Once upon a time there was a man who could not
swim, who was asked to go fishing by a sailor.
He caught an enormous fish, and in his excitement
to land it, fell overboard. He cried "Help, save me!"
The sailor very calmly reached out, grasped the man's
arm, and gave a hearty pull. The sailor had no idea
it was an artificial arm...until the arm came off.
The man continued to kick and splash around, crying
out for rescue. The sailor reached out again, this time
he grabbed for the leg, and gave a tremendous pull...
and the leg came off, because it was a wooden leg.
The man in the water went under again, and came up
yelling for help. The sailor still maintaining his calm,
grabbed the man by the hair of his head, and gave a pull.
When he did, he discovered that the man was wearing
a toupee, and it came off. The man in the water
continued to call for help. The sailor turned in disgust,
and said, "How can I help you, if you won't stick together?"
I have an idea that our Lord at times askes the same
question of us...as the church.
"How can I help you, if you won't stick together?"
The New Testament is filled with instructions on unity.
What can we do, to promote unity in the church?
Here are four things we can do:
1. We Must Be Involved (Ephesians 4:3)
2. We Must Be Positive (Philippians 4:8)
3. We Must Be Supportive (Ephesians 4:15-16)
4. We Must Be Forgiving (Colossians 3:12-13)
We share a common bond of love
That comes from God our Father
And we're dependent on the strength
We draw from one another___Sper