Called to Unity: Forty Days of Outreach

Jesus will not be stopped by one person, and He will even call the youngins to worship and be faithful when adults will not. The family of God ought to thank Him for a church that does not only smell, look, and act alike, because real family is bigger than personal comfort. Satan, called Slew Foot, works to make the church powerless by wearing Christians down and keeping them inside their comfort zones. The end times call for a people who are ready, not people carrying a head profession while refusing to submit to the Holy Spirit.

The question, “What are you setting yourself up for?” presses the difference between worldly success and godly success. The Great Commission calls believers beyond sitting on the bleachers, from participants to leaders, and from leaders to coaches who train others to serve. Holiness can show up in everyday movements of life, even when a commute becomes a sacred moment instead of another time to scroll a phone.

First Peter calls God’s people sojourners, passing through a fallen world rather than settling down like this is home. Redemption carries weight because Christ paid a price that sinners could never work off, ransoming them by His blood and setting them free. The lively hope of salvation means this world does not have a hold on those who are born again, though believers must gird up the loins of their minds and stay ready to run.

The Spirit creates unity that flesh can never manufacture. The same Holy Spirit dwells in every true child of God, the same Father judges every person’s work, the same Word endures, and the same gospel gives new birth. The new birth changes a life over time, and trials do not have to end in failure because God’s children can fall forward and learn through tribulation.

Peter’s call to fervent love reaches beyond a fake church smile. Brotherly love and agape love require sacrificial effort, because Christian love is not a feeling but a matter of will. God’s heart of flesh must replace the heart of stone that wants to hate, criticize, keep score, and run people off. Jesus lifted up draws people, and His church must build people up with truth, meekness, and gentleness.

First Peter 2 calls believers to lay aside malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking. The Word of God feeds the soul, renews the mind, moves into the heart, and finally comes out in holy conversation. Christ calls His people to quit fighting for the spotlight, get the vertical right, and become His hands, feet, and face to a dying world.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Set others up to fall forward [56:57] God’s children do not need a church culture that treats every stumble as the end of the road. Trials can teach, correct, and strengthen a believer who keeps turning back toward Christ. Grace does not pretend sin is small, but grace refuses to make failure a final identity. Leaders who follow Jesus help people get up, learn, and keep moving. [56:57]
• 2. Redemption means this world cannot hold you [53:34] Christ paid the price that sinners could never pay through effort, tradition, silver, or gold. That ransom gives believers real freedom from sin’s rule, not permission to keep acting like the world. A lively hope sees this life as a sojourn, a passing-through place. Eternal security in Christ should produce present-day surrender to the Spirit. [53:34]
• 3. Love is a matter of will [01:05:02] Fervent love is not built on whether people feel easy to love at a given moment. Agape love chooses sacrifice, prayer, forgiveness, and kindness because God first showed those things to His people. A church cannot claim maturity while feeding grudges and calling it discernment. Love must be exercised like an athlete works at a skill. [65:02]
• 4. Lay aside the poison of malice [01:16:54] Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking poison fellowship from the inside out. These sins often grow quietly through private resentment, jealous thoughts, and words that cut people down. The Holy Spirit calls for a sober self-assessment before somebody else gets blamed. A heart made right vertically with God can begin to live right horizontally with people. [76:54]
• 5. Grow from leader into a coach [01:11:20] The Great Commission does not end when somebody starts serving or leading. Spiritual maturity trains others, gives them room to serve, and steps back when pride wants to hold the spotlight. A coach builds people instead of collecting control. Christlike leadership raises up more workers for the kingdom of God.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [13:46] - Jesus Calls the Youngins to Worship
• [32:56] - The Family of God Praises Together
• [41:27] - A Church Weary in Well Doing
• [46:02] - What Are You Setting Yourself Up For?
• [47:17] - Turning Everyday Life Into Prayer
• [49:06] - Spiritual Unity and a Season of Outreach
• [50:40] - Sojourners Redeemed by Christ
• [55:12] - The Same Spirit and the Same Father
• [60:38] - Fervent Love Is a Matter of Will
• [70:00] - Leading Like Jesus and Coaching Others
• [76:54] - Laying Aside Malice, Envy, and Gossip
• [86:35] - Feed on the Word and Follow the Spirit
• [88:44] - A Higher Plane of Worship
• [96:48] - It Is All About Jesus

1. In 1 Peter 1:17-19, what does Peter say believers were ransomed from, and what was the price of that ransom? [51:43]
2. What five heart and speech sins does 1 Peter 2:1 tell believers to lay aside, and which ones seem most likely to damage fellowship quietly?
3. According to Romans 8:9, what marks the difference between a person who belongs to Christ and a person who does not?
4. In the Great Commission, what are believers called to do after someone is baptized, and how does that connect with training others instead of keeping all the work for one person? [01:11:07]

1. Peter calls believers sojourners or exiles. How should seeing this world as a temporary place change the way a Christian measures success, handles trouble, and uses time? [50:47]
2. If Christ paid for redemption with His precious blood, why does that freedom not give believers permission to keep living according to the world’s ways? [53:08]
3. 1 Peter 1:22 commands earnest love from a pure heart. What is the difference between a friendly church smile and the kind of sincere, sacrificial love Peter is describing? [01:00:38]
4. Peter connects putting away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander with longing for God’s Word. Why might it be hard for someone to grow on the Word while holding onto those sins? [01:25:23]

1. What are you setting yourself up for right now: success by the world’s standards, or faithfulness by God’s standards? Is there a goal, habit, or decision that needs to be brought back under the lordship of Jesus? [46:17]
2. A daily commute, a lunch break, or another ordinary part of the day can become a sacred moment with God. What regular part of your week could become a time for prayer, Scripture, worship, or encouragement instead of just scrolling? [47:58]
3. Is there a place where you have been sitting on the bleachers when God may be calling you to serve, lead, or help someone else grow? What would one faithful next step look like? [46:29]
4. God’s children are called to help people fall forward, learning through trials instead of treating every failure as the end. Is there somebody in your life who needs encouragement, prayer, truth, or another chance rather than criticism? [57:17]
5. Love is not only a feeling; it is a matter of will. Who is difficult for you to love right now, and what would choosing Christlike love toward that person look like this week—without pretending that wrong is right? [01:05:02]
6. Which of the sins in 1 Peter 2:1 is most tempting for you right now: malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, or evil speaking? What would honest repentance and a practical change in your words or actions look like? [01:19:45]
7. The Word moves from the mind to the heart and then comes out in conversation. What might your usual speech at home, at work, online, or around church folks reveal about what has been filling your heart? [01:27:36]