The Promise of the Father | Sunday, August 10, 2025

Amen. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Christian and team. Good morning, church. You can have a seat once again. I am so glad to see you all here this morning as we continue our studies through the Scriptures together.

If you would, picture for a moment in your mind that it is 2,000 years ago in first-century Jerusalem. Jesus is just hours from His arrest, His trial, His condemnation, and ultimately, His death. What is on Jesus's mind in that moment as He faces His imminent crucifixion? He prays. It is recorded in John chapter 17. He says, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they 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 have sent Me."

This is a portion of Scripture that is referred to as the high priestly prayer of Jesus. Again, He is just hours from His crucifixion. He has been preparing His disciples for His departure in the chapters leading up to this in John's Gospel. They are troubled over all these things, and He is certainly troubled over them as well.

The next picture of Jesus after the high priestly prayer is Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, praying again. The Scriptures say He sweat great drops of blood; the anxiety He was experiencing produced so much stress in Him at that moment. He has all these things on His mind and upon His shoulders, and what does He pray? He prays that they may be one. He prays for His unity with the Father and our unity with Him.

This request in the high priestly prayer in John chapter 17 comes up five times. Five times He says that they may be one: in verse 11, twice in verse 21, then again in verse 22, and finally in verse 23. Do you think that this request was important to Him? This is what is on His mind in that moment.

Now, fast forward from that point 300 years to the year 325 AD. There is now a division within the church, a division caused by confusion that was brought...

The teaching of a pastor in North Africa named Aras called into question issues about the nature of Jesus. In response, leaders of the church, bishops from various regions, gathered together in what we know today as Turkey, in the city of Nicaea, in 325 AD—700 years ago this year—to discuss these matters. At the end of their council in August of 325, they produced the Nicene Creed, which is a statement about what Christians believe regarding the nature of God, specifically the triune nature of God.

If you ask any pastor or theologian about the triune nature of God, which we refer to as the doctrine of the Trinity, you will find that it is one of the most difficult Christian doctrines to comprehend and explain. After a pastor's explanation, you might be left scratching your head, and they might be left thinking, "I'm not sure I did a great job of explaining that." Our finite minds, I believe, cannot fully grasp the infinite nature of the triune God. We do our best, but the Scriptures affirm that God is one, existing as three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The statement that the church put together to address the questions raised by Aras's teaching affirms the belief that the church has held since the beginning. The creed was intended to unify the church. It was meant to make a clear statement about what the church has believed and continues to believe about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

However, there is a problem that some have noticed as we gather together this summer to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Council and the Nicene Creed. We have been studying the creed, but really through the Scriptures connected to the statements from the creed, because everything in the creed comes from the Scriptures. As I have asked you every single week to stand with me and read the creed together, there have been a few who have noticed that this creed presents a bit of an issue. I must be honest with you: the creed that we have been reading here on Sunday mornings is not the original creed that was put together in 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea. It is also not the original creed that was somewhat...

Revised years later in 381 at the First Council of Constantinople, this is actually a creed that originated from a council in Toledo, Spain, in 589 AD, and it is called the Divisive Creed. What was originally intended to bring unity to the church regarding the belief in the triune nature of God—the unity of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—ended up causing division. This division stemmed from one Latin word, which is translated into three English words.

The impact of the Divisive Creed was so significant for those in the Eastern Church, centered in Constantinople, that they split from the Western Church centuries later, in 1054 AD, in what is known as the Great Schism. They cited this one Latin word as the reason for the split. While this was the stated reason, it is important to recognize that there are often underlying factors connected to such events.

I understand that as we discuss these topics, some of you may feel that none of this really matters. However, I want to emphasize that there is good reason to consider why this does matter. The Christian Church has experienced two major splits, resulting in three different major Christian groups. You, sitting here today, are in a Protestant church, which is the result of the second split of the church.

The first split occurred during the Great Schism of 1054 when the Eastern Orthodox Church, centered in Constantinople, separated from the Western Church, Roman Catholicism, centered in Rome. They cited the issue in the creed, which happens to be the area we will focus on today, as the reason for the split.

I want to suggest that the actual reasons for this division had much more to do with personality, politics, and control—factors that are almost always at play in church splits. While there were some doctrinal issues involved, what we will examine this morning pertains to these doctrinal concerns. The second split, which was a major event, occurred in 1517 in Germany, and the name most commonly associated with it is Martin Luther.

Luther, the Protestant Reformation, and we are a product of the Protestant Reformation. There are three major groups: Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox. These divisions stem from two major splits, and the first major split had to do with a controversy that continues to be divisive today. It revolved around the Holy Spirit and what the church says about the Holy Spirit, particularly in the Nicene Council and the Nicene Creed.

The creed that we've been reading is the divisive creed. If you would, please stand with me, and let's read it together as we have for the last several weeks.

We read together:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him, all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit. He became incarnate of the Virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day, he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy, Catholic, and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

God, I pray as we consider these things together, we recognize that this which was intended to bring unity within the church has ultimately resulted in division. We accept and acknowledge that because of our fallenness, there are divisions among us. We look forward to the day when we are gathered together in your presence.

I'm absolutely certain that when we read in Revelation 5 and 7, there will be those from every tribe, tongue, nation, and kindred. There will be people there who are Protestant Christians, people who are Catholic, and people who are Orthodox. While we certainly don't agree on everything, this does produce a statement about one of the things we, for the most part, agree upon. Although we find that there are some challenges here, I pray, God, that you would help us to remember that our ultimate focus is not on the one-word change. Our ultimate focus is to be on You, God, and the work that You did for us.

When we stand in Your presence one day as Your people, we will stand there not because of who we are and what we have done, but because of who You are and what You have done. We will rejoice in Your grace, Your goodness, and Your forgiveness. We rejoice in those things today, right now. I pray, God, that You would continue, by Your Word and by Your Spirit, to transform us so that we would show forth Your nature in this world. We ask this today in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen." Amen. You may be seated.

Our focus this morning is on the section of this statement dealing with the Holy Spirit, which we just read together. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets.

The controversy that arose in the sixth century has to do with one word in Latin that is translated "and the Son" here in the middle of this statement. When we read that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, the words "and the Son" were not in the original Nicene Creed produced by the Nicene Council in 325 AD. They are one word in Latin: "filioque." This word "filioque" has come to be known as the filioque clause, which has caused the filioque controversy.

Now, some of you might think this is just absurd, and you would not be alone in thinking that it's crazy. But I guarantee you, if you ever have a conversation with someone who is an Orthodox Christian, this will come up.

Someone who is considering moving towards the Orthodox Church will encounter this topic. It was at a gathering in Spain in 589 AD that a group of Christian leaders came together because they were still dealing with the heresy that had emerged two hundred years prior, which had led to the original creed. They were still addressing this issue as they ministered to people in Western Europe. To clarify that Jesus is God, they added a small but significant word: the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, "filioque," and the Son.

It is likely that, if you study the history surrounding this, they did not realize they had caused a major faux pas. They tossed this little pebble into the lake of Christianity, and it created significant ripples moving towards Constantinople. This became the stated reason for the church's ultimate separation, causing a massive stir.

Let me add to the stir this morning with point number one: the filioque is a distraction from the main point and purpose of Holy Scripture and the Holy Spirit. This may be a problem for some. I guarantee you this will likely be one of Nick's shorts on YouTube next week, and it will attract comments from passionate apologists against this point.

The whole of the creed, which was initially intended to express the unity of the triune God, ultimately brought about the first major division within the body of Christ, the church, over this one Latin word, "filioque." I want to emphasize that this statement, these three words, are not unimportant, but they are a distraction from the main point.

The main focus of this section is the Holy Spirit, who is exceedingly important in the life of the believer and the church. The essence of this statement is that the Holy Spirit is equally God with the Son and the Father. The Holy Spirit is glorified and is central to our understanding of the triune God.

Worshiped as Lord and the giver of life, Jesus comes from God to us for a reason and a purpose. On the night before His crucifixion, as shown in John chapter 20, He prayed that we would be one and experience unity within the body. However, before praying for our unity, He was preparing His disciples for His departure.

I mentioned this last week in John 14, where He said, "Let not your heart be troubled." The disciples were troubled because they sensed that something was going wrong. He was preparing them for the fact that He would not be with them for very long, and they were worried about this. In the midst of their concern, He said in John 14:16, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another helper." This helper would abide with them forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But He assured them, "You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

Note this in verse 18: "I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you." The disciples were concerned that He was going away, and indeed, He was. He told them, "I'm going away, and you can't go with me where I'm going. You know where I'm going, and you know the way that I'm going." One of His disciples, Thomas, spoke up and said, "We have no clue what you're talking about." Yet, Jesus reassured them, "I will not leave you alone. Yes, I will not be physically present with you, but I will not leave you orphans. I will send you another helper, the Spirit of truth."

This brings us to the issue that has caused controversy: Did the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father to us? Yes, this can be proven from the Scriptures, as we will see as we continue in our study today. But did the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, also proceed from the Son? The statement from Toledo asserts that He proceeds from the Father and the Son. However, this addition of "and the Son" has caused significant division within the church.

So, did the Holy Spirit come from the Father? Yes. Did He proceed from the Son? Some would say yes, and some would argue passionately for that position. At the end of the day, is this one-word change worthy of such a huge division and controversy within the church?

I would say I'm not entirely convinced that it's worth all the noise. Does it really matter all that much? To some, they would say this is the issue. I would argue that I'm not entirely convinced this is the major point.

You see, God sent His Spirit for a reason. He sent His Spirit that He might be in us, enabling and empowering us to fulfill Christ's mission by His indwelling power. I am a theologian. I have spent the last 26 years studying the Scriptures, with the better part of the last decade studying them at a formal level. I can argue with you on historic theology all day long. Let me tell you something: academic theologians love to argue. I can attest to this, having been in many environments where I gathered with other academic theologians in a seminar context. What do we do? We sit and argue. Your brain hurts, and sometimes, in the midst of the argument, I find myself thinking, does any of this matter? I guarantee you that if all of you were there, about 20 minutes in, you'd be thinking, "I'm out. This doesn't matter."

As a theologian, I am willing to grant that what the council did in Toledo in the sixth century, they probably shouldn't have added this one word to the statement. However, I am also steadfast in my belief that you can argue that the addition is perfectly fine and that it truly presents truth established by the Scriptures. I also think, and I am very convinced of this, that the argument is an unnecessary waste of time. It is a distraction from the mission that Jesus commissioned us to fulfill. It distracts from the very reason He sent His Spirit to us in the first place.

Point number two: the Holy Spirit was promised and given to empower God's people to accomplish God's mission. You see, you might know everything about the division between the Eastern and the...

The Western church and the issue of the filioque are significant topics. However, if you disagree with this point, I think you're wrong. The Holy Spirit was promised and given to empower God's people to accomplish God's mission.

I am a theologian, but I am what's called an applied theologian. I am convinced that what you believe about theology should compel and transform the way you live in this world. You see, James the Apostle, the first writer of the New Testament, says in James 2:26, "Faith without works is dead." Do you know who would not have cared at all about the filioque controversy? The Apostle James. Faith without works is dead.

Why would he not have been concerned with this issue? Because Jesus, the Lord, gave a commission to His church just before He left us. He said, "All authority is given to me in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And here's the awesome part: 'Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'"

How is Jesus with us always, even to the end of the age? Well, the night before His crucifixion, Jesus said, "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, another Helper, that He may be with you forever." In that same conversation, a few verses later in John 14:25, Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and He will bring to remembrance all the things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you, not as the world gives you. I do give it to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither be afraid."

You and I have a huge mission. Jesus has sent us to go into all the world to preach the gospel to every nation and to make disciples of all people. It is a massive mission that, in and of ourselves, we cannot accomplish. Therefore, He promised a Helper—a huge Helper for our huge mission. Because we have a Helper, we don't have to be anxious or troubled.

Your heart be troubled. Consider the audacity of what Jesus said in John 16. He said, "I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away." I can guarantee you that some of His followers who were there and heard Him say that were thinking, "I don't think so. It's to your advantage that I go away?"

For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, this is really important. When the Holy Spirit has come, He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

Now, here's one of the problems some of us Christians have. Some of us think that it is our job to convict people of sin. I'm going to free some of you up right now: that's not your job. For some of you, you may not know it, but this is a huge weight lifted. Why? You don't have to convince or convict your spouse that they're wrong.

John, you're laughing too much. Do you realize you can pray that the Holy Spirit would do that? But when you pray that, just be aware that you might be the one who gets convicted. The Holy Spirit is in the world to convict people of sin. It's not your job, but some of you think it is. The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Jesus says, "I will send the Spirit to you."

Okay, put your thinking cap on for a moment. I will send the Spirit to you. Does that mean that the Holy Spirit comes from Jesus? If Jesus sends the Spirit, does it mean that the Spirit proceeds from Him? Well, some people would really divide over this issue. That's a tough one.

But wait, there's more. In John 15:26, it says, "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father." Oh, there it is. There's that word: proceeds from the Father. That's exactly what's in the statement of the creed. He will testify of Me, Jesus says, and you also will bear witness because you have been with Me from the beginning.

So it is true that the statement of John 15:26 says the Spirit of truth proceeds from the Father, but He is sent by the Son. So can He also proceed from the Son? Well, some people would say no because it doesn't say proceeds.

Let me tell you something: the Eastern Church was very passionate about the Greek language. They had the Greek manuscripts that the Bible was written in, and they read and spoke Greek. The problem with the Christians in Toledo was that they didn't speak Greek; they spoke Latin. This might surprise you, but the Greek-speaking Church in Constantinople looked down on those who didn't speak Greek, claiming, "You don't understand the truth in Greek." There was a certain arrogance in that attitude.

So, can someone who is sent by the Son also proceed from the Son? This may seem like semantics or splitting hairs. During the Protestant Reformation, the reformers looked down upon the scholastics who came 500 years before them because all they ever wanted to do was argue about finer points, like how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. That was one of the metaphors they used to illustrate how absurd those discussions were.

It is partially true that while Constantinople—now known as Istanbul—was sacked and destroyed in the 15th century and taken over by the Ottomans, the Church was busy arguing over the finer points of language and did not realize their mission. So yes, it can seem like splitting hairs. How dare I say such a thing? But I dared to say it.

Can you see why I would argue that the filioque is a distraction from the main point and purpose of the Holy Scripture and the Holy Spirit? Or perhaps this would make it even worse: point number three, if you're taking notes, is that the issue that caused the division is a distraction from the mission. Wouldn't it be just like Satan to sideline God's people by getting them to argue over the finer details of language?

As I mentioned, the Orthodox Christians spoke and read the original Greek, and they did look down upon the Western Christians who did not know or speak Greek and had to have it translated for them. Ultimately, this started a series of events that led, over the next several hundred years, to the division of the Church.

The division of the church, even though they say the real issue is a doctrinal one, really stems from personality, politics, and control. When you study the history during that period, you find that the major issue was not doctrine but rather these personal and political dynamics. You may not know this, but we are part of a group of churches called the Calvary Chapel family of churches, and they split within the last decade. I know all the names and players involved in that split; they are all people I know pretty well and have worked with for years. I can tell you that it really has very little to do with doctrine and a lot to do with personality, politics, and control. There are some big personalities involved, and they all have radio shows on 107.9, which might get me into trouble.

The church in the West, when this happened in 589, was trying to deal with a problem while on mission. They were trying to reach people who had a misunderstanding about who Jesus is. Jesus is the whole point of Christianity; this is about Christ. They were trying to make a statement about who Jesus is, affirming that He is equally God with the Father. This is why the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son. If He only proceeds from the Father, then there could be a misunderstanding about who He is. They had no idea that they would cause such a huge faux pas, but they did.

All of this led to a missing of the point, which is that we have a huge mission. Jesus does not want us to be distracted from this mission. Not only do we have a significant mission, but we also have the enabling, empowering power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us fulfill it. This mission is too big for me and too big for you; we need the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Mark 16:15). He also said, "Go and preach the gospel to every creature."

After the first service, a couple came up to me and asked, "Hey, that passage you mentioned in Mark 16, 'go preach the gospel to every creature,' does that mean we need to preach the gospel to our cats?" I replied, "They might be heathens; you might want to." This speaks to the totality of the mission we have been given and the dominion that we, the church of God, have over all of creation. Jesus commands us to "go preach the gospel to every creature." In Luke's gospel, the commission states, "Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name."

Jesus's name will be proclaimed in all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and you are witnesses of these things. After He says, "This gospel is going to be preached in all the nations," He adds, "Behold, I send the promise of the Father upon you." So, Terry, wait in Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.

What is Jesus saying? In every one of the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—and also in the Book of Acts, Jesus commissions His followers to go and preach the gospel. He instructs them, "I want you to go, but don't go yet. Don't go without the empowering promise of the Holy Spirit because you can't do this on your own. Apart from Me, you can do nothing. You need the empowering work of the Holy Spirit."

In Acts chapter 1, it says, "In being assembled together with His disciples, He commanded them in verse 4 not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which He said, 'You have heard from Me. For John the Baptist truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'" He emphasizes, "You're going to go, but before you go, you're going to be empowered."

What do His disciples do when they hear this message? They instantly get distracted. As verse 6 states, when they had come together, they asked Him, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He tells them they will be witnesses in all the world and that He will give them His Spirit to enable them to do that. Yet, they immediately get distracted.

So what does He say? "It is not for you to know the times and the seasons which the Father has put under His own authority." But then, in verse 8, He delivers a powerful message: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth, the end of the earth."

Jesus is with Andrew, Peter, James, John, Thaddeus, Thomas, Bartholomew, and all the other disciples. He tells them, "You're going to go. You're going to be My ambassadors. You're going to go into all the world and preach the gospel. I'm going to give you My Spirit to do this." Yet, they are still easily distracted.

What does Jesus have to do for them—and for us, because we are easily distracted too? He has to refocus us back on the task, back on the mission.

The Holy Spirit has to do that in our lives frequently. Point number four: the Holy Spirit helps us to focus on the task and to accomplish the mission. He empowers us. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be witnesses of Me.

He emboldens us as the church began to do the work that Jesus commissioned them to do in Acts chapter 4. They were confronted with conflict and were being persecuted for preaching the gospel. They gathered together in prayer at the end of Acts chapter 4 and prayed, "God, help us because they're telling us that we shouldn't preach the gospel, but You told us to preach the gospel, so we need Your help." It says in Acts 4:31 that while they prayed, the Holy Spirit came upon them again, and they were filled with boldness.

The Holy Spirit empowers, emboldens, and equips us. Paul, in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, says that one of the things the Holy Spirit does is give every single one of us gifts as He wills to equip us for works of service that we ought to use for the furtherance of the gospel. So, the Holy Spirit empowers, emboldens, equips, and, as Jesus says, remains with us forever. "Lo, I am with you always." He shall abide with you forever.

This is so important: He produces in me and in you the evidence of the presence of God's Spirit. What is the evidence of the presence of God's Spirit in my life and yours? We call it the fruit of the Spirit. What is the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. That's just nine; there are probably many others that we could highlight. These are the evidences that God is in you.

Let me tell you, this is what your friend, family, neighbor, and coworker need to see in your life. Though you may have all knowledge of historic theology and doctrine, and you understand all mysteries, and you have faith that you could remove mountains, if you have not love, you are nothing. As stated in 1 Corinthians 13, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and faithfulness.

Self-control is essential. I guarantee you that what your coworker needs to see in you is that you have self-control, kindness, rest, peace, and patience. Gosh, I don't have that in and of myself, and neither do you. But by the Spirit's enabling power, we can and we do.

Point number five: the Holy Spirit brings the fullness of God's presence and power into our lives today. He makes it real right now, when we need it. In that very moment when you're tested—and you will be tested—it won't even take five hours after this service. You will be tested. Here’s a test I know you will experience: the test of your patience. Any of you have kids? All right, that's a test of patience. God gave you your child to change you. I thought I was raising them; quite the contrary.

So, in the midst of that, when you're tested in your patience or your self-control, what can you do? You can pray, "God, give me your patience. Give me your self-control because I don't have it." The Holy Spirit brings the fullness of God's presence and power into my life today.

Can you see why the devil would want us distracted and divided over minor issues? Sadly, the church has been divided for centuries on this issue and other issues, and it still is dividing today. If this issue specifically divides fellowship, then you're missing the point of why God gave you His Holy Spirit. The chief evidence that you have the Holy Spirit is that you have self-control and love. If you don't have that, but you know all the things, you're missing the point.

It is devastating to me that a doctrinal confession that describes the unity of the triune God is the very thing that brought the first division within the church. Paul asked a very important question in 1 Corinthians 1:13. He says, "Is Christ divided?" It’s a rhetorical question, and the obvious answer is no.

Christ is not divided. I don't say this to imply that we need to break down every single disagreement we have across Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions. There are doctrinal issues and problems that will ultimately be sorted out when we are in God's presence. However, even now, we want to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. We must keep our focus on Christ, His mission, and His call.

I love what Paul says, and I'll try to wrap it up with this. In Ephesians chapter 4, you can turn there if you'd like. I'm going to read a large section of it. Ephesians 4:1 states, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord," which indicates that he is being persecuted for being a Christian. He is in prison when he writes this. Paul continues, "I beseech you, I beg you, that you would walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness."

One thing that is never evident when there is division is humility. It's always about knowing more than others, being better than others, or having deeper insight than others. This attitude is rooted in arrogance. Paul emphasizes walking with all lowliness, gentleness, and longsuffering, which is patience. These are the fruits of the Spirit, bearing with one another in love and endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, it says, when He ascended on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men.

Now, this "He ascended" means that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth. He who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. He gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and teachers. Why did He give us Christian leaders? Why did He give you a pastor? It is for the equipping of the saints. That's you, for the work of the ministry.

Ministry is not solely the responsibility of professional clergy; it is the work of the church. I am here to equip you to do the work of the ministry for the edifying, the building up of the body of Christ, until we all come to the unity of the faith and to the knowledge of the Son of God. We are called to become a perfect, complete, or mature man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

What does God want to do in your life and mine? He wants to make us more like Jesus. We should no longer be children tossed to and fro, carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, and the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. We must recognize that the enemy is at work here. However, by speaking the truth in love, we may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ. From Him, the whole body is joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causing growth for the body, for the edifying of itself in love. God help us.

As I have said, I do not imply that there aren't rational, reasonable, doctrinal issues of disagreement between Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christians of all different flavors of Christianity. Rather, I want to emphasize that God's prayer for us was that we would be one in Him. Jesus prayed, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word." That includes you and me. He prayed that we may be one, just as He and the Father are one, so that the world may believe that the Father sent Him. The glory which the Father gave to Jesus, He has given to us, that we may be one just as they are one.

Jesus is in us, and the Father is in Him, so that we may be made perfect in one. This unity is crucial for the world to know that the Father has sent Jesus and has loved us as He has loved Him.

Church, we have a mission. It is easy for us to get distracted from that mission. The Holy Spirit was given to us to keep us focused on the mission, to guide us, to empower us, to embolden us, and to equip us for the mission. God help us not to get distracted, for there is a world out there that is in desperate need of the message of His kingdom, the gospel that He has entrusted to you and me.

Are ambassadors. God, help us to not be distracted.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? God, thank you for your Word. I pray that you, by your Spirit, would help us to apply your Word to our lives today and that you would help us to live out our faith as we are empowered by you. Holy Spirit, do a work in us. Do a work of sanctifying grace wherein you transform us by the renewing of our minds, that we would be able to show forth in our daily lives what is your good and perfect will.

Holy Spirit, produce in me and in my brothers and sisters here love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control in abundance. Father, if there is anything that needs to be pruned from our lives—dead branches that are not producing fruit—remove and prune those branches from our lives so that we would bear much fruit for your glory. That the world would know that you are God.

We ask this today in Jesus' name. And all those who agreed said, "Amen."