Introduction: What does unity mean? Does it mean that we give up
personal opinion? Does it mean that we no longer compete with each
other? Does it mean that we look, talk and act like other church
members? When Jesus prays that we will all be “one,” in the same way
the Trinity is one ( John 17:21), what does that mean? If unity is
essential to revival, and it seems it is, we need to understand what
unity means. Our lesson this week is about unity. Let’s dive into
study of the Bible and learn more!
- Unity with God
- Let’s read part of a prayer of Jesus in John 17:11-12.
What do you think Jesus means by “I protected them and
kept them safe by that name you gave Me?” - Read Philippians 2:9-11 and Revelation 19:12. What do
these suggest about the “name?” (A name identifies a
person. God and Jesus agreed upon His mission to save
us. That is an important part of Jesus’ identity.
Being with Jesus on His mission protected the
disciples while Jesus was with them.) - Look again at John 17:11 and read John 17:20-21. Twice
Jesus refers to His disciples becoming “one” as He is
“one” with God. What did it mean for Jesus to be one with
God? (The doctrine of the Trinity is that they are
literally one.) - What does it mean, then, for us to be one with God?
(We need to ask God for help to understand. This
means that either the Trinity is a broader definition
of “one” than I previously thought, or it means that
Christians have a closer identity with God than I
previously thought.) - Let’s see if we can unravel this. Look again at John
17:21. Jesus notes that the Father is “in” Him and He is
“in” the Father. Read 1 Corinthians 6:19. What does this
say about the Holy Spirit dwelling in us? (It says the
same thing, that the Holy Spirit dwells in those seek that
kind of relationship.) - Read Romans 8:5-8. What separates the saved from the
unsaved? (Whether we decide to allow the Holy Spirit to
control our thinking.) - Read Romans 8:9-11. How do we ask the Holy Spirit to
control our thinking? (Notice this – “if the Spirit
of God lives in you,” then you are saved.) - Let’s circle back to this issue about unity within
the Trinity, and your unity with God. After reading
these verses in Romans 8, how do you understand your
unity with God? (Our unity with God is asking the
Holy Spirit to live in us, and to guide our thoughts
and our actions. If we make the decision to be in
unity with God, then we “belong” to Jesus. If we
reject that unity and let our minds be “controlled by
the sinful nature,” then we die as rebels against
God. Romans 8:6-8.) - Unity in the Church
- Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. What does the Bible mean when
it says “Christ” is like a body? (It is a reference to
Christians. Those who believe in Jesus are like a body.) - Why does a body teach us about unity? (Different
parts have to coordinate in order for the body to
work properly.) - What does the Holy Spirit have to do with Christians
being a body? (The Holy Spirit unifies us! Think
again about our discussion of how the Holy Spirit
living within us unifies us with God. We now find
that the Holy Spirit also unifies us with fellow
believers!) - If we want to know exactly what unity in the church
means, should we look at how the Holy Spirit works?
(Yes!) - Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-3. Where do we obtain “spiritual
gifts?” (From the Holy Spirit. The way the Holy Spirit
gives gifts gives to us is a picture of what it means to
be “one.”) - Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-6. What does this reveal about
whether unity means we all think and work the same way? - What is different among the united? (Gifts, service
and working.) - What do the united hold in common? (Same Spirit, Lord
and God.) - Read 1 Corinthians 12:7. Why do we all have different
gifts, service and works? (The goal is to promote the “big
picture,” the common good.) - Read 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. I understand that some have
wisdom and some knowledge. Why is “faith” a gift? I
thought we all are supposed to have faith? - What about gifts of healing and miracles? Can’t we
all pray for someone to be healed, or pray for a
miracle? - What does this say about a person who has no regular
connection to a church? One who does not regularly
worship with other believers? (God gives all of us
some measure of wisdom, knowledge, faith and healing.
The point is that some have special gifts in one
area. We only take advantage of special gifts given
to others by working together.) - Look again at 1 Corinthians 12:10. What does it mean to be
able to “distinguish between spirits?” (This reveals that
the Holy Spirit is not alone in trying to influence our
actions and deeds.) - Read 1 Corinthians 12:11. Who coordinates these gifts in
the church? (The Holy Spirit. Again, this shows how
important it is to be part of a Spirit-led church!) - What does unity with God, through a Spirit-led mind, say
about unity with fellow Christians? (The Holy Spirit is
the coordinator of it all!) - Unity in Action
- We skipped over 1 Corinthians 12:3. Let’s go back and read
it. Why can’t we fake praising God? Haven’t you heard
Christians who you thought were fakes? - Doesn’t the gift of “distinguishing between spirits”
(1Corinthians 12:10) prove that some are fakes? - Read Luke 11:14-16. Why are these people making these
charges against Jesus? (They were testing whether he was a
fake or not.) - Why would Satan drive out demons through someone? (So
that you would follow a false teacher.) - Read Luke 11:17-20. What does Jesus say about Satan
driving out Satan? (He says it is not possible. When Satan
starts hurting himself, it is the beginning of the end of
his power.) - Re-read 1 Corinthians 12:3. Does Jesus’ statement in
Luke 11 support this? (Yes.) - What does this teach us about unity? (There are some
very basic principles about unity. We are on one side
or the other. Good works come from Jesus and bad
works come from Satan.) - Read Matthew 7:15. Wait a minute! What is Jesus saying
about prophets? (That fake prophets exist.) - How can that be since we just agreed that you are on
one side or the other? - Read Matthew 7:17-20. How does this help us with the unity
issue? Can someone say, “Jesus is Lord” and be a supporter
of Satan? (Matthew 7 supports the unity concepts we have
been discussing. It tells us that words and deeds will be
consistent. But, it tells us to look closely. Just
listening to a few words should not end our
investigation.) - Read Matthew 7:21-23. These are “gold standard” deeds.
When Jesus says “I never knew you,” does he mean they were
done by the power of Satan? (Luke 11 taught us that was
impossible. These deeds must have been done through the
power of God.) - How do you explain this?
- Read Matthew 7:24-27. How does this teaching help us to
spot fakers? (Jesus tells us that words and deeds must be
in unity.) - What does this teach us about unity? (Unity has
several layers. Not only is there a unity among
believers in the church, but we need to have a unity
in our personal life. There must be a unity between
our words and our deeds. The whole package
distinguishes the fakers (those on Satan’s side) from
those who are genuine (on God’s side).) - Think back to the beginning of our discussion about
the Holy Spirit living in us and making us one with
God. Can you see how unity with God must be reflected
in our works? - Friend, will you commit today to choose to have the Holy
Spirit live in you? Will you choose to have unity with God
and unity with fellow believers? - Next week: Discernment: The Safeguard of Revival.
