God's Plan for Unity

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God's Plan for Unity
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Let your eyes look straight ahead,     And your
eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of
your feet,     And let all your ways be
established. Do not turn to the right or the
left Remove your foot from evil. Proverbs
425 - 27 (NKJV)
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Unity Gods Plan for Church

• I will build my church (Matt. 1618)
• Christ never planned to build many churches
• He never planned to establish denominations
• Jesus prayed the church would be one

That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in
Me, and I in You that they also may be one in
Us, that the world may believe that You sent
Me.  (John 1728)
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Unity of the Spirit Promotes Singularity of Faith

• The unity of the Spirit (Eph. 41-6)
• One body
• One Spirit
• One hope of your calling
• One Lord
• One faith
• One baptism
• One God and Father of all

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Unity Characteristic of Church

• Unity characterized the church in its infancy
  (Acts 432)
• They pursued those things that made for peace
  (Rom. 1419)
• Paul prayed the church would be like-minded and
  would with one mind and one mouth glorify God
  (Rom. 155-6)
• God is not glorified in diversity of faith!

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Division Condemned

• Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of
  our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the
  same thing, and that there be no divisions among
  you, but that you be perfectly joined together in
  the same mind and in the same judgment 1
  Cor. 110 (NKJV)

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Causes of Division

• What causes religious division?
• James 41-4 gives the answer
• Fleshly desire
• Selfish religion
• Friendship with the world
• The result is a rejection of truth and a desire
  for false teaching that pleases the flesh (2 Tim.
  43-4)

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Unity On What Basis?

• Conduct worthy of the gospel (Phil. 127)
• Speak the same thing
• If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles
  of God (1 Peter 411)
• Speak where the Bible speaks, be silent where
  the Bible is silent
• Reject human names and creeds
• Call Bible things by Bible names and do Bible
  things in Bible ways

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Speak the Truth in Love

• Note those who cause division (Rom. 1617)
• We must beware and warn concerning those who
  deceive (Col. 28)
• Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is
  truth. (John 1717)
• We must speak the truth in love to come to the
  unity of the faith and defend against the
  cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting (Eph.
  411-5)

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Listen to the voices of some past denominational
leaders
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Martin Luther

• "I ask that men make no reference to my name, and
  call themselves not Lutherans, but Christians.
  What is Luther? My doctrine, I am sure, is not
  mine, nor have I been crucified for any one. St.
  Paul, in I Cor. 3, would not allow Christians to
  call themselves Pauline or Petrine, but
  Christian. How then should I, poor, foul carcass
  that I am, come to have men give to the children
  of Christ a name derived from my worthless name?
  No, no, my dear friends let us abolish all party
  names, and call ourselves Christians after Him
  Whose doctrine we have."

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John Wesley

• Would to God that all party names, and
  unscriptural phrases and forms which have divided
  the Christian world, were forgot and that the
  very name Methodist might never be mentioned
  more, but be buried in eternal oblivion."

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Charles Spurgeon

• "I look forward with pleasure to the day when
  there will not be a Baptist living! I hope that
  the Baptist name will soon perish, but let
  Christ's name last forever." (Spurgeon was
  arguably the greatest Baptist preacher of all)

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The following statement was made in a speech by
H. Leo Boles in his address The Way of Unity
Between the Christian Church and Churches of
ChristMay 3, 1939
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• (Boles quoting from Raccoon John Smith)
• "For several years past I have stood pledged to
  meet the religious world, or any part of it, on
  the ancient gospel and order of things as
  presented in the words of the Book. This is the
  foundation on which Christians once stood, and on
  it they can, and ought to, stand again. From this
  I cannot depart to meet any man, or set of men,
  in the wide world. While, for the sake of peace
  and Christian union, I have long since waived the
  public maintenance of any speculation I may hold,
  yet no one gospel fact, commandment, or promise
  will I surrender for the world"

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• After quoting his grandfather, John Smith,
  Brother Boles went on to sayThis is the
  ground of unity that was accepted in 1832 by the
  Stone and Campbell groups it is the fundamental
  teaching of the New Testament. Such a unity
  honors the truth of God, respects the authority
  of Christ, and glorifies God

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• Brethren, this is where the churches of Christ
  stand today it is where unity may be found now
  it is where you left the New Testament it is
  where you left the churches of Christ, and it is
  where you can find them when you come back. On
  this ground and teaching, and only on this, can
  scriptural unity be had now on these basic
  principles of the New Testament Christian unity
  may always be had.

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UnityNot Union

• Two movements seeking the restoration of the New
  Testament church came together at Cane Ridge, KY
  in 1832 to join hands
• They became one in identity, one in doctrine, one
  in purpose
• The movements that were identified with Barton W.
  Stone and Alexander Campbell became lost in one
  name .... Christian

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Who will join us to stand unified upon the holy
word of God?
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Who among us will reject the Word of Life to
attain a form of union with doctrines of men?
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Let your eyes look straight ahead,     And your
eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of
your feet,     And let all your ways be
established. Do not turn to the right or the
left Remove your foot from evil. Proverbs
425 - 27 (NKJV)
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