Individualism and Unity

“Individualism and Unity”

John 17; Eph 4:1-3; Phil. 1:6; 2:1-4; 1 Thes. 5:18 

1 Cor 1:10; 3:3,16-17; 6:19-20; 12:12-27; 2 Cor 13:5

The most powerful cultural values are often the ones that                        .

Let’s focus on one Western value in particular:                                    .

Paul is talking to                                      .

That value is called ___________. 

                       is our                             under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

                              is the                                    of that shared life.

Jesus ties the visible           of His people to the credibility of our witness.

The            of the church is supposed to reflect the               of the Trinity.

A divided church makes the gospel look                         . A united church gives the world a living picture of the                     sent by the Father.

What’s hidden beneath the surface can sink the ship, but what’s surrendered at the cross can heal the Bride.

For further reading and study, I recommend these two books. 

“Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes” by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J O’Brien

“Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes” by E. Randolph Richards and Richard James