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NASB | Ephesians 4:3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 4:3 Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful]. |
Bible Question: I have been asked to teach on unity within the church this Sunday.because we are experienceing growth at a rapid rate and arein the process of moving to a new building the first time we will have our own place to met. What I will be tring to do in a sense is oreventive maintance. Addressing problems before they come up. Any ideas or references anyone can supply would be very helpful. In The Love Of Christ, tgc |
Bible Answer: tgc: You have undertaken a big order in agreeing to teach on church unity! But it's an important subject, to be sure, and I pray that God will empower you for the task. ..... Here's my small contribution of ideas for what you may find them worth. There is a lot of emphasis being placed on unity for unity's sake these days, without regard to how unity is achieved. The important thing, the ONLY thing, in which the church is to have unity is the truth, "the faith of the gospel" as Paul puts it in Philippians 1:27 (which see). Unity achieved by compromise of the truth or based on lies and false doctrines is not Christianity at all. This kind of forced unity easily leads to heresy and apostasy. ..... Some Bible resources I would think of using are Christ's high priestly prayer in John 17, Psalm 33:1, and Paul's wonderful discussion of unity in Ephesians 4:1-16. In fact, so fitting to the topic is Ephesians 4:1-16 that I would consider making it the text for my talk. May God richly bless your labors to His glory. --Hank |