1. Lesson 7 for August 17, 2013

2. UNITY
JESUS’ PRAYER
EXAMPLES OF
UNITY
THE BODY
THE BUILDING
COMPONENTS
OF UNITY
THE MISSION
THE MESSAGE
ORGANIZATIONREACHING
UNITY

3. “20Hindi lamang sila ang idinadalangin
ko, kundi sila rin naman na mga
nagsisisampalataya sa akin sa pamamagitan
ng kanilang salita;
21Upang silang lahat ay maging isa; na gaya
mo, Ama, sa akin, at ako'y sa iyo, na sila
nama'y suma atin: upang ang sanglibutan ay
sumampalataya na ako'y sinugo mo.
22At ang kaluwalhatiang sa aki'y ibinigay mo
ay ibinigay ko sa kanila; upang sila'y maging
isa, na gaya naman natin na iisa;
23Ako'y sa kanila, at ikaw ay sa akin, upang
sila'y malubos sa pagkakaisa; upang makilala
ng sanglibutan na ikaw ang sa akin ay
nagsugo, at sila'y iyong inibig, na gaya ko na
inibig mo.
(John 17:20-23)
Why was so important for Jesus that we
may be one, with hearts as one? Could
you relate that with revival?

4. “12 Sapagka't kung paanong ang katawan ay
iisa, at mayroong maraming mga sangkap, at
ang lahat ng mga sangkap ng katawan,
bagama't marami, ay iisang katawan; gayon
din naman si Cristo.2727 Kayo nga ang
katawan ni Cristo, at bawa't isa'y
samasamang mga sangkap niya. ” (1
Corinthians 12:12, 27)
“The bonds of unity which unite
member with member of the church
are to be as firm and harmonious in
their operation as are the different
parts of the natural body. The hands,
head, and feet are so closely united,
and so mutually dependent, that one
member cannot live and act
independently of the other members”
E.G.W. (Manuscript Releases, t. 19, MR No. 1414, p. 370)

5. “20Na mga itinatayo sa ibabaw ng kinasasaligan ng mga apostol at ng
mga propeta, na si Cristo Jesus din ang pangulong bato sa panulok;
21Na sa kaniya'y ang buong gusali, na nakalapat na mabuti, ay lumalago
upang maging isang templong banal sa Panginoon; ”
(Ephesians 2:20-21)
How can I be a
“living stone”
(2P. 2:5) that helps
in making my
church grow in
unity?

6. Our Mission — The mission of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church is to
proclaim to all peoples the everlasting
gospel in the context of the Three
Angels' messages of Revelation 14:6-
12, leading them to accept Jesus as
their personal Savior and to unite with
His church, and nurturing them in
preparation for His soon return.
(Official declaration of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church)
How can sharing one mission and one
goal help in building our unity?

7. Although the mission of the Church has
been the same since Jesus
commissioned it, the specific message
It should highlight has been changing
over time, depending on the
circumstances.
Peter talked about a “present truth”
(2P. 1:12). For the Waldensians, that
“present truth” was the study of the
Bible and identifying the Catholic
Church as Babylon. For Luther and the
first Reformers, the highlighted truth
was the justification by faith.
Which is the “present truth” for the
Adventist Church in the End Time?
How can that message lead us to
internal unity?
As a united Church, we must
preach the message of:
The Heavenly
Sanctuary
The Investigative
Judgment
The message of the
three angels

8. “5 Dahil dito'y iniwan kita sa Creta, upang husayin mo ang mga bagay na nagkukulang, at
maghalal ng mga matanda sa bawa't bayan, na gaya ng ipinagbilin ko sa iyo; ” (Titus 1:5)
The unity of the Church depended on Its
organization from Its very beginning.
1. The authority of the apostles was
accepted (Acts 1:12-26)
2. The authority of the deacons was
accepted (Acts 6:1-7)
3. When Jesus contacted Saul, He directed
him to the organization of the Church
(Acts 9:1-19, 26-31)
4. The Church accepted the decisions of the
Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-31)
5. The elders were accepted as leaders in
the local churches (Acts 20: 27-32)
Could we achieve unity if every
believer acted independently?

9. “To provide for the support of the ministry, for carrying the
work in new fields, for protecting both the churches and the ministry
from unworthy members, for holding church property, for the
publication of the truth through the press, and for many other objects,
organization was indispensable…
We sought the Lord with earnest prayer that we might understand His
will, and light was given by His Spirit that there must be order and
thorough discipline in the church—that organization was essential.
System and order are manifest in all the works of God throughout the
universe. Order is the law of heaven, and it should be the law of God’s
people on the earth…
Let none entertain the thought that we can dispense with organization.
It has cost us much study and many prayers for wisdom, that we know
God has answered, to erect this structure. It has been built up by His
direction, through much sacrifice and conflict. Let none of our
brethren be so deceived as to attempt to tear it down, for you will thus
bring in a condition of things that you do not dream of. In the name of
the Lord I declare to you that it is to stand, strengthened, established,
and settled”
E.G.W. (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, cp. 1, pg. 26-27)

10. The mission, the
message and
organization are
indispensable for the
unity of the Church.
Nevertheless, unity
could not be
achieved without the
three elements we
already studied.
1. Prayer
2. Bible study
3. Witnessing
Those are powerful
elements that create,
foster, and sustain the
unity of the church.

11. AND HAPPAY
SABBATH TO ALL