Today’s Scriptures
Ephesians 4:1-7; 11-16

1Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also 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.

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

11 And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. —Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16

A body in unity is useful for ministry, and attractive to the community.

The

of community

Ephesians 4:1-3
1. Humility
2. Gentleness
3. Patience
4. Forgiveness
5. Striving for unity

The

of unity

Ephesians 4:4-6
1. One body
2. One Spirit
3. One hope
4. One Lord
5. One faith
6. One baptism
7. One God and Father

The

of ministry

Ephesians 4:7,11-12

Unity comes from within and is a spiritual grace, while uniformity is the result of pressure from without. —Warren Wiersbe

The

of maturity

Ephesians 4:13-16

19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, so that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

20 “I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me… —John 17:19-23

As Christians/the Church, we should “provoke questions that only the Gospel can answer. —Mark Batterson

Discuss in a Life Group

Re-read Ephesians 4:1-16 as a group

As it says in verse 1, “walk worthy of the calling”. What kind of living is worthy of the calling?

Read verse 3, how much effort should we put into church unity? Why does unity require this level of effort?

In verses 4&5, we see the basis of unity, discuss the common thread of the 7 “one’s” identified here?

How does using our gifts, given by the Spirit, bring unity?

Unity does not mean carbon copies of one another; in what ways are we different? Can people who are essentially different become unified (vs 11-13)?

In John, we see Jesus pray for our unity in order to be a witness to the lost. Discuss how unity and disunity in the church affects our witness to the world.

Personal reflection: what areas do you need to submit to God and how can you promote unity in the church through your gifts?

Pray Together

Pray for each other and record any prayer requests here.