Seven "Ones"

Read: Ephesians 4:1-7

[Endeavor] to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. --- Ephesians 4:3

The Bible In One Year:
Ezekiel 5-7
Hebrews 12

Have you ever worked at a job where you felt a strong bond with your co-workers? Perhaps you were united by a sense of mission, or by a respect for your boss, or by the belief that a prosperous company will benefit everyone financially. The more points of agreement among members of a group, the more they will be unified, the better they will perform, and the less likely they will be to fight among themselves.

Christians have a built-in list of unifiers that can keep them working together with a oneness of spirit. In Ephesians 4:4-6, Paul listed seven uniting "ones." Think of how helpful they can be to any group of believers working together on the same project:

One body --- we are a single family unified for one purpose
One Spirit --- we all have the Spirit as our power source
One hope --- we all look forward to the same future
One Lord --- we all trust the same Person in charge
One faith --- we all trust Jesus' sacrifice for our salvation
One baptism --- we all have a single identity
One God and Father --- we all share the same source of our existence.

What a difference it would make if we all cold dwell on those seven "ones." --- Dave Branon

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love!
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above. --- Fawcett

FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT UNITES THEM, NOT ON WHAT DIVIDES THEM.