Unity in the Church: Part 3 | Daniel Macleod

This message was preached  by Daniel Macleod at The Regions Beyond Conference 'the HUB' in November 2017 and the video replayed at Word of Grace Church on January 21st, 2018. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here.

7 declarations for a United church- these are not suggestions, but declarations:

1.      A people who take on jobs they don’t want to do if it means our church will thrive. Jesus wanted the cup taken away but did his father’s will. We may not all work in our sweet spot of gifting. The church is built on hundreds of mini-sacrifices for each other’s success.

2.      We are a people who will say sorry quickly- Not waiting for the other person to respond. In church, people will annoy you and you will annoy them. As a leader, he is the first to apologize. Leaders take on more criticism than they deserve. That’s what Jesus did.

3.      We are people who build up the church and not our self-esteem- I’m not earnestly desiring more gifts so that I can feel good about myself. It is for the edification of the body.

4.      We are a people who are happy for our names to be forgotten- “ Good to great”- it rises and falls on the leadership. An iron strong will to see the company thrive. CEOs who are humble. How much should this be true of the church- that we are willing to work hard for her success even if we don’t get noticed.

5.      We are a people who do not have to defend our reputation- George Whitfield when people criticized him said “ Let my name perish but let Christ be crucified”. You don’t need to defend yourself.

6.      We are a people willing to give our position to another- whether it is passing on the baton, or there is a more gifted person, this is the reality of the church. Settle in your heart now how you will respond.

7.      We are a people who celebrate the success of others in front of them and behind their backs with genuine joy- especially when they are doing as well at something that you do too.

We disappear in this world if we do all the above. But it says, therefore God exalted Jesus to the highest place. If we forgo glory in this world, there is a glory that awaits us. Revelation 3:21- Jesus will say come and sit at my throne. Look at what was done. You name is written in the Lambs book of life.

Discussion points:

1.      Evaluate yourself on all the above points. Be as transparent and honest as you can before God. Share one thing that you heard that touched you deeply.

2.      If your groups evaluate each other. If you have seen a person doing any of the above can you encourage them by telling them that you have noticed “so and so” about the person?

3.      Share in your groups 2 things you will do differently as a result of hearing this message.

4.      From the above, which area are you putting into practice, and in which ones are you struggling? Maybe you could share this with your spouse or friend and ask them to hold you to account so that you could grow in that area.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.