Until Unity: Study Guide

Francis Chan

• Verlag: David C Cook
• Jahr: 2021
• ISBN:
  9780830782840
• Thema: Teología y religión
• Thema: Iglesia cristiana

New York Times -bestselling author Francis Chan calls for believers and churches everywhere to align our hearts with God and start taking seriously His commands to unify. It's clear from Scripture that God desires unity for His Church. If unity is so important to the heart of God, why is the Church one of the most divided groups on earth? Chan argues that the problem is the shallowness of our love for each other—rooted in a shallowness in our understanding of the gospel. Until Unity shows us:

• God grieves the division in the Church, so we can't remain indifferent
• Unity demands a level of humility only possible by the Spirit
• The power and witness of the Church hinges on our oneness
• Unity comes at a cost, but it commands a blessing

We must come together as a Christ's Bride. God desires His people to love one another radically and become the Church He has called us to be. For further individual or small-group study, check out Until Unity Study Guide, an eight-session interactive workbook that serves as a companion to Until Unity, along with a free online video series.

Chapter 1

It’s What the Trinity Wants

We worship a God who desires unity with His children and between His children.

Video

Share session 2 from the Until Unity Video Series with your group. The video should be used at the beginning of your time together to introduce some of the concepts you will be discussing and to lead you into a time of prayer together.

Discussion

When I was younger, the doctrine of the Trinity used to frustrate me in some ways because it felt so cumbersome to explain. It wasn’t until later in life that I began to see how incredible and important it is to know that we worship a God who is fundamentally relational. From the beginning of time, He has never been alone. He has always been a lover and an object of love, and He has always existed in perfect harmony. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deut. 6:4).

We were made in the sacred image of the Trinity, and through the redemptive work of Jesus, we are invited to join into this perfect, eternally loving relationship. This is what we were created for.

1. Maybe some of you, like me, have struggled with the doctrine of the Trinity, or maybe you just haven’t given it much thought. How has reading this chapter and meditating on the Scriptures therein informed or deepened your understanding of the Trinity?

2. Read through John 17:20–23 again. Have you ever thought about being invited into the oneness of the Trinity? What does that mean to you?

3. How does it impact you to know that Jesus also wants His disciples to be one with each other even as the Trinity is one? Does it surprise you that Jesus compares our oneness to the oneness of the Trinity?

On page 43 we spent some time thinking about how our words toward other believers might change if we thought deeply about their Dad’s presence in the room. Think about how you feel when someone attacks a person you care about. Picture a parent watching his or her six-year-old child be bullied by a group of eight-year-olds. I wouldn’t want to be those eight-year-olds, knowing that the mom or dad is watching and ready to give each of them an earful of correction. Yet we are those foolish kids anytime we “sow discord among brothers” (Prov. 6:19) because we can be confident that the Father is displeased with it.

4. Even though we know God hates division and slander, we still often fall into the trap of spreading disunity. Why do you think that is? What is it in our hearts that pushes us toward speaking negatively about someone else?

5. Some of us have become very crafty about gossip, using seemingly godly methods to spread division. Think of the person who offers up slanderous information under the guise of a “prayer request,” or someone who wants to share a “concern” over another brother or sister. What are other examples you can come in agreement against doing within your community going forward?

Jesus didn’t just invite us into perfect oneness with the Trinity and each other; He gave His own life to make it possible. Think about this statement again: “To disregard unity is to disparage the cross” (p. 44). How can we casually disregard something that was so important to Jesus that He went to the cross for it?

6. Read Ephesians 2:13–22 aloud, and spend some time in corporate prayer and repentance.

In Ephesians 1:9–10, we see that God is “making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” The mystery of His will is that He is uniting all things in Jesus. Everything. Things in heaven and things on earth. Unity is found in the Son.

The tower of Babel was a unique, historic event, but it also showed what humanity’s tendency has been ever since. People want unity, but they don’t want God in charge of it. Their sort of unity gives glory to people rather than glory to God and is therefore evil.

7. In what ways does the world attempt to accomplish unity without Jesus? Think of various attempts at unity. Why would this be evil (as in the tower of Babel)?

8. In contrast, what does it look like for Jesus to be the center of our unity? How do we make sure He gets the glory for it rather than us as humans?

Sometimes we can think of sin as things we “shouldn’t do.” This definition is somewhat convenient because it keeps it nonrelational and detached from emotions. Instead, we must realize that our sin affects God emotionally. He rejoices as a sinner repents and also grieves as people ignore Him. If this idea seems strange, read Ephesians 4:29–31 again. Think together about what it means that we can grieve the Holy Spirit. Now think about the fact that we can do this through our corrupting talk, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice. Are we also grieved by the fractures in the Church? Are we grieved by the broken relationships around us? We saw passages at the end of the chapter showing us how God is pleased with those who care for what He cares for.

9. Close by praying together that God would show us His heart and help us feel what He feels for His Church.

Chapter 2

It’s What You Want

If you have experienced the life-changing love of Jesus, you will be overflowing with love for God and others. It’s that simple.

Video

Share session 3 from the Until Unity Video Series with your group. The video should be used at the beginning of your time together to introduce some of the concepts you will be discussing and to lead you into a time of prayer together.

Discussion

Although division in His Church grieves God’s heart, division is also to be expected to a certain degree. Paul tells us that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14) after warning about false apostles who disguise themselves as true apostles (v. 13). Similarly, Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 11:19 that “there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.”

True believers will stand out, largely because of their love. Jesus taught us to be on our guard against false prophets who are wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15). Then He says twice that “you will recognize them by their fruits” (vv. 16, 20). A good tree produces good fruit and a bad tree produces bad fruit.

So as we examine ourselves, if we see a lack of love and desire for unity, we have to ask ourselves if we have truly experienced the Spirit in a life-transforming way.

1. How have you seen God grow you in the area of loving brothers and sisters in Jesus? How have you seen your desire grow to forgive and reconcile with others?

2. As you read through (and look back over) the section of the chapter that listed various 1 John passages (pp. 57–59), did any of them convict or challenge you personally? Please share why.

Remember, in this chapter we thought about how true unity is impossible between believers and unbelievers. It just doesn’t work. Lukewarm people (unbelievers) will always be uncomfortable with how serious true Christians are about obeying God. As gentle and loving as Christians are, the great gap in priorities and values in life will inevitably create tension.

Think about 2 Corinthians 6:14–15:

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?

Clearly, one of our primary goals as the Church is to proclaim Christ and see people come to faith in Jesus. Yet in our zeal for people to know Him, we so often make the mistake of trying to get people to join and stay in our churches who don’t actually love Him. We use gimmicks and clever strategies to bring people in who otherwise wouldn’t come—and then find ourselves stuck catering to the demands of unregenerate people in order to keep them from leaving. Ultimately, this causes the culture of the Church to become more and more carnal and divisive.

On the other hand, in Scripture we consistently see Jesus allowing people to walk away from Him if their eyes weren’t opened by the Spirit to see His great value. He didn’t have to work really hard to keep the true disciples. God had done a work in them so they wouldn’t even think about leaving.

Sadly, people who have truly believe...