As A Believer // Unity // Pastor Keenen Worrell

Jesus could have prayed for anything moments before he's about to be taken to the cross, but he chose to pray for us, and he chose to pray for our unity. And God, if it is important to you, it is important to us. And so we put unity back on the number one on our priority list, God. We repent for any way that we have operated in division. We repent for any way that we haven't maintained the spirit of unity and the bond of peace, God. We repent and thank you for your forgiveness, and we thank you that although unity is hard, the Holy Spirit has equipped us to walk in unity and to be one. [00:29:02] (43 seconds)  #PrayForUnity

if you paid attention over the last three months, the world is going crazy. There's a lot of things that have been going on. And if you turned on the television or you read a news article in the past ninety days, I wouldn't be surprised, if your head is in a whirlwind right now. With so many things happening so fast, and it's hard to know what the truth is, it's hard to know how to feel, it's hard to know should you respond and how should you respond, and today I want to speak to what our response should be as a believer. [00:00:02] (39 seconds)  #RespondAsBeliever

We are not supposed to be arguing on social media platforms that are designed to amplify our differences. We're not supposed to be seeking counsel in echo chambers that just radicalize perspectives and reward divisive behavior over understanding. We have been called higher. We have been called to more. And as believers, we have been called to unity. When the world sees us truly unified, they won't just hear about Jesus, they'll see him. They'll see him in the way that we love. They'll see him in the way that we, gather together. They'll see him in the way that we are, so generous. They'll see him in the way that we treat people who are in need. [00:13:15] (55 seconds)  #GospelThroughUnity

I'm praying for those that will believe in me through their words. So Jesus here is praying for you and he is praying for me. And in one of the last prayers before he endures the cross, his prayer wasn't that, we would have great popularity. His prayer wasn't that everyone would live happily ever after. His greatest desire was that we would be one. That we as believers would walk in such a unity that it would cause people to believe in Jesus and believe God's love for them. [00:06:43] (37 seconds)  #JesusPraysForUnity

And I pray that when they see Limitless Church, that they would see you. That when they walk in here and they see every color, every creed, every age, that they will say this looks and feels like heaven. Thank you for it, God. We speak Jesus over our minds. We speak Jesus over our country. We speak Jesus over our city. Have your way, God, that we would be the agents of change that you have called us to be. In Jesus' name. [00:29:48] (44 seconds)  #ChurchLikeHeaven

I hurt when others hurt. Why? Because I'm a believer. I'm not asking you why you're hurting or if it's justified that you're hurting. You're hurting, and that matters to me. This is what we're called to do. So many things in this world. We live in a world that screams for division, a world that profits from our outrage and builds kingdoms off of disagreements. The enemy has tangled the carrot of being right in our faces for so long that we have forgotten the weight of our calling to be ministers of reconciliation. [00:22:38] (46 seconds)  #MinistersOfReconciliation

I was reading this and I said, give the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. That's what Paul is saying here. And he says, with that unity, we would glorify God. So we have to ask ourselves and we have to evaluate our heart and say in the midst of all of this noise, what is my attitude towards those who are made in God's image? What is my attitude towards those who are made in God's image and am I reflecting the attitude attitude of of Jesus? Jesus? [00:14:55] (45 seconds)  #ReflectChristsAttitude

Can you imagine what that band would look and sound like if they were not playing as one and they were just each one is playing their own way on their own time. It would be painful to hear, and it would be difficult to watch and even more difficult for us to try to follow along. But for bands like these, they will tell you that unity and oneness is their primary goal, and the elegance and the beauty that we see is a result of that oneness. Why am I saying this? Because as believers, we are called to unity. [00:04:24] (43 seconds)  #UnityLikeBand

Each and every member of the band is different. They play different instruments, they play at different cadences, different volumes, but although they are different, they still play as one. They're not arguing about whose instrument is better. They're not arguing about whose instrument is most important. They play in unity. And because they play and move in unity as one, they create something beautiful. [00:03:54] (30 seconds)  #DifferentYetOne

The bond of peace is the spiritual connection that binds believers together. If you know anything or paid any attention in in in science class, you know when something is bound together cannot be unbound. He says, make every effort to keep the spirit of the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. Make every effort. Please make no mistake that we will be held responsible to answer the question, have we made every effort? [00:09:39] (38 seconds)  #BondOfPeace

The enemy will do whatever it takes to sow division. The attack is not for our outrage. The attack is on our unity. We cannot fall for the play because as believers, we have been called to unity. What does this look like practically? Practically, unity looks like intentionality and understanding. It looks like removing any barriers to unity. It looks like humility and grace. It looks like patience and being more committed to Christ's body than our own opinion. [00:18:37] (58 seconds)  #PracticalUnity

Today, I don't want you to just leave full of hype. I want you to leave here commissioned. Commissioned to be agents of peace in a world that is full of chaos. Commissioned to be healers of the breach so much that we would go forth with one mind and one voice not to win debates, but to glorify God. Let the world see us and not see a mirror of who they are, not to see a mirror of their own division, but to see us and get a glimpse of heaven on earth. Let them see Jesus when they see us, when they see us here, when they see us on our job, when they see us on a social media, when they see us at school, when they see us in our neighborhood, they should see Jesus. [00:26:28] (49 seconds)  #CommissionedForPeace

because it's not something that happens all at once. What Satan does is he tries to subtly draw us out. He tries to subtly get us to move, try to subtly get us into a place where we are not operating in agape, but we are participating in division. And he's just there. How can I get them to be outraged today? How can I get them to be upset today? How can I get them to be divisive today? How can I get them to not walk in love today? How can I get them to argue today? Because the more that I get them to be divisive, the less that they'll have an opportunity to show people Jesus and the less people that will come to Jesus and ultimately I win. [00:16:52] (46 seconds)  #ResistSubtleDivision

The things that are happening around us, while they are alarming, while they are concerning, while they are disgusting, while they are ridiculous, they are not the main issue. They are not the main issue. It is just the carrot of today being dangled in front of you to get you to be distracted, to get you to operate in division. Refuse to be distracted. Be very aware of the distraction [00:16:10] (42 seconds)  #RefuseDistraction

It looks like maybe before you post the next time, you wait ninety seconds and pray about it and ask yourself, does this build up or does this tear down? And if you can't say it with love, how about you just don't say it at all? Maybe you pray for people who frustrate you and not against them. Maybe you seek heaven on their behalf. Maybe we choose reconciliation over being right. [00:19:35] (36 seconds)  #PausePrayPost

This is not about uniformity. This is not about losing our unique voice and our unique perspective because that is what makes us who we are. But just like the marching band, every instrument is different. Every sound is unique. But when they move with one purpose under one leader, they create something beautiful that silences the noise. That is the church. [00:24:09] (28 seconds)  #UnityNotUniformity

Satan masterfully uses politics, social issues, and personal opinions to build walls between the very people that Jesus died to unite. And in some ways, we have led him. We have traded the bond of peace for the cheap thrill of winning an argument. We have exchanged the calling of making every effort for the lazy excuse of, well, I tried. [00:23:25] (32 seconds)  #DontTradePeaceForArguments

For a believer, unity says, I listen more than I speak. Unity says, when others are hurt, I hurt without asking if their hurt is justified. Unity says, I assume the best about a brother or sister in Christ. Unity says, I prioritize relationship over being right. And I recognize that our fight is not with each other, and our fight is not against flesh and blood. [00:10:21] (32 seconds)  #ListenLoveAssumeBest

This is the higher standard. This is the calling. This is who we are. This is what separates us from the world. We are believers. And when believers are actually being believers, Jesus tells us what that looks like. It looks like people who love the Lord with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and it looks like people who love their neighbor as themselves. At no point should we ever be looking at anyone else as other than. At no point should we be looking at anyone else as other than. [00:12:32] (43 seconds)  #HigherStandardOfLove