“I pray they will be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. I pray that they also will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.”
—John 17:21

Introduction

The number one enemy of the church is

.

The number one, most important thing to Jesus was

. (John 17:20-23)

If we don’t

one another, the world won’t believe what we say about Jesus. (John 13:34-35)

We are a politically

church.

Disagreement is

.

Division is a

. (Psalm 133:1)

As Jesus followers, we have a specific responsibility to live

from the rest of the world. (1 Corinthians 1:10-12)

As many as

parties existed in the early church of Corinth.

Our faith is political, but not

.

“When it is more important to us to have our way than follow Jesus, then we have lost our way and our credibility.” —Andy Stanley

In the first century,

was a political term, not a religious one.

In Rome, you could have as many gods as you wanted, but only one

.

Jesus, our King, Lord, and Master, was extraordinarily clear about our calling and

. (Philippians 2:3-4, 14-15)

Do everything without

or arguing.

“The best criticism of bad is the practice of better.” —Father Richard Rohr

At Acts 2 UMC, we do not criticize or

people, especially those we have never met.

Our political agenda is to love our neighbors and our

. (Luke 6:27-40)

Difference is

. Division is a choice.

My Additional Notes:

The Problem

We the people, in order to form a more perfect union, must work

.

From 2020 to today, we the church allowed ourselves to be

over masks, vaccines, and sexuality.

If you are a Jesus follower, you are included in

because we are one body united by one Savior. (Romans 12:5)

When the pressure came, what was meant to be united in faith was divided by

.

In God’s Kingdom, there is no “you versus me,” no division, no

, only we, like it or not. (1 Corinthians 12:22-25)

This truth is for your good, the good of our country, and the good of the

. (1 Corinthians 12:26)

My Additional Notes:

What Jesus Says and Does Is the Answer (John 15:12)

The standard by which Jesus measures our love for one another is his

. (John 15:12-13)

The example of

Jesus gives us on the last night of his life is to serve those around him. (John 13:2-5)

When we

others, we create a more perfect union.

The good news is that God loved the

so much that King Jesus chose to die for all. (John 3:16-17)

My Additional Notes:

Action Steps

Take an honest assessment of your faith. Are you willing to follow Jesus

of where He leads you politically?

“We refuse to alienate half our community by siding with one political party over the other. We chose to stand with Jesus in the messy middle, where problems are solved, rather than capitulate to divisive broad-brush political talking points.” —Andy Stanley

Show up to vote, be

in line, and say “Thank you.”

Follow John Wesley’s three rules for

from 1774.

Serve others as a way of

people for the transformation of the world.

My Additional Notes: