmallows' ad, which had this really muscly dude with black frizzy hair saying how he loved Pascal Marshmallows. This is like Jesus, who could have zapped and fried people when his disciples asked for him to, but he didn’t.
How are you going with restraining your strength? You may be powerful. That’s good. Restrain it, withhold it, use it to love and protect others, and you’ve moved from strength to gentleness.
And he says, be patient. Have a long fuse with regard to anger. You Ephesian Christians, don’t be easily angered says Paul.
And finally, bear with each other in love. In other words, put up with each other in love. Are there some Christians who just annoy you? Their manner, their looks, their way of doing things, their personality, all rub you up the wrong way.
Well guess what: you’re stuck with them. You didn’t choose them. God decided you needed them. So get over it and learn to love them.
You know, if we didn’t follow Jesus, I guess we could pick and choose who to hang out with. We could just give up when it’s hard. We could leave unity to chance. If it happens, it happens. If not, too bad!
I remember seeing a billboard once with a bloke and a girl, slightly hippy looking, dressed in 60s clothes, groovy, and the caption said, "You go your way, and I’ll go mine, and if we meet together, that’s cool!" That’s not unity. That’s a collision.
Christian unity is not an accident. Christian unity is purposeful. And it is grounded in facts.
Look with me at verses 4-6:
4There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope when you were called–5One Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (NIV)
First we notice there is one body. That is the ‘one church’, to which all true believers belong. It is not Anglican, Baptist, Catholic. They are just denominations that help churches. But churches are believers gathered around Jesus Christ, expressed on earth by us gathering together as the church around his word. But the body consists of every believer, no matter what denomination, who truly turns from sin and trusts in the Lord Jesus, and who gathers with other who have the same Lord and saviour.
Second, we notice there is one spirit. Every believer is given the Spirit. Otherwise you couldn’t believe. Are you a believer? Good, God has given you his Spirit. Is the person next to you a believer? Well, God has given that person his Spirit too. Who are you to make divisions, if God has chosen your neighbour?
Third, Paul talks of one baptism. I understand this to mean the baptism of the Spirit, of which water baptism is a symbol. Paul says elsewhere:
For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and we were all given one Spirit to drink (1 Cor 12:3 NIV)
Anyone who trusts in Jesus has been baptised in the Spirit, whether baptised by water or not. Jesus would be the one who would baptize with the Spirit (e.g. Mark 1:8), and the Father gives the Holy Spirit to whoever asks for him (Luke 11:13).
Fourth, there is one hope to which we have been called. Hope is future-looking faith. Hope looks forward to the good things God has promised us. We who trust Christ hope for heaven. We hope for new bodies. We hope to see Jesus face to face. We hope to be rid of the devil, our own sinfulness, and temptations surrounding us.
Do you hope to go to heaven? Do you hope to see Jesus face to face? Do you hope to be with God forever? Good, that is the Christian hope. But you know what, so does the person next to you. Together you have the same hope. So you have unity.
There is one faith: this is the faith once for all delivered to the saints, it is the content of our faith, the things we believe. And we have one faith because we trust in one Lord, Jesus Christ. Only Jesus died for you. Only Jesus bought you, so he owns you. But Jesus didn’t just die for you. He also died for the person sitting next to you.
And one God and Father of all. Have you put your trust in Jesus? Good! Now God is your adopted Father. But it is also so with the Christian in the seat next to yours. God adopted them as well.
It’s a bit like getting married. You don’t just score a wife or husband. You also get in-laws. You don’t choose fellow Christians, just like you don’t choose in-laws. God chooses them for you. But you’re related to them. So it is when we become Christians. You get all of these in-laws. They are called ‘your brothers or sisters in Christ’.
So Paul establishes the basis of our unity. It is grounded in the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and it is grounded in our common salvation.
But unity doesn’t mean we are all the same. Unity doesn’t mean uniformity. We aren’t clones.
Think of a rugby team. You’ve got short fat guys with no necks. They’re called props. You’ve got ridiculously tall skinny guys called second rowers. And behind them there's a tiny half-back trailing them like a drovers dog. And then you’ve got really fast athletic guys called backs.
If everyone was a half back, your team would get munched. If everyone was a prop, the other team would just run around you. The differences actually make the team successful.
It’s similar in Christ’s team, the church. For when Jesus defeated death and ascended victoriously to heaven, he distributed the spoils of his victory to us. A generous conquering king, Jesus gives his people gifts by his Spirit.
Do you ever get Christmas or birthday presents that you have no use for and you don’t know what to do with? Every Christmas millions and millions of dollars are spent on presents that nobody wants. And often they get regifted. Every Christmas, there are presents that nobody wants that just seem to go round and round. They only exist to be given to someone who doesn’t want them. They are not very useful, are they.
It takes a lot of knowledge, foresight, expense, generosity, and kindness to give someone a really useful Christmas present.
You know that scene in C S Lewis’, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, where Father Christmas gives the four children some presents. And the presents from father Christmas are exactly what the children need for the battle that lies ahead: a sword, a bow, and a potion. It is the same when Galadriel gives the Fellowship of the Ring their gifts. Sam wishes he got a nice shiny elvish dagger, but he has to be happy with his box of soil from the elven wood. But when he gets home after his long and arduous mission, it makes his garden grow like nothing else. Galadriel knew Sam better than Sam knew himself. These were the gifts that were just right for each one. They will help each one in the quest that lies ahead: useful, powerful gifts to have at hand for the task that must be faced. These are the sorts of gifts that Christ gives: useful, necessary, they can save your life and the lives of others. Verse 7:
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. (NIV)
No one misses out in the distribution. Jesus gives all his people useful gifts as he goes to fill the entire universe. This is why every Christian is a minister. Every Christian has a ministry and is a servant, for that is what a minister is. A minister is one who serves. Every Christian has a distinctive service to render for the effective functioning of the body, enabled by character shaped by the Spirit of God and the competency bestowed by the giving of the gift.
And Paul particularly emphasises the gift of teaching ministries. Teaching is the God ordained means to bring the unity that Christ requires. We must never think of Christian doctrine and careful bible teaching as divisive and narrow. For teachers are given for the purpose of the unity that Christ requires. Look at verses 11:
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers […] (NIV)
It is not, nor can it ever be, 'wrong' and 'divisive' to teach the clear teachings that God gives us for our good in the Bible. We need to say this at a time when people urge us to be quiet for the sake of unity. "Please don't talk about male headship and female submission. We want unity! Please don't talk about sex only for marriage, and marriage only for a man and a woman in life long covenanted union. People will be offended. Please don't talk about Jesus being the only way to God. We can't handle that truth!" That's not apostolic and gospel unity, but papering over the fact that there was no apostolic and gospel unity and fellowship to begin with. And the pastor teacher's job is to drive away false teaching, to find the wolves in sheep clothing and kick them out of the flock, as well as to keep the real and true sheep together. That is the job of the pastor-teacher of the congregation.
It sounds a bit funny to say that I’m God’s gift to you, or your bible study leader is God’s gift to you, or the evangelist who told you the gospel is God’s gift to you. But I hope you understand what I mean. God gives teachers. The 'apostle' is the foundational teacher of the gospel, upon which the church is based. The 'prophets' are perhaps the Old Testament prophets, or more probably in the New Testament those make predictive prophecy and recognised after testing to be prophets, like Agabus. They are those who the church elders have weighed and have proven faithful messengers. It is also possible that an aspect of prophecy was to give specific application of the word of God to life. The 'evangelist' is he who teaches unbelievers the gospel. The 'pastor' shepherds his flock by teaching. And the 'teacher' explains and applies the scriptures and the apostolic gospel, and that's how he shepherds.
And while we do not or cannot lay another apostolic foundation, nor can we give Old Testament prophecy, yet week by week we evangelise, pastor, teach and, perhaps, in our own way, sometimes do something a little bit like prophesying. And all these teachers and teaching gifts who Christ has given the church have one purpose. Verse 12:
to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (NIV)
Teaching equips every Christian for ministry. And every Christian is called to do works of service. That is why I am really the 'Assistant Minister', not the 'Minister'. I assist the ministers– which is every believer in Christ–to do the works of ministry that God has called them and enabled them to do.
So if you teach the Bible, can you see how important your job is for Christian unity? No bible teachers, no unity. No knowledge of Jesus, no unity. Don’t think that if you soften the message, that will encourage unity. No, unity starts with correct and careful teaching. We may all call ourselves Christians, do the same things, go to the same building. But unless you submit to the same Lord and live the same way under his Lordship, we don’t have unity.
But while Paul emphasises the teaching gifts here, not everyone is gifted to teach. None of us are apostles, few really could take the name prophets, and that is God's will. A couple might be evangelists, or pastor-teachers. But Ephesians does not give an exhaustive list, nor the only list, of gifts God gives in the New Testament. There are other gifts with which Christ gifted the church. In other places Paul speaks about other gifts enabled by God.
And remember verse 7:
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it (NIV)
Each of us has works of service to do. The good works which don’t save us, these same good works God also has prepared in advance for each one of us to walk in. The type of service depends on God’s gifting.
But while we must have teachers, and while their teaching must have the goal of our unity, even those good gifts are not enough. Unity is the work of every Christian, not just the teachers. We also need to be good and faithful learners. Look at verse 13:
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ. (NIV)
Notice, it is "unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God." It has to do with doctrine, with truth, with what we believe about Jesus. We need to know truly about the Jesus we worship, otherwise we are not worshipping the true Jesus. Our unity is based on our common knowledge of and faith in Jesus.
We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. More than that, we believe he is the Son of God. More even than that, we believe he is God the Son. He is the head of all things, master of the universe which he fills. All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus Christ in bodily form. And as God, Jesus Christ fills the universe.
Do you know this Jesus, the Son of God, God the Son, fully God and fully man? He is fully God, like his Father in every way, of one being with the Father, the exact representation of his being, and fully man, like us in every way except the sin for which he died.
Is this the Jesus you are passionate about, who changes your universe as he fills it? Is your Jesus he who descended for a time to the lower, earthly realms, who became a man and lived among us, and yet became obedient to death on a cross, a death in which he paid for our sins. He took our sins in his body on the tree, and after providing a remedy for the guilt of our sins, he gave us the wonderful gift of the forgiveness of sins, and then he rose alive and ascended to heaven, still giving gifts.
Here is the generous Christ, who gives us gifts by his death, and keeps giving us gifts by his resurrection life. Do you believe in such things as these? Do you know this Jesus I’ve been describing?
If so, then you are moving toward maturity in the knowledge of Christ, and that maturity brings unity. Doctrine matters, teaching matters, Bible matters, what we believe matters. These things matter because Jesus matters. Churches wouldn’t be in the mess they are in if they hadn’t jettisoned the bible first.
And if we listen to this good, sound, apostolic, scriptural, gospel teaching, then verses 14 to 15 will be true of us:
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in the deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. (NIV)
Notice, it is every wind of teaching–false teaching–that blows in to blow the church around. For there are deceivers out there. They are wolves in sheeps clothing. They come with purple shirts and clerical collars, and with big churches, and with big smiles. They come saying, "I am Christian, I can talk the talk. I did my time in their colleges and churches. And now I'm here to tell you why what they're Bible says is wrong, how we know better, how science and the media, and what the socialists and secularists say is right. God won't judge. God doesn't care about sex, as long as its consensual and 'loving'. There's no hell. There's nothing to forgive." And every new shipment of books, every new season of their TV shows, brings a new wind of teaching.
Our unity is built on the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is built on the apostles, who brought the gospel to us. It is built on the Bible, the only trustworthy source of Jesus’ and his apostles' teaching. Let us cling to the Jesus of the Bible and the faith and lifestyle of the apostles, for that is the only place where Christian unity can be found.
Let’s pray.