Embracing Unity and Service in Faith

### Bible Reading
1. **John 17:20-23 (NIV)**
> "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

2. **Acts 4:32-35 (NIV)**
> "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need."

3. **Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV)**
> "Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"

### Observation Questions
1. What did Jesus pray for in John 17:20-23 regarding the unity of believers?
2. How did the early church in Acts 4:32-35 demonstrate their unity and commitment to one another?
3. According to Matthew 9:37-38, what did Jesus say about the harvest and the workers? How does this relate to the sermon’s call to action? [53:57]

### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is unity among believers so important according to Jesus' prayer in John 17:20-23? How does this unity serve as a witness to the world? [42:18]
2. In what ways did the early church's actions in Acts 4:32-35 reflect their unity and commitment to the mission of Christ? How can this example challenge us today? [01:03:55]
3. What does it mean to be an active participant in the mission of the church, as described in the sermon? How does this align with Jesus' statement in Matthew 9:37-38? [55:10]

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you experienced unity within a church community. How did it impact your faith and witness to others? How can you contribute to fostering unity in our church? [42:18]
2. The early church shared their possessions and ensured no one was in need. What are some practical ways we can live out this kind of generosity and care for one another in our community? [01:03:55]
3. Jesus emphasized the importance of prayer before any significant move of God. How can you incorporate more earnest and expectant prayer into your daily routine? What specific prayers can you start with? [35:58]
4. Serving in the Kingdom of God is a call to action for every believer. Identify one area in our church where you can start serving. What steps will you take this week to get involved? [55:10]
5. Baptism is a public declaration of faith. If you have not been baptized, what is holding you back? If you have, how can you support and encourage others who are considering this step of faith? [33:29]
6. Think about the unique gifts and backgrounds within our small group. How can we better embrace our differences to glorify God and demonstrate His love to the world? [50:17]
7. The sermon mentioned the need for more laborers in the harvest field. How can you personally respond to this need? What specific actions will you take to be more engaged in the mission of the church? [53:57]

Day 1: Embracing Unity in Diversity
Unity in the body of Christ is not about everyone being the same; it is about harmonizing our diverse gifts and backgrounds to glorify God. This unity reflects the divine relationship between the Father and the Son, fulfilling Jesus' prayer for His followers. When believers come together in this way, it creates a compelling witness to the world about God's love and the truth of the Gospel. It is a unity that celebrates individuality while pursuing a common purpose in Christ.

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!" (Psalm 133:1-2 ESV)

Reflection: How can you contribute to the unity of your church community by embracing and celebrating the diverse gifts of others? [42:18]

Day 2: Generosity as a Way of Life
The early church thrived not because of material wealth but because of their unwavering commitment to each other and to the mission of Christ. They lived with open hands, sharing generously and caring for one another's needs. This radical community transformed the world by demonstrating the love of Christ through their actions. Today, this same spirit of generosity and selflessness is needed to build up the body of Christ and to be a beacon of hope to those in need.

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31 ESV)

Reflection: What is one practical way you can live out radical generosity in your community this week? [01:03:55]

Day 3: Prayer as the Foundation of Revival
Prayer is the precursor to every significant move of God. It is through earnest and expectant prayer that believers receive the Holy Spirit's power, which enables them to be effective in God's work. Rather than relying on human strength and plans, it is essential to seek God's guidance and allow Him to work through us. This commitment to prayer is the foundation upon which spiritual breakthroughs and revival are built.

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42 ESV)

Reflection: What specific situation in your life or community needs a breakthrough, and how can you commit to praying for it regularly? [35:58]

Day 4: Active Participation in God's Kingdom
Serving in the Kingdom of God is a call to action for every believer. It is not enough to be a passive attendee; one must become an active participant in God's work. By volunteering and engaging in ministry, believers embody the church and make a tangible difference in their community and beyond. Every contribution, no matter how small, is vital to the mission of the church.

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." (1 Peter 4:10 ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of ministry in your church where you can volunteer your time or talents this month? [55:10]

Day 5: Baptism as a Public Declaration of Faith
Baptism is a significant step of obedience and a public testimony of faith in Jesus Christ. It is a celebration of the new life believers have in Him and a declaration of their commitment to follow Him. As a church, there is great rejoicing with those who take this step, and it serves as an encouragement for others to consider this act of faith.

"Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4 ESV)

Reflection: If you have not been baptized, what is holding you back from making this public declaration of your faith? If you have, how can you support and celebrate with those who are preparing for baptism? [33:29]

**Praise**

Well, let's pray together.

God, we love you. We're asking today, God, that you would speak to us through our pastor today. Holy Spirit, we invite you to just own every corner of our hearts and minds today. We thank you, Lord, for how you've spoken to us during this fast and just, Lord, that you would have the final word in our lives today and what you would have for us. We love you and we trust you. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

You can be seated.

Well, good morning! We are so glad you're here today. What a sound! Worthy is His name; He is worthy of it all.

This morning, as we welcome you to Lake Point, some of you, this is your very first time with us. We're so glad that you're here and thank you for being a part of our service this morning. My name is Pastor Scott, and I am just thrilled that you're here. You come on a very exciting day. I'll explain in just a minute.

If you are a guest, as you came in, you should have received a program, and inside that program is a connection card. We just ask if you're a guest to take a minute to fill that out and let us know about your visit with us here today. Then, as you leave, you can drop it in one of our giving boxes throughout the building. We have a little giving kiosk, or you can give it to me after the service, and I have a free gift that I would like to give you. Thank you for coming.

So, like I said, today is a very special day. A couple of things are happening today. We have been, as a church, the last three weeks in a 21 days of prayer and fasting. For 21 days, that's what we've been doing. So many of you have leaned in in different ways. Some of you have fasted in different ways; some of you have fasted with no food. I know some that went three weeks without eating food and just had liquid only. Some of you may have done a partial fast, like I did. The past week, I've had no food in the last seven days.

So, some of you have done that. Some of you have done a partial fast, maybe certain kinds of food, maybe fasted from activities. I just want to say you have come a long way. Part of this 21 days is really all about drawing closer to God in different ways. So many of you have leaned in. Some of you told me you've never done this before, and I just want to say I'm proud of you. I love this church; I love what you've done. You're taking spiritual next steps in your walk with God.

I just want to say awesome, awesome to you guys! Praise the Lord for what you have done. I hope that you know that you have grown through this. I also want to say, you know, maybe you got the answer to the prayers in these 21 days, but there's a good chance that most of us, you know, we're still looking for the answer. We're still praying, and maybe, you know, God hasn't given you a yes or no or maybe. I want to keep encouraging you: don't just keep leaning in and keep praying. Don't give up on praying, even though the fasting may stop.

Some of you know I had someone tell me they said, "We're going to continue to make it 40 days." That's up to you, and if you feel called to do that, you know, but praying, though, no matter what, we always pray. I pray that you adopt that new rhythm of prayer in your life.

What we've talked about in the last few weeks is that we've been talking about prayer. So today, we get to break the fast. Today, at the corporate church, we're breaking the fast after this service. I've got a crazy—I had some of you, you know the way to my heart is through my stomach. Some of you bought me a plate of cookies, and I just think that's awesome. I haven't had any yet, okay?

Then someone brought me donuts. I was just telling someone the past week, you know, the best donut place, in my opinion, in this area is in Pontiac called Avon Donuts. Then someone brought me a donut today from Avon. I said, "I'm in God's favor!" Alright, there we go! I just know, alright? That's like Heavenly manna right there.

If you've never been to Avon Donut, you're missing out. It's over there off Old Woodward in Pontiac. I just look forward to after the service. I won't eat it all because I don't think I can; I think that's wise. But I'm going to have a couple of bites, and I'm going to enjoy every bite of it.

So, today we get to break the fast. The other thing that we're doing today is we're going to have baptism. We're going to have believers' baptism. We baptized four in the first service, and we have more in the second service here today. Let's give it up for them! That's awesome! These are individuals that made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and asked Him to come into their life, their heart, and today they're proclaiming their faith. They're proclaiming the decision that they made.

So we celebrate! However, I want to say it's an open invitation. Perhaps you're here today, and you've been thinking about it. You've been on the fence, you've been hemming and hawing, right? You've been kind of like, "Should I or should I not?" At some point in this service, if you feel like the Holy Spirit is leading you into baptism, we are ready for you. We have everything you need: towel, dry clothes, and a shorts t-shirt in your size.

At some point during the service, toward the end, as I close out the message, feel free to just step out and say, "Hey, I'm going to get baptized." Someone will talk to you, make sure to answer your questions. You can go out in the lobby, and you can have that conversation. Maybe there's someone here today that that's something you've been thinking about, and you want to do it. You feel the Holy Spirit leading you to do that. I encourage you to step out.

So today, as we kind of wind down our last message, I want to say this: every day we've had a daily focus in our fast and in our prayer. In our 21 days, we've had a focus, and today's focus is we are praying for the Holy Spirit to come into our church, into our lives, to work in us and through us in ways that we can't even imagine possible for God to show up and to show out in our lives. That's what we're praying for today specifically.

As we close today out, you know, God, we need you. We need your power; we need your strength. We need you to come into us to do a work in us and in our church because we have a world that needs Jesus. We have a community that needs Jesus, and we cannot do this in our own strength. We need Him; we need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

When you study the history of God and the history of our church, the history of God working in powerful ways, you know, revival and different movements in times past, there’s this really powerful thought here. If you're taking notes, prayer precedes every great movement of God. That's what prayer does. Before every movement of God, there were a group of people praying mightily on God's behalf for Him to show up and to do His work. You could trace it to a group of people.

I mean, you think about the launch of the church, right? Before they got out, they were waiting in the upper room. The disciples were waiting to receive power. Jesus said, "You will receive power." When you receive power, you will be able to do these things. The disciples waited in the upper room, waiting to receive the power of God before they did anything, before they achieved anything. They were waiting to receive it.

You know, oftentimes in our Christianity, we have it backwards. We think, "I'm going to achieve, then I receive." It's totally backwards. God said, "Hey, be receivers, and when you receive the Holy Spirit, then you can achieve." I pray for the church that we will, before we think of our next ideas or this program or this service, receive what God wants us to do—the Holy Spirit speaking in us and through us.

We're praying for spiritual power today. We're praying that we will be active in sharing our faith, and we will pray for spiritual breakthrough in our lives and in our church. That's what we're praying for, and that's a specific focus today.

Before I jump into the message, you said, "Man, I thought you were already in the sermon." No, I'm just warming up, okay? That's just a warm-up. That's the free step today, okay? You know the good stuff is coming after this, but I want to pray first. I want to pray collectively as we close this fast on this last focus. Will you join me?

God, we ask you to help us. Help us to be receivers. Oftentimes, God, we try to achieve the power of God. God, help us to receive it and to wait and then listen to your voice. God, we're praying for spiritual breakthroughs. God, we're praying for spiritual powers that only you can deliver. So, God, we pray that as we close this fast today, we don't quit praying, asking for your Holy Spirit to work in our lives. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Today, as we close out this last message in the series, we're going to look at a prayer that Jesus prayed. I hope that by the end of the day, you will see that this is a prayer that we should be praying as well. The content of this prayer that Jesus prayed revolves around the idea of unity—unity in the family of God, the body of Christ.

Because let's just be honest today: Christians are not the most unified people around. I would argue with all my heart that one of our spiritual enemy's greatest strategies is to divide the body of Christ. Why? Because when we are unified, we become an unstoppable force of good for the sake of the gospel and for the world.

Satan knows that, and so he will do everything he can to divide us. Because when we're divided, then we become weak, and we become ineffective in doing His work. So today, I want to dive into this prayer that Jesus prayed, and I want you to see this idea of unity in John chapter 17.

By the way, this is Jesus' last time hanging out with the disciples before His crucifixion. He's telling them that He’s leaving them, telling them that the Holy Spirit, you know, the Advocate, will be coming in His place, and that the work will continue on. This is a lot to take in for the disciples; they're conflicted with what they're hearing. Some of them had different aspirations for what Jesus was going to do. They thought, "Man, Jesus is here to take over Rome and put Jerusalem and Israel back into world power." I mean, there was some of that thinking, and there was some conflict within the group.

So, there was all this happening, and Jesus kind of gathered them together. This is what He said in John 17:20: "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message." So, He’s praying for us; He’s praying for you; He’s praying for me. This is a prayer 2,000 years ago, praying with us in mind.

He said that all of them, verse 21, "that all of them may be one." That's His prayer. Just as you are in me, Father, and I am in you, may they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me, so that they may be brought to complete unity.

And here's why—here's the whole point—He said, "so that the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." So, Jesus prayed for unity. He said, "Father, make them one." He’s praying for the disciples, "Make them one." He’s praying for the next generation of churches, "Make them one." He’s praying for churches today, "Make them one." He’s praying for churches in the future, "Lord God, make them one." Why? So that God would be glorified and that the world would know that God sent Jesus to reach a lost and broken world.

The Apostle Paul prayed a very similar prayer in Romans. Romans chapter 15, and this is what he said: "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement," he tells the Roman believers, "may He give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had." In other words, Paul prayed this: that we would treat each other just like Jesus treated us, that we would love others just like Jesus has loved us.

So, Paul prayed, "I want you to have the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had." Why? So that, number six, verse six, "so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Then he said, "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."

If you want to glorify God, if you want to bring praise to His name, what we do is that we treat each other as Christ has loved us. We accept each other as Jesus has accepted and loved us. That's the prayer that we see in Paul.

So, we see the common denominator between Jesus' prayer and the prayer of Paul here: "Lord, make us one. Help us to be unified so that your great name is glorified and the lost people in this world will see Jesus."

You know, the past week in my prayer time, I prayed for a church like I always do, especially in the last two or three weeks. I have really just leaned in harder, praying for individuals by name. If you had your prayer request, I prayed for you specifically. If you mentioned it to me, you know I prayed for it. If I knew of a situation, I prayed for you.

I prayed for relational reconciliation; I prayed for strongholds to be broken down; I prayed for specific needs; I prayed for next steps that many of you need to take because there's always a next step to take in every person's life here because we never stop growing. I prayed for some of you through the fast, and I had people reaching out to me. This is awesome! I had people reach out and say, "Hey, Pastor Scott, praying for you," text me or call me or let me know they’re praying for me.

You know, it was awesome to see. As I was getting into the liquid fast, I had two guys call me up and say, "Hey, we've never fasted before, but we're going to jump in and do the liquid fast. We're going to be your wingmen." I had a couple of wingmen, and we were encouraging each other, texting each other, "Hey, how's it going?" We were showing each other our favorite broth recipes. There's only so much you can do with broth, but we were making it work!

But we were encouraging each other; we were praying for each other. I was praying for you, and then I started to pray that I don't always pray for. I prayed for the other churches in our area. I prayed for churches down the road, the big churches, the small churches. I prayed that we would be for each other and not against each other because we're not the competition.

I pray that we only call out what the Bible speaks out against, but we don't get hung up on styles and methods and the way they do it. I prayed for the pastors of those churches; I prayed for the leadership. I prayed for God to make us one so that the world will know that God will be glorified and the world would know that God sent Jesus to reach a lost and broken world.

About a month ago, a pastor in our area came to me and said, "Hey, Scott, I’d love for you to go to Tanzania with me with a group of pastors in our area." Tanzania? That's in Africa, right? He said, "Yes, in Africa. I want you to come and look at the dates." At the end of May, I'm going to be going to Africa for a week to see a church planting movement that's happening not just in Tanzania but in all the 40/60 window—the 40/60 window through Africa and Asia, one of the darkest, spiritually speaking, darkest parts of our world.

So, I decided to join in and listen in. There's a heart from all the churches so far, and let’s say, "God, we want you in your church to pray about being a part of this." We want to start, you know, in five years, we want to start 10,000 churches. We want to help fund Michigan churches to fund 10,000 churches in that region.

10,000 churches? What does that look like? He said we could start a church for $400 a church, and we want to raise, in the next five years, $4 million. We believe that if the churches do it together and we're one and unified, we can really make a difference in the 40/60 window. I told him, "You got my attention! I'm all about doing something bigger than us to make a difference in our world that needs Jesus."

Praying for the opportunities to be one. So, my prayer today as we close out this message is that you make us one.

I have three thoughts here, three reasons why we should pray for unity.

**Number one:** We pray for unity because we desperately need each other. We desperately, desperately need each other more than you realize. Paul said it like this in Romans 12: "Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function." Okay, we all understand our body. Our physical body has different parts, and they have different roles. The heart can't be the hand; the hand can't be the ear; the ear can't be the foot. They all have their unique, specific role.

So, Paul suggests our bodies have many parts, and each part has their different special function. Then he said in verse five, "So it is with the body of Christ. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." We need each other.

See, we are part of a family, and we are different by design. We are different in the Holy Spirit that created this. Each and every one of us is uniquely different and has an important part in the body of Christ.

Here's what we need to understand about unity: Unity is not the same as uniformity. Unity is not the same as uniformity. If that's the goal, then we become a cult. We become a cult, and that's not who we are. Unity, because God uses all of our different backgrounds, our differences, and uses it for His glory.

In other words, and this is so important, there's strength in our differences. There's strength in our differences. It is our differences that give us the ability to reach many different people for Christ.

Now think about your own family. In your own family, you can talk about how different everybody is. I think about our family: my wife, Karen, and Nathan and Abigail. One family, but we're all different. Hello! Karen is a rule follower; she follows the rules. On the other hand, I'm a rule breaker. How many rules can I break before I get in jail? No, no, no, not that far, okay? Not that far.

But I'm always like, okay, for example, you know, we're at a park, and I see a destination from point A to point B. The fastest way there is to walk across the grass. No problem! I'm walking across the grass, and I look to see Karen. Karen, she can take the long cut on the sidewalk. I said, "Karen, what are you doing?" She said, "There's a reason that we have this sidewalk right here." I said, "But it's the park; you're allowed to walk on the grass!"

She said, "Uh-uh, I'm going to keep on the rules." I said, "Okay, woman, do whatever you want to do."

So, you know, I want to cross the road; you want to get down to the corner and cross. I want to jaywalk over here. I mean, you know, come on! You can get it, but we're different.

But in our differences, we're stronger. Our kids are different. You know, Nathan, my son, he kind of takes up after his mama in some ways, and he takes up after me in some ways, and in some ways, he's his own bird. Alright, he's his own crazy guy. So is Abigail! Alright, they're a little bit of me, a little bit of Karen, and then there's just Abigail.

What a difference! But that's okay. We have here in the Lake Point body different ages, different spiritual backgrounds, different nationalities. We have people that make six figures and some that make two figures. We have new believers; I know we have believers that have been believing for a long time. In fact, we have some maybe you're just thinking, and you're trying to figure out what to believe and who to believe. You're just here.

But at the end of the day, we all worship one name, and that's the name of Jesus Christ. We have a common bond in Him; He’s the true cornerstone. At the end of the day, we need you, and you need me. We need each other.

We need you to be involved in ministry. We need you to be involved in giving. We need you to be involved in inviting people to our church. We need you to be involved in praying, "Lord, make us one."

Yesterday, our prayer focus on day 20 was praying for more laborers, more volunteers, more servants for the kingdom. It's really based on this verse in Matthew chapter 9, where Jesus said to His disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few."

By the way, the harvest is only good for a certain amount of time, and it dies off. So if you don't get out there and collect the harvest, then it's wasted food. Jesus said, "Hey, time is limited. The harvest is great, and there are only so few workers to get the job done."

He said in verse 38, "So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest and ask Him to send more workers into His field."

Oftentimes in our staff meetings, by the way, we've been blessed. We've been blessed in the past with great staff, and God continues to bless us with great staff today. There are times where we'll talk about the needs. We need more volunteers; we need more volunteers in our pantry; we need more volunteers in mission outreach; we need more volunteers in our kids' program; we need more volunteers here and there. That's always the need because the harvest is great.

Sometimes you’ll see me, and we’ll start to analyze who can we get, and we start thinking about that. Then at some point in the conversation, we’ll be like, "You know what? We should pray." Okay, that's what God commands us to do: pray for more laborers. Have we prayed about it?

Some of you, we're praying for you. We're praying that you stop being on the sidelines, stop being a bystander, roll up your sleeves, and get in the game. Make a difference; be a part of something greater than yourself. Don't just show up to church; be the church.

So, we pray for unity because we desperately, desperately need each other. We don't just hope for it; we don't just think about it; we don't just wish for it. We pray for it.

**Here's the second thought:** We pray for unity so that the world will see the love of God. When we are unified as the family of God, the outside world sees the demonstrated, active, passionate love of Jesus Christ. That's what they see.

In fact, I love, again, Romans chapter 15:7. I love the picture that we see. Paul said here, "Accept one another just as Christ accepted you in order to bring praise to God." The word "accept" in Greek is "prolambano." The word is to embrace. It's a beautiful picture here, you know, that carries this idea that when you accept someone, it's to receive them into your arms, and then you embrace them.

You embrace them. This word carries the idea of you walking hand in hand with a brother or sister. So you accept, you embrace, and you walk alongside them. You accept them; you embrace them. By the way, they may be messy; they may be different, but we accept one another. Hand in hand, we walk together; we embrace one another.

Now, understand this: acceptance doesn't mean endorsement. You can't accept a person without endorsing their messy, sinful ways. I think of the story in the Bible of the prodigal son. The prodigal son did all the things you can name; he did it all. He ran from God, ran from his family, threw away everything that he had always been taught in church. He threw it out the window.

Yet he came to rock bottom and decided, "I need to go home to my father." By the way, he thought, "I'm just going to go home and work for my father. I won't even call myself a son." That was the thought. "I'm going to go back and see if my dad would hire me to be a servant. At least I have food on my table and a roof over my head."

Because at this point, he had been living in a pig pen, eating the food that pigs ate. He was coming back home thinking, "That's not really home anymore. I'm going to work for my father." He was going to work for him, thinking, "Maybe if he'll allow me to come, but I've got no other choice."

The Bible says that the father was looking every day, waiting, waiting for his son to come home. One day, he sees his son walking down the path. The Bible says the father ran out. I mean, he could have done all the things you could have said: "You know, I told you so," or "Hey, you get a time out," or "Just leave; just get out."

The Bible says he ran out and embraced him. He smelled like a pig; he was dirty. But the father didn't care. That's the picture: just accept one another to be like the father and embrace others.

Jesus said in John chapter 13, "A new command I give you: love one another as I have loved you. So you must love one another." But then verse 35 is so powerful. He said, "By this," and notice what He didn't say. He said, "By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another."

If you love one another, if you love one another, people will know. You could talk it all day long, but they want to know that you love one another.

I want to carry this idea here:

**Number three:** We pray for unity so that we can do so much more together. We're better together. We are better together all day long. We are better together when we are unified.

This was the heartbeat and attitude that made the first-century church thrive. That was the attitude here. Now, I want you to think about it. What did they have? What did they have going against them? The early church that was thriving—what did they have going against them? They had persecution at a whole other level. I mean, they were taking out Christians, Christ followers. They were trying to discourage Christianity from happening.

So they were doing everything they could to stop this movement from happening. Yet this little band of non-educated, first-century, passionate followers of Christ spread the gospel all over the world. I want to show you how it was described in Acts chapter 4. Luke described it this way. He said in Acts chapter 4, verse 32, "All the believers were one in heart and mind." They were unified.

No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own. They had an open-handed lifestyle: whatever was ours is yours, and they shared everything that they had.

Isn't that crazy love? By the way, that commitment to the family of God. So these people, they just gave their stuff away. They saw a need, and they met it.

In verse 33, "With great power, the apostles continued to testify to proclaim the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them."

Do you see the power in that kind of unity? Every need was met by God through the family of God. I want you to think about the skeptics looking in. Think about it. If we acted this way, what would the skeptics outside looking in say? They would say, "You know, I don't know about this whole Jesus thing, but I'm very impressed by the way that they love people and love each other and forgive each other and support each other. They're there for each other; they take care of their own; they're generous to us."

You see, I'm going to argue all day long that the world is sick and tired of hearing about the love of Jesus. They want to feel it. They want to feel it. I mean, we can talk a good game; we can talk a big talk, but people want to see you walk it. They want to see it.

When we are unified in Christ, when we love each other and love this world, and we start to accept and embrace, we can do so much more together. I believe that God has so much more in store for Lake Point Church. God keeps blessing our church, keeps growing.

In fact, about two months ago, we ordered 40 more chairs. 40 more chairs! I said, "How are we going to get them in there?" We'll get them in here! We get 40 more; we keep growing! You know, we've been praying about more land, and we're trying to figure that out and seeking God's wisdom.

Hey, you know, I mentioned last week praying for a seven-figure miracle. That's what it's for—a seven-figure miracle. I'm still praying. Just because the fast is over doesn't mean I stop praying. I'm still pressing on and praying for God to open doors and make that work so that we can expand and reach more people.

I'm praying for a missional impact. That's part of the other miracles prayer—those other figures. I mean, five-figure to seven-figure miracles. I'm praying so that we can have a bigger missional and discipleship impact here in our church.

We want to take—I believe in the next year, we're going to start seeing some things happen in our church that we do some things that really deepen your walk with God, deepen your relationship with God. Because I believe at the end of the day, when we become one, that God would use that and bless this church and bless the churches around us because we're not against each other; we're for each other in the name of Jesus.

So the 21 days of prayer and fasting, that's where we're completing it, but we don't quit praying. Continue to pray, pray, pray, pray for God's power. We pray for us to continue to be faithful in sharing the word of God. Pray for unity in the family of God. Why? So that God will be glorified and the lost world will see Jesus and come to know Him.

In just a minute, our worship team is going to come up and sing a song, "What He's Done." We're going to thank God for what He's done. In a few minutes, for our baptism, those that made a decision—people we've been praying for—take the next step in baptism, and we're going to celebrate what God has done in your life, that God came in and saved your soul.

We're going to do all that in just a few minutes. Maybe you're here today, and you're listening and saying, "God, I need to take that next step." We're ready for you. The question is, are you ready?

Our Heavenly Father, we ask you to help us today. Help us as we close this fast, this corporate fast. God, I pray that you help us to be one. Make us one, oh God. I know that our spiritual enemy would do nothing more than to tear us apart. He specializes in splitting churches and dividing churches and losing our witness to our lost and dying world.

Oh God, I pray that that never happens and that we stay unified towards you. But God, we thank you for what you have taught us in the last 21 days. At the end of the day, we drew closer to you. We may not have had the prayers answered that we have been praying for, but God, we drew closer to you.

And God, you don't want us to quit praying. Don't give up. God, we pray for those that are getting baptized today. I pray for those that maybe need to get baptized. Maybe there's someone here today that needs to get saved. I pray that today can be a day of their salvation.

So God, we pray. We ask that you bless it today as we close out this service. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Would you stand and sing this with us? "Hill of Calvary, my blood for me, my Jesus saved me."

"We pray for Unity because we desperately need each other. We don't just hope for it, we don't just think about it, we don't just wish for it, we pray for it." [56:15 ](Download | Download)

"We pray for Unity so that the world will see the love of God. When we are unified as the family of God, the outside world sees demonstrated the active, passionate love of Jesus Christ." [57:00 ](Download | Download)

"Unity is not the same as uniformity. God uses all of our different backgrounds and differences and uses it for His glory. There's strength in our differences." [50:17 ](Download | Download)

"Prayer proceeds every great movement of God. Before every movement of God, there were a group of people praying mightily on God's behalf for Him to show up and to do His work." [35:58 ](Download | Download)

"The early church thrived not because of material resources but because of their unwavering commitment to each other and to the mission of Christ." [01:02:32 ](Download | Download)

"Every need was met by God through the family of God. Imagine if we acted this way, what skeptics outside looking in would say about the way we love and support each other." [01:04:33 ](Download | Download)

"Jesus prayed for Unity, 'that all of them may be one... so that the world may believe that you have sent me.' Unity is essential for the world to know God's love." [42:18 ](Download | Download)

"We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. We need each other. We are part of a family, and we are different by design." [49:38 ](Download | Download)

"Pray for Unity in the family of God, so that God will be glorified and the lost world will see Jesus and come to know Him." [01:07:36 ](Download | Download)

"Accept one another, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. If you want to glorify God, treat each other as Christ has loved us." [43:37 ](Download | Download)