The Call To Focus On Unity Of Christians

We are continuing a sermon series that's really kind of series on what we believe understanding what the Restoration Church is and so I want to start by asking this question. How big is the church and and don't be confused by what you see here right now due to the to the snow and ice on the roads. How big is the church? I think sometimes we're tempted to answer especially preachers to answer that question just by counting heads on a Sunday morning and thinking that's how big the church is and not thinking about everything that happens in the life of a church in a week and not thinking about the church be on their street address and not thinking about the church in a city or state or even larger than that, but ironically that's what we're called to do both. Biblically, which is the highest Authority but also the uniqueness of the restoration movement was a movement began to think of started to think about the church in biblical ways. The larger ways we talked about the foundational truth that the founders of the restoration movement the stake in the ground. They drove was this the Church of Christ upon Earth is essentially intentionally and constitutionally one consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in All Things. According to the scriptures now, they establish that definition of the church at a time when protestantism was exploding but is it exploding and all these different directions with different denominations and saw there was much division about what it really meant to be the church and so one Church. What's I will wear the true church because we worship this way or we take communion this way or we hold this doctrine of the Trinity and so they were dividing saying this is the church in this is not in the founders of the restoration movement said this it this does not honor God. This is not what scripture teaches the church consist of all those everywhere in every place that call upon Christ. They profess their faith in him and speak to him. Obey him in all things according to the scriptures that widens are definition of church, but not only is that core statement of our identity as a church important for Unity. It's important for evangelism look-alike Christ said in John 17. He said when he pray to the father, he began this chapter praying for himself with God and then praying for his immediate disciples and then praying for the larger Circle the disciples including you and I he says father I pray for those who will believe because of their witness because of their testimony. So, it's Unique passage. Where is praying Christ is praying for the church today. He says I asked not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word that they may all be one as you father are in me and I am in you may they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. So Christ praise for Unity. Among his followers so that the world may believe have you thought about that. This is evangelism lessons in this little worse and more exciting. It's evangelism lessons taught by Jesus now, I get emails and and flyers and brochures in the mail every week offering me evangelism lessons. This is the way your church can convert people. This is the program that you can disciple people to become a Vangelis use this curriculum use this event use this package. The church is very consistently, especially the past decade asking how do we effectively evangelize because we're seeing such a dramatic change in the church and sing a dramatic change in the rising young people that are coming up not staying in the church. And so that's a highly asked question. How do we evangelize? Yet I've never seen a single program that started by saying we'll first let's Let Jesus teach us how to evangelize. I've never seen ever in all of my life a curriculum that starts with Jesus and these words in John 17 about how we evangelize. That's what he's talking about. He says two things about evangelism Unity is vital to Leading The World To Believe In Christ. How often have you heard that preached or taught? In a class or curriculum or church yet. It's what Jesus said in his final words to his disciples in his prayer for you. And I when he looked into the future looked at those who believe because of them. This was his prayer that they would be unified that they would be one so that the fruit of that Unity show that the world those who don't get belief. the world would believe Thank God the father has sent me. So Unity is vital to Leading The World To Believe In Christ it I've never seen that in a Creek in them or heard that heard that talk on any sort of consistent basis in the life of the church. One person has said it this way the church must be one so that the world may be one. And yet again that doesn't often make it to a radar about what it means to be effective evangelist second. Jesus teaches. This Unity is visible and relational Unity is visible and relational. I have heard preachers. I'm sure I've done it in the past say that Unity. Oh, yeah, we're all unified. You know, there's this invisible Church on the face of the Earth and we'll all be together one day in heaven were unified but often times that becomes a cop out. Because what we're talking about is Unity that's not visible or we talked about unity in terms of Doctrine. This is part of what was driving the founders. I remove a nut you would go into some Churches and there would be like a 37-point piece of paper that you had to agree to here's the doctrines of this particular Church you affirm all 37 of these points and you're allowed to take communion with us this morning that broke their heart. They said that's not what God created the church for and sometimes were tempted to think of unity in terms of there's all these doctors appointment. You have to be unified on every one of them to be a brother or sister in Christ, but that's not what Jesus is talking about. He had every opportunity to talk about here's the doctrines. Here's the top 10 that you need to believe to be unified what he talked about here is not only the vital necessity of unity in the life of the church for evangelism, but he talked about Unity as being visible something that could be observed in scene and something that was relational. He says in John 13:35 by this everyone will know You are my disciples. If you have love for one another and even in the versus we read that come a little later and John 17 that he sang this as you are one the world will believe that God sent me you see the assumption. Is that the way we love each other? And the way we display Unity is something that can be observed right? You see he's assuming that it's a visible that it's Unity that the world could look at it and say hey look at how they love each other look at how they're unify that they could observe it that it's something visible and that is to relational father the way you and I are one the way we have this intimacy. If you read all the verses around this verse he's talking about the relational closeness and intimacy. He has with the father to father as you and I are one relationally may they be one relationally. So the only that were called who is visible Unity with Brothers and Sisters in Christ all over this neighborhood if you can jump up above the church with a drone or something to get for a camera. You can tell there's Hillandale there's a there's a group of Christians gathering over here at this building and here's a here's another church and then you can go up larger you decide churches all over Lexington and all over Kentucky and all over. United States were called to have Unity with all Brothers and Sisters in Christ. And it's very easy just to think in terms of the size of the church is the street address but I gather at and think in terms of that times but it's so much larger and were called to live that out Unity is a vital element of evangelism. So, how do we work toward Unity? This is the heart of the restoration movement. So my undergrad professors would say we're so proud of you know, whenever preaches about history in the church know whatever preaches about the restoration movement and who we are there always on to the next big series your book or doctor in or that sort of thing topical this topical that so many of the members and those who are engaged and involved in the restoration movement Church don't know our history our family that we were founded as a Unity movement. And some ways that there's a lot of people in the Christian church who we practice in such a way that were the exact opposite. You know what Pastor my sister goes to this church and they don't take communion every Sunday. Like I said, so I need you to save her, you know, when you can get you that that's not on the front burner of of doctrine that we need to evangelize that sort of thing off of we just kind of take sheep from one pint of the next in Patterson house on the back now, can I can I get an amen? Do you see that in the life of the church really start the preacher and I'll get in trouble but it breaks my heart. I've been in Lexington for 5 years. And whenever I've met an older Pastor who's been here for 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 years. I always asked him this question. Tell me about churches in Lexington tell me about this church. It seems to be such a vibrant church. I want to learn what can we learn from them 100% of the time I get these sorts of answers. Well this church it grew when it's The church became no longer unified. There was a split there was conflict. There was a problem with the pastor our problem with doctorates as everybody said but we're going to go over here. And then that was the Church of the Year where the decade said it was hot and booming but then something went wrong there and it went down and so everybody went over to this church or this church got big cuz this pastor left that church and he took everybody with him when he left it and it just breaks my heart because very seldom do I hear about a church that has a heart for the lost and that reaches those who aren't saved I hear about churches that simply move sheep from one pin to the next and your Christ is saying that he wants us to be unified in such a way that the world. Those outside the church might come to Faith. They might come to believe. An arm movement was founded as a Unity movement instead of thinking in terms of let's get a bunch of little buildings in a bunch of little kingdoms and grow them. It was founded as a movement to say everyone who calls upon the name of Christ and follows him places their faith in him and to still be him and all things according to scripture. That's the church. So where the church the way the New Testament would talk about the church the New Testament talk about the church in Lexington. It would it would not talk about with a church on Elm Street Elm Street Church or Main Street Church or this church. It would talk about the church in Lexington that everyone who calls upon the name of Christ and seeks to follow him. That's the church in Lexington and we're not in competition with each other and the goal isn't to move sheet from one pint of the next in and call it growth the goal who is as a church to be unified around the essentials and to reach those who are lost and have such Unity that those are lost the world looks and believes in Christ because of the unity they see you ever think somebody was confused about whether they should go to church or not who was out of church at tender. Ever think they wondered which church should I go to? You ever think they had Christian cycle don't go to that church because then you should go to this now don't go to that one. They had a problem unless they go to this with no now they had do you think our lack of unity and our focus upon ourselves sometimes at the expense of the church as a whole has ever affected evangelism negatively. Do you think maybe that perhaps Christ knew what he was talking about in this verse when he said to us that Unity is vital to evangelism and the growth of the church. We do just the opposite. Sometimes we circle the wagons and get our own brand. Sometimes we don't even cooperate with our sister churches well. Those those are Sister Christian churches sometimes like yeah, you know be warmingfield. We don't even we don't even do that. I think we're missing the beauty not only what Christ teaches in scripture, but we're missing our identity as a church. We were found it to be a Unity movement. So how do we work toward Unity? Here's one of the historian for a movement said if Christian Unity was to be the means to evangelism then the restoration of historic New Testament Christianity was to be the means to Christian Unity. That was the heart of our movement went went when I move it said look weak the church. It is not God's will that they're beat five hundred different flavors of Christianity in one city and then everybody can beat compete over small doctrines about when you do this or when you do that it was God's will let there be one shirt you not in as a witness to the world. And so they said how do we do that? How do I how do we honor Christ prayer for Unity? And one of their core convictions was sweet. We focus on the New Testament. We focused on the early church and in our movement has known from the beginning. We've been called a New Testament Church. Over the past 50 or 60 years evengelical ISM in North America. A lot of times. It's influence the church more than the Bible more than our own Heritage and we become people of the Bible and sometimes we don't distinguish between the New Testament and the Old Testament. Sometimes we don't handle or interpret scripture well because of that lack of Distinction and so you get divisions about how a church should be structured and Leadership who should be allowed to lead or not be allowed to leave or when you take communion or when you don't take me for what you think about end times and all these doctrines that are not essential or core become divisions in the life of the church. And then we wonder why we're not Evangelistic Lee effective when Christ said here's my prayer for you that you would be one so that the world would believe that the father sent me. So I think our movement got it right when it said part of the path toward Unity is to be focused on the essentials of the faith in broadest terms. That means yes to Bible but specifically within the Bible the New Testament. We are a New Testament Church. We are New Testament Christians. You have my full blessing and permission and maybe even if I could use a word like command or direction or instruction as a Good Shepherd or Pastor that you should let the New Testament dominate the Old Testament. Okay, that's some of your lucky I know that but some people that really I've never I just thought it was the Bible. So you open up a new start churches that go to Leviticus since I look women can't wear men's clothing you get these short they did pull a verse out and say we're going to apply that well-intended desire to be Bring it to the scripture but missing the fundamental basic truth that the New Testament is the Covenant that we are under a radical New Covenant with you. I mean their eyes had to just pop out of their head under their chins hit the floor. What do you mean? Huh? New Covenant Hebrews worked for the people of God where the old found at most? How could you even file them to use the word? I'm making a new covenant with you. When Christ there's this brand new covenant. He says it's my blood poured out my body broken for you and the church was born of Christ his life. His teachings is death burial and resurrection and the birth of the church. We are a new testament people. That's the way we begin the process toward Unity Hillandale Christian church and all restoration churches are New Testament Church of Jesus the apostles the New Testament Church and the writings of the New Testament are the foundational starting point and ongoing authoritative Guide to the doctrine and practice of the church. So for example, one of the foundations of health and wealth reaching in our culture, which is a travesty and a heresy and an Abomination to God and least people away from the gospel going to be any more clear about that. One of the foundations of that is the misuse of scripture about taking passages in the Old Testament where God did Satan is real under the old Covenant. If you do these things you'll be blessed. And if you do these things you'll be cursed. That's the kind of deal that God worked out with Israel and their pastors and teachers will reach into the old Covenant and take some of those passages out of context and they will teach people hate. If you do the things that God wants you to do he will bless you financially. That's a abysmal abuse of scripture and it makes God not the authority in her life to whom we submit it makes us the authority in our own life and we just learned the right buttons to push the right lever to pull in order to get God. Who's this Genie that we control to bless our lives. It's an abuse and foundationally it's based on a misuse of the Old Testament over the New Testament. Just looking at the Life of Christ Alone dispels the health and wealth gospel if anyone was faithful to God it was Jesus Christ. And if there's anyone whom you'd have to look at their life and say well his life was not absent of suffering and hardship because of his relationship with God. Because of his relationship of God, he embraced suffering and hardship for the sake of God. You see where in the New Testament God is the authority and we submit to him even if what he's going to do with our life is hard or difficult or painful because his purpose and his attention and his Purity and his motives are greater than our own life is not about us sliding fat dumb and happy from the Cradle to the Grave life is about us knowing our maker our creator and submitting to him and saying my life is yours and I will serve you and Christ is our model of doing that until we are unashamedly a New Testament Church. It follows Christ. And the apostles and the teaching the New Testament and let me say this cuz I don't want to be misheard. All of scripture is absolutely inspired and the authoritative word of God including the Old Testament. Okay. I'm talking about the way we interpret and understand and apply scripture is that process that challenges us to say? Well New Testament first Jesus first, if I ever come up with an understanding the Old Testament that Jesus or the apostles don't affirm then I need to question my understanding of the Old Testament and not say well, it's just too bad that Jesus new pop warner sharp as me because look what I just figured out how to do if I was this verse from Daniel and the Revelation 4 and push hard enough. I get a chart that tells me what nation on the earth I should support politically. Really? I think if you read the New Testament, the disciples were constantly saying to Jesus he could we get details about your second coming. Could we find out when and how you're going to do it and how you're going to set up a kingdom and which kingdom is going to rule which way can I be on your right hand? You're the Jesus possibly said no. I don't even know that's not the point. The point is to be ready for my return. That's the point. But too often we kind of want to twist a manipulating we become abusers are scripture instead of those who are submitted to it the Restoration Church embraced the rejection of creed and Theological systems as the basis of Fellowship a radical stance at the time when so many churches were being born and divided and separated based on certain theological systems. We see things this way. We've got this sort of dispensational theology. We got this order Theology and people would cluster and gather and divided. I mean think about it here that with fresh ears. This is the history of the church. When dividing their self into dozens and dozens of entity invented these in best obedience to God and then we wonder why the church isn't fruitful in the life of our culture the way he designed us to be purple. I mean it's changed a little bit now, but I remember growing up that that even though I wasn't raised in the church. We went to a Baptist church on occasion when my dad would allow my mom to go to church even then I picked up on the nuances of well. Presbytery I hope I don't get whatever that is that that that person.

She left and went to the Catholic Church, you know where we're going to we're going to pray for her that sort of energy spent on divisions within the kingdom of God instead of energy spent on obeying God's command to reach the lost to reach the world. The Church of Christ upon Earth is essentially intentional and constitutionally one consisting of all those and every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him and all things according to the scriptures. That's the starting point. Someone who professes her faith in Christ and desires to obey him and all things according to scripture. They are a brother or sister in Christ. That doesn't mean that somewhere down the road in that relationship. They might correct me on something that I've got wrong or I might correct them on something they've got wrong as we strive to obey Christ and all things according to the scriptures, but the starting point the essential the foundation is profession of faith in Christ and a desire to obey him and all things. Sometimes we want to work out those all things first before we admit somebody to fellowship and that's not what Jesus taught in that's not what I remove my desires to be now. That is a big astric right? Time for a little bit of honesty. Our movement has not lived up to its roots. We have struggled within a hundred years of starting a Unity movement. Guess what we did. We divided into another into two movements instead of once we divided over the way we interpret Revelation and end times theology initially and that's where the independent Church of Christ kind of started on its own path. And then we divided later between denominationalism. We said well, if you're going to format a nomination then we'll have nothing to do with you or not Brothers and Sisters in Christ. The I may or may not think that a denomination is a good idea, but I don't think I have Christ back in when I say I'll have nothing to do with you as if that's an essential essential leave in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior never be a part of the nomination. I don't think that's the way it unfolds in scripture. So we have struggled to live up to that but none the less. That doesn't mean it's not a worthy goal right about your struggle to be healthy. Struggle to meet your New Year's goals to lose your way to stop eating as much sugar all that sort of stuff just because we struggle to achieve those goals. Does that mean they're not worthy goals? Know the truth is still the truth. I need to lose some weight whether I succeed and losing that weight or not. The truth is still the truth and God calls us. To be unified Unity is part of the truth of the Bible. We are commanded to honor. These sometimes I think we slip into the idea of thinking of unity as something separate from truth and we saved ourselves why I have to choose which is more important truth or Unity. Only get it framed in her mind that way then we say well, I guess I can't be unified with Mitch because there's things that he believes that I don't think are true and we disagree on certain things and so I just have to distance myself from him. But we missed the point that Unity is part of the truth that Christ teaches and Hands-On to his followers in this passage of John 17 that they would be one. The truth that those who call Upon Jesus as their lord and savior. are saved the truth of those who seek to follow him are our Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Those are doctrinal and Theological truths that were commanded to honor and a hold on to At one of the ways our movement has tried to do that is to understand the difference between essential and non-essential and that's a great and healthy way to start that. There are essential truths that we hold onto firmly and we challenge each other and encourage each other. We can't just stay well, whatever about everything but that list of Essentials is so much smaller than we sometimes think it is. So we have to be very gracious and have Fellowship include those who we might disagree with on whether denominationalism is good or not. Whether communion should be taken every Sunday once a quarter even dare I say I'll say this way. I have brothers and sisters in Christ in churches that don't immerse. And I say to them two things one. You are wrong. Cuz I believe the New Testament teaches adult Amercian and we have good loving relationships and I challenged them and give them a hard time. But also say to them never to you are a brother or sister in Christ. You are saved you're going to have a I don't question your salvation. I don't think I have the authority to do that and I don't think scripture gives me the authority to do that. So I believe what our movement believes about baptism in immersion and I teach it and I practice it but it does not rise to the level of a Salvation issue. I think about that for a moment would we want doctrinal understanding to rise to the level of salvation? The essential in terms of doctrinal understanding is Jesus Christ is Lord. That's what that's a good confession. We make I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and I accept him as my Lord and Savior. That's the essential. Listen. I thank God that there's not this long list, but I'm not going to happen if he's got that Robbie. I like you in and you meant so you meant so well, do you totally misunderstand this verse in Thessalonians? I mean, you taught it three dozen times and every time you taught it incorrectly and so I'm sorry, you are not allowed to come into heaven. I thank the Lord that there's not that sort of doctrinal list that it's embracing Christ as my Lord and Savior and seeking to obey him and all things are going the scripture that that's what it means to follow. It's a Unity is itself. One of the truth that God commands us to hold onto and to treasure in our lives.

Our relationship to God restored by the work of Christ and our relationship with one another restored by our elder brother. Jesus maintains a position of priority. I know that elder brother is kind of strange language, but it's interesting that both in Hebrews in Romans. That's the language that Paul uses in the point that he's making is that Jesus is the firstborn. He's the one that he's that he's the example of what God wants us to be like and when we accept God is our father then like Christ. We are accepting him as our father Christ is our brother we become part of this family that's larger than just ourselves just our immediate family or our theological family. Our God Journal family are Regional family are our weather Kentucky or even the United States the kingdom of God is bigger than all of those things. That's that's the challenge of understanding those parties. But now in Christ you who were once Far Away Paul says in Ephesians to have been brought near by the blood of Christ Paul speaking to those who are absolutely divided in his day between Judaism and Christianity and he's saying you're missing the grandness and the radicalness of what Christ died on the cross. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ for he himself is our peace who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier the dividing wall of hostility by setting a side in this flesh the law with all of his commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new Humanity out of two. Thus Making Peace part of the heart of the display of the reality of Christ work on the cross is a unified body of Christians locally Statewide nationally and globally part of the witness of the reality of crime. Is when Brothers and Sisters in Christ who are different politically or who are of different races or different economic levels or different nationalities that we come together and were unified because of Christ because his lordship trumps everything else to which we hold Allegiance. But even a wonderful group of die-hard Wildcat fans would listen to a Tennessee volunteer fan. That's a testimony to the power of the Gospel. That all of the small little kingdoms that we have allegiances to when push comes to shove Christ Trump's all those amen. All of them state borders National politics race economics. All of that is trumped and when we fell To live that true that when we gather as churches based on race or We Gather based on income or We Gather based on worship press preferences. When we don't display to the world the diversity of those who call upon the name of Jesus and seek to follow him and all things according to scripture. We lessen our Witness. The world today is divided. Would you agree? But there's lots of conflicts within the world. There's lots of sensitivities within the world's people debate. You can't say that that offended me. I need a safe space. I can't believe you did that. There was just massive division in our culture and the church is called to be the opposite yet. We spent decades modeling what it means to Cluster into groups. God calls us to see the truth of the gospel and be an example to this world of unity around something larger than our own particular little beliefs around Christ and his identity license. R28 Paul says in Christ family. There can be no division into Jew and non-jew slave and free male and female Among Us you are all equal. This is we are all that is we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ.

The part of the witness of the power of the Gospel when the world will look and see this invisible relational unity in the life of the church where we don't say. Well your this so you can't do that are your this are you can't be part of that or oh you're that you need to be in this group and not that group and instead. We allow our common commitment to Christ Our relationship with him to Trump a lot of cultural stuff that sometimes gets brought into the church and baptized and treated like Doctrine when it's not when it's not and a lot of our church. I am proud of the fact that we've walked through scriptures the past few years and we've changed some of our practice to honor. I think the true and clear teaching a scripture that we don't make distinction. We don't say well you're This Ginger, so we're not going to let you touch the communion tray. That's the most insane thing ever, but sometimes cultural baggage and I'm a good ol Appalachian boy. I was raised with it. I know how it gets in your blood and it just feels like the truth. But if you submit to scripture and you go through it and you look at it, you open it up you realize he's challenging you I said this a couple weeks ago. You don't you look at Genesis 1:26 and God created all people. All my life and early out of my life is a Christian that forced me to realize there's no place for racism in the life of the church. But there are a lot of folks well-meaning folks. I don't I don't mean I don't want to sound smart alecky or harsh. There are well-meaning folks who are raised in the church to believe in racism.

And part of our challenge is to be gentle and gracious but corrective and some of those areas to invite ourselves to be submitted to scripture and let it change even think about it. We devote herself over politics. We create sometimes it culture in the church that says you should fit in a certain political category or we're like, what's up with you? And I've met Folks at what I really wanted to go to that church, but I couldn't because it was pretty clear to me. If I if I didn't vote a certain way that I wasn't affirmed as a good Christian. So many of our ability to divide is amazing and God calls us instead to focus on Unity upon Christ.

So, how big is your church?

Invite us to think of it as big as we should think of it. I'll invite the worship team to come as we close our just a few more words here. I kept this quote cuz I I saw it years ago and I always loved it and is a pastor friend of mine that I knew for Indianapolis. He has passed on now, but here's what he said once when he was in a little community meeting of pastors and leaders and Business Leaders from all over the community and thereby was introduced himself while I work for real this Corporation and we have six offices and blah blah blah and they finally got to him and said, what are you do here's what he said. Is a Russ Bowers he passed away is the pastor of East 94th Street Christian Church Indianapolis for years and years. He said hi. I'm Rees flowers. I'm with a global Enterprise. We have branches in every country in the world. We have representatives in nearly every Parliament and boardroom on Earth or in the motivation and behavioral alteration. We run hospitals feeding stations crisis pregnancy centers University publishing houses and nursing homes. We care for our clients from birth to death. We are into life insurance and fire insurance. We perform spiritual heart transplants are or our original organizer owns all of the real estate on Earth plus an assortment of galaxies and constellations. He knows everything and lives everywhere. Our product is free for the asking there's not enough money to buy it. Our CEO was born in a hick-town work as a carpenter didn't own a home was misunderstood by his family and hated by his enemies walked on water was condemned to death without a trial and a rose from the dead I talked with every day amen art of the churches big the church is huge. The church is the quote Will Ferrell ginormous. Church is so large. Review challenges to that one take comfort in that you are not alone. You don't have to be near 371 Hillandale Road to be near the church. You understand that?

The church for many people here meet Meats in your home. You open up the Bible you pray together you Fellowship together two or three are gathered in my name. I am there. Churches are blessing you off in the church is at the hospital praying with you before a surgery. Sometimes you bump into the church in town and it says how you doing. I've been thinking about you lately. You could be on the other side of the globe and the church is all around you you can have a crisis and with a few phone calls. There could be a pastor at your side no matter what continent you're on. To pray with you to help you with a crisis churches. Huge You Are Not Alone. Ever anywhere at anytime and any circumstances. Has his people whose Hearts have been moved to follow and Obey him near you. We just don't always realize that we don't have our radar. Do you realize when you're in Kroger shopping the church is probably all around you.

That you can have a crisis and it would very very likely be a brother and sister in Christ who could come play with you right then right in that moment.

I want us to think about what it means to have to have that bigger picture of the church and kind of Playa tour life this week. Think of the Church in Lexington Kentucky tonight Estates the world as all those every place that profess their faith in Christ, and I'll be nice to him and all things according to the scripture pray for and cooperate with Brothers and Sisters in Christ for the leading of the world to believe in Jesus. to pray for not just Hillandale pray for all the churches in Lexington that they would Thrive that's a hard journey pastors were often turns in thinking in terms of numbers and competition and

I'll let go and pray for the kingdom of God on Earth in America in Kentucky and Lexington but all churches with Thrive and succeed leading others to Believe In Christ. And and we want to cooperate with them. Now. Here's a here's the marketing side of me. Would it be incredibly this is beyond naive. So you guys can all laugh when I say that if I take no offense at that. I thought would be awesome. If you can get everybody in Lexington who calls Jesus their lord and savior and seeks to obey him everyone in that category. to wear the same shirt

Especially when we're doing things for the kingdom. Imagine how powerful the witness would be. If it was that simple to give the world the visible Unity of the body of Christ. If when folks walked around Lexington, they constantly saw this red sees red t-shirt that said Church. Hey, there's a group feeding the homeless they've all got those red shirts on. Hey there somebody helping somebody at the side of the road is broken now and I've got that red shirt on the person that was nice to me at Starbucks. They had a red shirt on the lady that checked me out at Kroger to my doctor had one of those red would it be awesome if we if the unity of the church could be that visible to self promoting white in a Christ promoting way so that the message was Jesus loves you and he's got folks everywhere. Hoping to let you know that by being kind or patient or consider it or caring cuz I know that the reality is the church is in Lexington. It isn't all those places it is kind and considerate and helpful and doing the work of Christ. The challenge for us is to have our eyes opened in such a way that we're aware of that more and more and we're part of that display of the unity of Christ's body. We don't divide over things that just don't Merit division. Smartwatch start with give me an actor brother and sister in Christ. We start with do you believe in Jesus? Yes, you trying to follow him? Yes. Okay, that's good enough for us to work together and then we can both put her shoulder to the wheel and start pushing in the direction of the kingdom of God of helping our city Thrive the way God designed for Thrive with health and our relationships with hearts for those who are down and out reaching out to those in need so that God's glory might be revealed that his creation all of his creation might be cared for and loved and tended to as his heart desires so that this world the city would give him the glory