o We have the same Holy Spirit who places us under conviction of our sins and leads us to believe in the grace and love of Jesus Christ who died for our sins on the cross.

o We have the same Holy Spirit who has baptized us into the Body of Christ at our conversion

o We are commanded to be “filled” with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), but not commanded to be baptized with the Spirit.

One God and Fathero We all have one Heavenly Father and we are all children

of this same family, loving and serving the same Father, so we ought to be able to walk together in unity.

o Just as in an earthly family, the various members have to give and take in order to keep a loving unity in the home, so God's heavenly family must do the same.

o The "Lord's Prayer" opens with "Our Father"—not "My Father."

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God’s Word today should lead us to the following conclusions, convictions, and commitments:

1. We need to walk worthy of our calling.

2. We need to work together to guard the Unity of the Spirit

3. We need to acknowledge and embrace the significance of who we are.

Playing on the Same TeamServing together in unity is our highest calling

Ephesians 4:1-16

How easy it is to become divided! But God calls us to play on the same team!

1. Walk Worthy

Ephesians 4:1Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called

We are called to “Walk Worthy” of our callingo We have been blessed – 1:3; chosen – v4; adopted – v5;

and redeemed by the grace of God and the blood of Christ – v7; 2:8-9,13

How do you “walk worthy” of Jesus?o You preserve the unity of the team through humility,

gentleness, patience, and loveo You remember the significance of who you are

2. Preserve the Unity

Ephesians 4:2-3 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

o We are all different in our gifts, our attitudes, our expectations, our emotions, our abilities; yet we are to work together. This requires the work of the Holy Spirit within us.

o To “Preserve the Unity” we must “be diligent”

o To “Preserve the Unity” we will need certain Spiritual qualities…

1. Humilityo You put Christ first, others second, and yourself last.

o You accept who God made you to be for His glory

o You accept your personal responsibilities that God has given you for the common good of your church body.

2. Gentlenesso You are merciful and gentle toward others

o You strive for peacefulness in working with others

3. Patienceo You are willing to be “longsuffering” and “tolerant” of

others.

o You are willing to endure discomfort and continue in your own responsibilities without fighting back or quitting

4. Loveo “Love is patient and love is kind, does not seek its own,

and is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered” (1 Cor 13:4-5)

3. Remember the significance of who you are

Ephesians 4:4-64  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6  one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

One bodyo This is the “Body” of Jesus Christ in which you became a

member when you were saved

o Walter Hill FBC is a local part of Jesus “Body”.

o As a member you are called to exercise your spiritual gifts to minister to others and help others to grow.

One Spirito The same Holy Spirit indwells each of us, so that we all

share His Spirit in our hearts

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body

One hopeo We all have the same hope of being called by God to be

with Him for eternity! Of the return of the Lord to take us to heaven. Of being in heaven with our loved ones who have gone before us.

One Lordo We have one Lord Jesus who died for us, lives for us,

and one day will come for us.

o It is difficult to believe that two believers can claim to obey the same Lord, and yet not be able to walk together in unity.

o Acknowledging the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life is a giant step toward spiritual unity among His people.

One faitho We have one truth given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ

and it is not a truth to be compromised on, or complacent with.

o We may differ in some matters of interpretation and church practice, but all true Christians agree on "the faith" – “Repent and Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ”.

One baptismo We have one baptism of water in the Name of the

Father, Son and Holy Spirit

o We have one baptism of the Holy Spirit