In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

I'm not an expert in jewelry, but I know that there is a big difference between a $4 million dollar diamond ring and an $8 dollar ring made of cubic zirconia. They both might sparkle and look nice, but one is genuine, and the other one is regarded as fake. Perhaps that comparison can illustrate the difference between true unity and unionism. True unity is based on doctrine and faith. It is genuine and real. Unionism is what we call it when churches and Christians pretend that they are united. They "agree to disagree." It might look good to the untrained eye, but it's fake. If you do not really agree on doctrine, you are not really united.

We are not united with many "Lutherans" today. In fact, the name "Lutheran" has become virtually meaningless. The press reports about "Evangelical Lutherans" in Milwaukee were definitely not talking about us or the WELS. The ELCA permits its pastors and professors to teach false doctrine. Some teach evolution. Some do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Most believe that the Bible contains errors. Lutherans are not alone in this. There are wide differences today between Presbyterians, between Methodists, and Baptists, and even Catholics. There are great divisions between churches and within denominations today.

Yet, the real church remains united. The real church is the invisible church of all true believers. We don't know for sure who is in the real church or not. There are probably many believers in Jesus who do not belong to our congregation or synod. And, there might be some members of our congregation or synod who are secret unbelievers. Only the Lord knows for sure who is in the true church, and who isn't. We must go by people's confession of faith. God has given us commands about church fellowship. On the one hand, the Bible teaches us not to support or fellowship with false teachers. On the other, Scripture tells us to:

1. WHAT DIVIDES

We cannot create unity in the church. God establishes true unity, on the basis of his Word. May we not hinder God's purposes with our own sinful attitudes and actions! God wants us to be {2} "completely humble and gentle." It is not okay for us to be arrogant or harsh. Let us be humble and gentle. Then it says: "be patient, bearing with one another in love." Sometimes people say or do things to us that are wrong. We should be patient and bear with each other in self-giving Christian love. The opposite of this would be to bear a grudge against someone. But, grudges are inconsistent with faith. Grudges can divide people. Quite often, the grudge is based on misunderstanding. Somebody says or does something, and we might perceive it one way, and maybe they meant it a different way. At any rate, don't bear grudges. They can wreck marriages too. Scripture says, "Love keeps no record of wrongs." If someone else is bearing a grudge against you, God says, "be patient, bearing with one another in love."

But there is one thing we should not permit. We should not put up with false teaching. False teaching is poison. It won't just kill your body, it can send you to hell! But can you recognize false teaching when you hear it? To know the difference between true and false teaching, you need to know God's Word better. That is one reason why we teach the Bible Class and BIC. It is our hope and prayer that: {14} "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." If you know God's Word really well, you will not be as vulnerable to false teachers. If you don't know God's Word very well, you are easy prey for him. There are some pictures about that in this section. If you don't know God's Word very well, you are like a weathervane that blowing whichever direction the wind blows. If you don't know God's Word, you are like a rudderless boat in a storm. If you don't know God's Word, you are like a gullible customer. They say there's one born every minute. Don't let false teachers deceive you! See to it that you know what the Bible says, and then strive for true unity in the church! Consider, for a moment...

2. WHAT UNITES

Verses 3-6 say: Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. {4} There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - {5} one Lord, one faith, one baptism; {6} one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Notice how often the word "one" repeats in this section! God's Word is emphasizing what unites us and what believers have in common. All believers are members of the real church, the invisible church, so there is only one body, in God's sight. We were all brought to faith by one Spirit, the Holy Spirit. We all have one hope, the hope of eternal life in heaven. We all follow one Lord, Jesus Christ. We all share one faith, the true doctrine of the Christian Church, as summarized in the Creed. We all believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin. Whether young or old, we were all brought into the real church by one baptism. There God adopted us and made us his own children. And so, believers have one Father in heaven.

We are united. We all worship the one true God, the Triune God. All three persons of the Triune God are mentioned here. We are all united in the true Christian faith. We were all baptized. And we all have that sure and certain hope of eternal life in heaven, through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

So, what really unites us is faith in God's Word. We are united in Bible doctrine. But, consider next...

3. HOW JESUS BINDS US TOGETHER

Jesus has redeemed us. Though we are all sinners, Jesus has atoned for all of our sins. He lived for us and died on the cross to take all of our sins away. We are saved by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus binds us together in his gospel. He is the one and only Savior of us all!

Verse 11 says: It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers... Our Savior called and sent special servants to declare his Word to others. As the gospel is proclaimed, the Holy Spirit works faith, and that is how Jesus binds believers together in the Holy Christian Church. By God's power in Word and Sacrament, we grow in faith and are united to God and to those who believe as we do. Then we serve the Lord together.

The very last phrase here says that: "each part does its work." All believers have a station in life and a role to play. Not all are pastors or teachers. God doesn't even want it that way. Just think about the body God gave you. Who would be better served if all you had was an eye, no hands, no feet, no ears. It is far better that God has given us different parts to do different things. We have feet and legs to walk. We have hands and arms to reach and hold. We have ears to hear and eyes to see. Our bodies have many parts, but are all one. And so it is in the church. God doesn't want everybody to be pastors and teachers. Jesus gave some to be pastors and teachers. But there are many other parts to the body of Christ. God also gave dedicated laymen, faithful fathers and mothers, active teens and obedient children. There are many ways to serve the Lord and others. God does not want the pastors and teachers to do it all. Nor does he want you to do it all. Rather, we all have our roles to play. Pastor Koehler and I are called to preach and teach God's Word as pastors. The teachers are called to teach the children entrusted to their care. But what is your role in the body of Christ? Are you active serving the Lord in some way? Some of you take care of the property, so that God's house is a place that looks respectful to outsiders. Some of you helped to make that Noah's ark float or helped to pass out flyers last Sunday, working together in outreach. Some of you are very supportive of the school, or the Sunday School, seeing that our children learn God's Word and important lessons. Some of you play musical instruments or sing in the choir. The list goes on and on. Yet, we are all connected in our service to the Lord. We are one body working together in unison! May we each serve faithfully in the station where God has positioned us in his church.

May we remain united in doctrine and faith and serve our Savior as one body! God has given us the diamond ring of true unity. Why would we trade it for one made of cubic zirconia, even if others are trying to persuade us that the fake one is better? God has blessed us with true unity! May our sinful actions or attitudes never get in the way!

This is where God unites our congregation. We gather together for worship and Bible study and have our eyes of faith focused on Jesus, our Savior from sin. We are saved by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ alone. That unites us for time and for eternity.

Let us pray: Lord, keep us in saving faith by your Word and continue to bless your Church with true unity. Amen.