Psalm 133: 1
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
-household of faith = brethren
-we are to dwell in unity as brothers and sisters in Christ being oneness of mind, heart, and purpose
Deceptiveness of Ecumenical Unity
Romans 12:18
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
-Christians should strive to live peaceably but not at the expense of the integrity of biblical doctrine
-be leary of the call for unity based on the tug of emotions with no biblical basis
-Christians have been programmed to believe division is wrong
-ecumenical unity calls for Christians to always be nice and never cause any waves-settling for the lies of separation of church and state, faith doesn’t belong in the public square, only teach on the love of Jesus but never reprimand
-Christians are not free to disagree on the essentials that define Christianity
Psalm 119: 160
“All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.”
2 Peter 1: 21
“For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
-the entire Bible is inerrant
Isaiah 43: 10
“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor will there be one after me.”
-There is only one God
Matthew 28: 19
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”
-God is triune, as expressed by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Romans 3: 23
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
-Salvation is necessary because of humanity’s sinful state
Acts 4: 12
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
-salvation comes through Christ alone
Ephesians 2: 8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
-salvation comes apart from works, through grace alone
John 10: 30
“I and the Father are one.”
-Christ is God
1 Corinthians 15: 3-5
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve.”
Christ died, was buried, and rose again
Acts 1: 11
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Revelation 19: 11-16 The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast
-Christ will return to Earth physically at His second coming
***the problem with ecumenical union is that it forces thee participants
to refuse to embrace the entirety of the Bible and its essential doctrines
-the ecumenical movement has gone global in its pursuit of unity among all faiths
Ecumenical = powerful symbolic advance of interfaith
Ex. Catholics, Islamic faith, Muslims, Mormons, Buddhists, Jews. Christians
coexist intertwining faith, blurring truths, feeding on emotions not truth
-it is moving imagery that plays on emotions
-it strives to sway your thinking
Ecumenical = tend to rally around social issues that people can relate to and support
-tactics used to grab the attention
Ex. Climate Religion
Ex. Climate Justice Ten Commandments
Ex. Climate Repentance Ceremonies
***believers must wise up to the spirit behind this agenda
-it is a spirit of unity from Satan
-it is a spirit of compromise
**Jesus would not be welcome as He would be asking “who do you say I am?”
-Ecumenical would remove Him of His deity, deny all essential doctrines
about Him, but still embrace him a level playing field guru all in the name of unity
Why Unity isn’t Possible:
-It is God or the world as there is no gray area
-You are of God
-Greek word ek translated “of” in your Bible is “out from”
-refers to an object that was inside another and is now separated from it like a
child at birth
-our spiritual life originated with God which is referred to as being born again
-the reality of being “of God” means you have been birthed into a new family
-you have a new relationship with God the Father
***the spiritual family you and I are now a part of is powerful and transcends any
bloodline in this world
1 John 4: 4
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one
who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
-reference to the Holy Spirit dwelling within you
-you are now a part of God’s family
-the Father has fulfilled the Son’s promise that He would send the Holy Spirit to
live in you as Helper, Spirit of Truth
John 14: 16-18
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you
and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him,
because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives
with you and will be[a] in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
John 16: 7
But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away,
the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
John 16:13
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.
He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will
tell you what is yet to come.”
-the Spirit of Truth will warn you not to do that
-as members of a spiritual family, we rally around God’s Word
-the statement, “You are of God” means that you confess what people of other religions do not
-Jesus Christ is God revealed in human flesh
-pagan cults and other religions can’t make that statement of faith
***Christians to overlook the fact that others do not hold to the deity of Jesus
-they do not believe in Him for salvation
-Christianity
1 Corinthians 12:3
“Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 8:14
“ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”
Colossians 3:17
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
-Christians members of this spiritual family
-Christianity makes unity impossible
-the world hated Jesus because He testified that its works were evil, which means we will be hated too
John 15: 18-19
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
-there is undeniable rift between those who are of the world and those who are of God
-they can’t stand you take the Bible literally
-God chose you out of the world to be different
Matthew 5: 14
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”
1 Peter 2:9
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
You Have a Different Nature:
-the Bible strictly forbids ecumenical unity
- refers to be unequally yoked
-in Biblical times, yoking referred to plowing on a farm, 2 oxen would be equally measured on each side of the yoke so opposing forces moving against each other would match working together to make a straight line
-ecumenical unity is putting unequally yoked together but one of the opposing forces overtakes or destroys the other so they cannot be or work together in harmony
-ecumenical unity doesn’t work as the flesh and the spirit are at odds with each other
-Spiritually= ones is earthly and perishing; the other is heavenly and eternal
-joining yourself with unbelievers is dangerous and will dilute your devotion to Christ
****”It is impossible to have true fellowship, communion, accord, partnership, or agreement between believers and unbelievers. Why? Because those who have two separate natures, goals, passions, visions, and destinations will always conflict with one another.”
2 Corinthians 6:14
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
***true unity arises from agreement over truth
Ephesians 2: 1-2
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”
-children of God gravitate toward the truth because the Holy Spirit indwells in them
-children of Satan do not because they are swayed by the spirit of error
John 8: 42-44
“Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Two Identities, One Conclusion:
-Jesus is not neutral on the identities of believer versus unbelievers
-Believers = brethren, are of God, confess Jesus is Lord, are born again, are the sons and daughters of God
-Unbelievers = are of the world, are of the devil, do not confess Jesus is Lord, are children of Satan, are sons and daughters of disobedience
-Believers = rally around the Bible, Christ lives in them and through them, are indwelt by the Spirit of Truth
-Unbelievers = hold to strange and baffling doctrines, do not have Christ in them, are loved by the world
-Believers = believe and stand in the truth, walk in the light, are righteous, are the temple of the living God, are spiritually alive
-Un-Believers = hat what you believe and stand for, walk in darkness, are lawless, are idol worshippers, are dead in their trespasses and sins
***the church needs to stop trying to mix with the things of this world
Revelation 2: 20
“Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.”
-compromise corrupts the church
-Timothy faced false teachers within the church and persecution from outside
-Paul was locked in a prison filled with sewage and rats
-compromise would have made their lives easier
-they both faced temptation but both men held fast
2 Timothy 1: 13-14
“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”
Making True Christian Unity a Reality:
-here is God’s design for promoting unity within the body of Christ
-the centerpiece of unity is the three persons of the Trinity-one Father, one Lord, and one Spirit
-God called you and be by name to salvation and the union of one body
-His body, so now it is our responsibility to express the reality of that union to others
-faith must be personal before it can become practical
-Christ alone is the cornerstone of true Christian unity
Ephesians 4: 1-6
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Ephesians 4:16
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
***when believers, regardless of of their ethnicity or walk of life work together under Christ’s lordship then everyone benefits
-Agape love is God’s unique, sacrificial, self-giving love for mankind–the same love we should show to one another
John 13:35
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”