Unity: The Bond of Revival

1. Lesson 7 for August 17, 2013

2. UNITY
JESUS’ PRAYER
EXAMPLES OF
UNITY
THE BODY
THE BUILDING
COMPONENTS
OF UNITY
THE MISSION
THE MESSAGE
ORGANIZATIONREACHING
UNITY

3. “I do not pray for these alone, but
also for those who will believe in Me
through their word; that they all
may be one, as You, Father, are in
Me, and I in You; that they also
may be one in Us, that the world
may believe that You sent Me. And
the glory which You gave Me I have
given them, that they may be one
just as We are one: I in them, and
You in Me; that they may be made
perfect in one, and that the world
may know that You have sent
Me, and have loved them as You
have loved Me” (John 17:20-23)
Why was so important for Jesus that we
may be one, with hearts as one? Could
you relate that with revival?

4. “For as the body is one and has
many members, but all the members
of that one body, being many, are
one body, so also is Christ… Now you
are the body of Christ, and
members individually” (1 Corinthians 12:12, 27)
“The bonds of unity which unite
member with member of the church
are to be as firm and harmonious in
their operation as are the different
parts of the natural body. The
hands, head, and feet are so closely
united, and so mutually
dependent, that one member cannot
live and act independently of the other
members” E.G.W. (Manuscript Releases, t. 19, MR No. 1414, p. 370)

5. “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief
cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted
together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:20-21)
How can I be a
“living stone”
(2P. 2:5) that helps
in making my
church grow in
unity?

6. Our Mission — The mission of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church is to
proclaim to all peoples the everlasting
gospel in the context of the Three
Angels' messages of Revelation 14:6-
12, leading them to accept Jesus as
their personal Savior and to unite with
His church, and nurturing them in
preparation for His soon return.
(Official declaration of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church)
How can sharing one mission and one
goal help in building our unity?

7. Although the mission of the Church has
been the same since Jesus
commissioned it, the specific message
It should highlight has been changing
over time, depending on the
circumstances.
Peter talked about a “present truth”
(2P. 1:12). For the Waldensians, that
“present truth” was the study of the
Bible and identifying the Catholic
Church as Babylon. For Luther and the
first Reformers, the highlighted truth
was the justification by faith.
Which is the “present truth” for the
Adventist Church in the End Time?
How can that message lead us to
internal unity?
As a united Church, we must
preach the message of:
The Heavenly
Sanctuary
The Investigative
Judgment
The message of the
three angels

8. “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things
that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you” (Titus 1:5)
The unity of the Church depended on Its
organization from Its very beginning.
1. The authority of the apostles was
accepted (Acts 1:12-26)
2. The authority of the deacons was
accepted (Acts 6:1-7)
3. When Jesus contacted Saul, He directed
him to the organization of the Church
(Acts 9:1-19, 26-31)
4. The Church accepted the decisions of the
Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-31)
5. The elders were accepted as leaders in
the local churches (Acts 20: 27-32)
Could we achieve unity if every
believer acted independently?

9. “To provide for the support of the ministry, for carrying the
work in new fields, for protecting both the churches and the ministry
from unworthy members, for holding church property, for the
publication of the truth through the press, and for many other
objects, organization was indispensable…
We sought the Lord with earnest prayer that we might understand His
will, and light was given by His Spirit that there must be order and
thorough discipline in the church—that organization was essential.
System and order are manifest in all the works of God throughout the
universe. Order is the law of heaven, and it should be the law of God’s
people on the earth…
Let none entertain the thought that we can dispense with organization.
It has cost us much study and many prayers for wisdom, that we know
God has answered, to erect this structure. It has been built up by His
direction, through much sacrifice and conflict. Let none of our
brethren be so deceived as to attempt to tear it down, for you will thus
bring in a condition of things that you do not dream of. In the name of
the Lord I declare to you that it is to
stand, strengthened, established, and settled”
E.G.W. (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, cp. 1, pg. 26-27)

10. The mission, the
message and
organization are
indispensable for the
unity of the Church.
Nevertheless, unity
could not be
achieved without the
three elements we
already studied.
1. Prayer
2. Bible study
3. Witnessing
Those are powerful
elements that create,
foster, and sustain the
unity of the church.