Psalm 133:1–3 (NKJV) — 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!

1. What’s the big deal about unity and being unified?

- Is it because you get the warm fuzzies?

- No being unified bring phenomenal power!


2. Tower of Babel – Gen 11:1-8

- I have read the event about the Tower of Babel multiple times but one day something leaped of the page at me.

Genesis 11:1–8 (NKJV) — Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” 5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.

- Did you see it! Did you see what was so powerful that God Himself had to intervene?!

Genesis 11:6 (NLT) — 6 “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!

Genesis 11:6 (NLT) — 6 “Look!” God said. “The people are united, … After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!

A. Those that are unified can do the impossible!

- There is power in unity!

B. If the church would become truly unified we would see the power of God flowing and the impossible becoming possible!



3. Church in Book of Acts – Unity - Power

Acts 1:14 (NKJV) — 14 These all continued with one accord (unity) in prayer and supplication….


Acts 2:1 (NKJV) — 1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord (there were all in unity) in one place.


Acts 2:46–47 (NKJV) — 46 So continuing daily with one accord (unity) in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.


Acts 4:24 (NKJV) — 24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord (unity) and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, The Results vs 31 – the place was shaken and they spoke the Word of God with boldness!


Acts 4:32–33 (NKJV) — 32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul (unity);… Results 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.


Acts 5:12–16 (NKJV) — 12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord (unity) in Solomon’s Porch. Results 14And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,


Acts 8:6–8 (NKJV) — 6 And the multitudes with one accord (unity) heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.

- When a church becomes truly unified the power of God flows through them and the impossible becomes possible!


4. The unity at the Tower of Babel was so great they could've accomplished anything. The reason God had to intervene is because their unity was in a vain thing and it unity for selfish reason, not God honoring reasons.

A. What could a church accomplish if they genuinely walked in unity.


B. What do you need for there to be this type of unity where the impossible becomes possible?

1) There has to be a cause to unify around

- A cause that taps into core of your emotions

- A cause that you accept as your own cause

- A cause that is bigger than yourself and thus you are dependent upon everyone else to buy into the cause

A. Jesus Christ is bigger than any cause, Jesus is the person we unify around!

- When you met Jesus as your Lord and Savior didn’t Jesus tap into the depths of your emotions!

- When you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior didn’t you accept Him as your own?

- Isn’t the work that Christ calls us to do bigger than ourselves and don’t we depend on our brother’s and sister’s in Christ to join in the work of Christ and His kingdom?

B. So there is a Person to unify around, Jesus.


2) There has to be a resolve to live out the cause at any cost

- Since the cause is bigger than any one person it will require sacrifice and dedication

- Unity requires risk – Everyone that we think of as great, took risks. Sometimes they failed but they learned from those failures and used it as building blocks to move forward.

A. Didn’t Jesus call His followers to live out his call by taking up our cross of following Him?

- Isn’t the call to follow Jesus a call to live out no matter the cost?

- Isn’t following Jesus and doing His work a great risk in the world that we live in?


- Isn’t the call of Christ a call to dedication at any cost?

- Think about the millions throughout church history and in modern history that have been and are persecuted and martyred for their devotion to Christ and His kingdom.

B. For there to be unity to accomplish the impossible there has to be a resolve to live out the cause at any cost and as followers of Jesus Christ we are called to follow Him at any cost.


3) There has to action to fulfill the cause

- Getting emotionally excited but doing nothing to actually see the cause succeed is called being spectator.

A. Jesus called His followers to action! Go therefore and make disciples!

- Christian is a noun but it should also be a verb. Christians are to be people of action

- Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit is action.


4) There has to be a leader, leading the cause

C. Nehemiah rebuilding the wall at Jerusalem and Joshua at Jericho are examples of people accepting the cause and living out the cause in unity. They did the impossible because they were unified.

- The stories of Nehemiah and Joshua wouldn’t have happened if the people were not unified to the cause and unified behind God’s leader.

- Moses had brought the Children of Israel to the borders of the Promise Land 40 years earlier but because of dis-unity, which brought division, the people would not follow their leader, Moses, who was following God and God’s instruction.

- The second time the Children of Israel came to the borders of the Promise Land they were unified behind God’s leader, Joshua.

D. Jesus is the leader, the master Shepherd and He has placed under-shepherds to be the lead leader at the local congregations.

- The Apostle Paul said, Imitate me as I imitate Christ. The Greek word for imitate is also translated as follow.

- Follow God’s leader as he is following Christ.


Recap: The Power of Unity to do the impossible

There has to be a cause to unify around - Jesus is the person we unify around!

There has to be a resolve to live out the cause at any cost - Didn’t Jesus call His followers to live out his call by taking up our cross of following Him?

There has to action to fulfill the cause- Jesus called His followers to action!

There has to be a leader, leading the cause- He has placed under-shepherds to be the lead leader at the local congregations.



5. Unity Killers

A. The devil knows the power of unity! It would seem that the devil was trying to use that at the tower of babel.
- The devil doesn’t want your marriage to be unified.
- The devil doesn’t want your family to be unified
- The devil doesn’t want this church to be unified.

B.What is it that the devil uses with such effectiveness to kill unity?

C. Every unity killer is traced back to this one thing, selfishness.

- Selfishness is manifested in Di-vision – competing vision, competing direction, competing cause.

James 4:1 (NLT) — 1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?


- Apathy towards the cause is a unity killer – not flat out against it but just not actively supporting it in your actions.

- Rebellion against God’s leadership


6. Unity Builders

A. Love God with Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength

B. Love one another as your self

C.Love and obey God’s Word

D. Having the proper fear of the Lord brings unity.

E. Being unified to Jesus Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God, which the greatest cause this world have ever or will ever know.

F. Operate in your gifting – what you enjoy doing and what other’s affirm about you.

G. Unify behind Christ’s appointed leadership leads to unity.


Ephesians 4:11–16 (NLT) — 11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. (we will NOT allow the unity blockers to come in and disrupt unity) We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

- THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURES SHOWS A UNIFIED BODY AND THE RESULTS OF SUCH.


7. Churches that are growing have and are:

- unified around key core values of God’s Word,

- unified around the mission that Christ gave His Church and are

- unified around the leadership’s vision, the plan on how to accomplish living out their core values and accomplishing Christ mission for His Church.




Closing:

- I want God to say about this church…

Genesis 11:6 (NLT) — 6 “Look!” God says. “This church is united,…nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!


1.There is a Person to unify around, Jesus Christ.

- Are you emotionally attached to Jesus, has he stirred the core of your soul?

- Have you accepted His call as your own?

- Do you understand that the call of Christ in expanding God’s Kingdom on this earth, this is bigger than yourself and thus you are dependent upon other believers to be unified around Jesus and the Kingdom of God?


2. Are you resolved to take up your cross and follow Jesus not matter the cost?

- Since Jesus and the Kingdom of God is bigger than any one person are you fully willing to give the required sacrifice and dedication

- Are you willing to take the risk unity may require of you to following Jesus and His call?


3.Are you willing to move into action to fulfill the call of Christ upon your life?

- Getting emotionally excited but doing nothing to actually see the cause succeed is called being spectator.

- We are starting a “Here to Serve” class once a month – Sunday’s 9:30am


4.Are you willing to follow the under-shepherd has he follows the Master Shepherd?


Ephesians 4:1–3 (NKJV) — 1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.


Altar – You want to be a part of the unity of this congregation – You want to see the love and power of God flow through you and others…

Today is Pentecost Sunday.