Community to display the glory of God with Athol Barnes 07.20.25

We live in an era when we are more connected than any other time in the history of man.

But psychologists tell us that loneliness is the number one health issue of our time. How can it be that we are so connected but at the same time so lonely?

In Acts 2:42, we read that the early church devoted themselves to fellowship. The Greek word “Koinonia” means partnership, participation, communion, and companionship.

In Romans 15:1-7, the Apostle Paul instructs the Roman church how to live and relate to one another in light of the Gospel.

The Gospel Leads to Unity

In the first verse Paul gets straight to the point, “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” He uses the word obligation, which could also mean duty, or legal requirement.

We don’t like this kind of language in our culture today; we are free individuals, so why should we be obligated to do anything for someone else? This issue existed in the first-century church as well. Paul answers the question very clearly in verse 3 of Romans 15, “For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.””

Christ gave himself for us. This is the foundation for the Gospel message: Jesus, being obedient to the Father, preferred us over his own life and his position in heaven. True unity in the church is an outworking of the Gospel; it is a miracle as the Holy Spirit draws us to prefer each other in light of what Jesus has done for us.

Endurance and Encouragement Leads to Unity

Though unity among believers is an outflow of the gospel, it still takes work. Paul repeats the phrase “endurance and encouragement” in verse 4. Being devoted to the fellowship of believers, as the early church was, takes endurance, hard work, and commitment.

Endurance is the ability to persevere in doing something even when it is difficult or when the finish line never seems to get any closer. Walking in unity requires endurance; there are days when it seems easier than others, but we keep on going because we are committed to each other just as Christ is committed to us.

Along with endurance, we need encouragement. We are encouraged by the faithfulness of those who have gone before us (see Hebrews 12:1). We are encouraged by the Word of God, and by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the church.

All of these encourage us and keep us moving forward towards greater unity, towards a healthier community.

The Purpose of Unity

Community literally means living with unity. But what is the purpose of unity in the church?

Is it so that we can just get along or portray the image of a nice happy family? Is it so that we attract more people to our happy community and grow? Actually, unity is significantly more important than all those outcomes; unity in the church is to bring glory to God (see Romans 15:6).

How do we display the glory of God as the church? In Ephesians 3:10 we read, “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

God is using the followers of Jesus to display His wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. The word for “manifold” is the same word that one would use to describe the many facets of a diamond. God holds the church up like a diamond and points to the church, teaching the angels and principalities of the spirit world about Himself.

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