I. Introduction

A. Illustration – Joseph F. Mlaker wrote, Herman Ostry's barn floor was under 29 inches of water because of a rising creek. The Bruno, Nebraska, farmer invited a few friends to a barn raising. He needed to move his entire 17,000-pound barn to a new foundation more than 143 feet away. His son Mike devised a lattice work of steel tubing, and nailed, bolted, and welded it on the inside and the outside of the barn. Hundreds of handles were attached. After one practice lift, 344 volunteers slowly walked the barn up a slight incline, each supporting less than fifty pounds. In just three minutes, the barn was on its new foundation. The body of Christ can accomplish great things when we work together (as cited on PreachingToday.com). Teamwork and unity are exacting what Paul was looking for when he wrote 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, and I’m going to read it in three different translations starting with the New International.

B. 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 from the NIV – I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

C. To help us understand this passage better, I’m going to read it from the New Living. Now, dear brothers and sisters, I appeal to you by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so there won’t be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11 For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your arguments, dear brothers and sisters. 12 Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.” 13 Can Christ be divided into pieces? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul?

D. And now from The Message: I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common. I bring this up because some from Chloe’s family brought a most disturbing report to my attention – that you’re fighting among yourselves! I’ll tell you exactly what I was told: You’re all picking sides, going around saying, “I’m on Paul’s side,” or “I’m for Apollos,” or “Peter is my man,” or “I’m in the Messiah group.” I ask you, “Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul’s name?”

E. We know from his writings that Paul was a cut-to-the-chase kind of guy, so let’s cut to the chase about what this passage means to us.

II. Being in Accord with One Another

A. The Greek here translated divisions is a political term. It indicates divisions, splits, contentions, strifes based on politics. I think all of us are familiar with and even sick to death of the political divisions in our government. It seems like that’s all you hear about in the news. And neither side wants to compromise on those things that can be compromised on because nobody wants to appear to be weak. In the political process it all boils down to pride. And who is the one who wants to feed our pride and keep divisions and splits going? Satan. Who is the only one who wants Christians to be divided and churches to be split? Satan. We talked last week about the fact that Satan is our enemy and not other people. Satan wants to destroy the witness and effectiveness of our church, and it’s time we started getting angry enough about it to fight him.

B. How do we become united in mind and thought and spirit? Petra has a song that says, “Get on your knees and fight like a man!” The more we pray together, the more united in thought and purpose we become. Praying together brings unity. That’s why I and other leaders in our church emphasize it so much – because we know how much we need unity and how much we need God to work among us powerfully. And those things happen when we pray together. Read the book of Acts – the pattern in clear. They prayed together, God moved. They prayed together, God moved. Over and over again this happened. And they had tremendous unity because they prayed together.

C. How else do we become united and agree with one another? We remember why we’re here. We were created to bring glory to God. We were created for His pleasure and His purposes. Revelation 4:9-11 – Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” God created us to fulfill His purposes. When we grab hold of this truth and focus on what this means for us, then we’ll agree with one another and we won’t have time for political divisions. The key phrase from The Message is “cultivating a life in common.”

D. God created our church with five purposes in mind – worship, fellowship, evangelism, discipleship, and service. When we forget why we’re here, it becomes much easier to argue and split over little things that don’t really matter in light of eternity. When we forget why we’re here, it becomes too easy to get wrapped up in politics, either in the church or in the world. Remember that somewhat humorous definition of politics? The word “poly” means “many,” and tics are blood-sucking creatures. When we get wrapped up in politics, we suck the very life out of the organization, be it workplace or church or community group. When we get wrapped up in why we’re here, we bring life to every organization and relationship we’re a part of. Every church that has ever existed has struggled with this issue. That’s why Paul addressed it in several different ways to several different churches. So let’s not go around beating ourselves up because we all struggle with those selfish desires that want to cause division and strife. Those struggles don’t make us bad people, just people who are focused on the wrong things. When we focus on doing what God has called us to do and being who God created us to be, then we’ll be cultivating a life in common and we’ll have unity.

E. So let’s spend the rest of our time together focusing on why we’re here. We’re here to worship God. John 4:23-24 – “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” That powerful statement by Jesus is telling us that we are to worship God with all we are according to the truth of Who He has revealed Himself to be in His Word. Worship is a lifestyle – it involves every part of our lives. We call this our worship service, but maybe we should call it our corporate worship time instead. Why? Because if we think of Sunday mornings as worship, we forget about the other one-hundred and sixty-seven or so hours during the week. Coop gave me some very good advice a while back when I was going through a tough time. He said, “No matter what, don’t stop worshiping.” He didn’t mean, “Don’t stop coming to Sunday morning church.” He meant, “Keep worshiping God as the focus of your daily life.” That’s a tall order, but whenever I do that, then I remember that I’m here to glorify God and to do His will. When all of us remember that truth and worship Him every moment of our lives, Satan won’t be able to get a toehold in our relationships and our church, and we will have unity. We’ll be cultivating a life in common with one another. We will agree with one another.

F. We’re here to fellowship with one another. Hebrews 10:23-25 – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. What Day is the author referring to? Judgment day. The day Christ returns, which gets closer and closer as time marches on. The closer we get to parousia, which is the Greek word for the second coming of Christ, the harder it will be to remain faithful to Him. We need each other. As we talked about last week, we need those close personal relationships with one another if we’re going to be able to fight off Satan’s attacks and make it through with our faith intact. It isn’t enough to just come to church on Sundays – we’ve got to spend time with one another during the week in care groups or Bible studies or discipleship groups or accountability groups or prayer groups or outreach groups. Fellowshipping together helps take a group of individuals and mold them into a united body that can accomplish God’s purposes on this planet. When we fellowship together regularly, we will become united and we will agree with one another. We’ll be cultivating a life in common.

G. We’re here to evangelize the world. Matthew 28:18-20 – Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” We have God’s authority to help people come to know and follow and serve and love Him. The Greek root of evangelism means “good news.” Have we forgotten that personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a transformed life are the best news the world has ever heard? I know we often don’t share our faith because we’re afraid of rejection or of offending someone or of not doing it right. When we do it with God’s love by the power of the Holy Spirit as He calls us to do it, we won’t have to worry about getting it just right. When we as a church focus on reaching lost people with the good news of Jesus Christ, we’ll become united in purpose. We’ll pursue others passionately because we want them to know the joy in Christ we have. When we remember that evangelism is why we’re here, we’ll have unity and we’ll agree with one another. We’ll be cultivating a life in common.

H. We’re here to make disciples. As we read a few moments ago, Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey Jesus’ commands. We bring them into fellowship, evangelize them, and help them grow up in Christ, which is what discipleship is. Ever notice how we label someone who is insisting on having their own way? We call them childish, and that’s a lot different than being childlike as Jesus called us to be. When we’re grown-ups spiritually, mature in our faith and not just in years, then we tend to view the world a bit differently. We see other Christians and other churches not as the competition, but as fellow warriors for the cause of Christ. Becoming mature disciples does a lot to solve any problems with disunity and strife, because we recognize that we really don’t have any rights. We are bondslaves of Christ, called to help others become mature in Him. Bondslaves don’t have any rights – they only exist to serve their master. Hebrews 6:1-3 says, Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. Folks, let’s grow up! Let’s stop thinking as individuals and start thinking as a community in Christ, a Body that needs every part in order to accomplish God’s purposes here on earth. When we remember that discipleship is why we’re here, we’ll have unity and we’ll agree with one another. We’ll be cultivating a life in common.

I. We’re here to serve others. Ephesians 4:11-16 from The Message – He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ. 14 No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for imposters. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love – like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. We’re created to work together in serving others. 1 Corinthians 12:14-26 - Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. We all have spiritual gifts that God has given us, and we all need each other to use our gifts in serving others. When we serve side by side, each according to his or her gifts, a bond builds between us and we become united in thought and purpose. When we serve together, we find unity and we agree with one another. We’ll be cultivating a life in common.

J. Isn’t it amazing how united we become when we focus on God and His purposes for our church? Ephesians 4:1-6 says, As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Unity, becoming one, cultivating a life in common, is so important to God that He inspired His servants to write extensively about it. Agreeing with one another because we recognize that unity is more important than any of our individual rights is what God is calling us to. Let’s focus on why we’re here, to worship, to fellowship, to evangelize, to disciple and be discipled, to serve, and just do it!

K. Illustration - The late columnist Mike Royko writes aboout a conversation he had with Slats Grobnik, a man who sold Christmas trees. Slats remembered one couple on the hunt for a Christmas tree. The guy was skinny with a big Adam's apple and small chin, and she was kind of pretty. But both wore clothes from the bottom of the bin of the Salvation Army store. After finding only trees that were too expensive, they found a Scotch pine that was okay on one side, but pretty bare on the other. Then they picked up another tree that was not much better - full on one side, scraggly on the other. She whispered something, and he asked if $3 would be okay. Slats figured both trees would not be sold, so he agreed. A few days later Slats was walking down the street and saw a beautiful tree in the couple's apartment. It was thick and well rounded. He knocked on their door and they told him how they worked the two trees close together where the branches were thin. Then they tied the trunks together. The branches overlapped and formed a tree so thick you couldn't see the wire. Slats described it as "a tiny forest of its own." "So that's the secret," Slats asserts. "You take two trees that aren't perfect, that have flaws, that might even be homely, that maybe nobody else would want. If you put them together just right, you can come up with something really beautiful" (as cited on PreachingToday.com).

L. Isn’t that a wonderful picture of how God takes His church, a group of people very different from one another, each with strengths and weaknesses, and makes something powerful and beautiful happen in our world? Let’s be sure we all cultivate a life in common, so we can become united and agree with one another and be a Church of incomparable beauty!

III. Conclusion

A. Please bow your heads and close your eyes out of respect for each other’s privacy. Spend a few quiet moments listening to the Holy Spirit speak to your heart and meditating on what He tells you about agreeing with one another.

B. Are you willing to follow His leading in cultivating a life in common with one another? Are you willing to focus on His purposes so that His name will be glorified and so we will become a growing and transformed community of faith? Let’s pray together.