Ephesians 4:3-16

"Dear Member of My Body, Paul emphasized in several of his letters to churches that My church is My bodily presence in the world (Romans 12:3-8; 1..."

How can an out of business restaurant speak to churches? Mark Frost of Interim Ministry Partners shares a powerful parable about Bill Knapp's restaurants and America's quick fix mentality about the North American church and its troubles.

"Dear Father, giver of lasting gifts, Thank you for the gracious gifts bestowed by your Messiah on us when he descended into the depths for us and..."

Why is unity such a big deal? Phil Ware continues his series on SpiritFire and challenges us to look at the importance of the unity of the Spirit.

"Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your..."

"Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you...."

"[God] has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. . . . Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the..."

"Dear Father, Giver of life and growth, We bless you, Father, because what you want for each of us your children is that we may no longer remain..."

"Dear Father, Thank you, Father, for the unity you have provided for us: the one body, the one Spirit, the one hope that belongs to our calling, the....."

"[When we use our spiritual gifts to equip and encourage each other,] we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about...."

"For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and....."

So what's the big deal about breakfast? There are some things that are good to change, but there a some we cannot compromise on.

Where will we find Jesus in the middle of our messes? We will find the presence of Jesus in our lives when we are willing to be his presence in the lives of others.

"Dear Servant of God, In My earthly ministry, I repeatedly taught that the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is a servant. My death on the cross for....."

How do we avoid magical thinking and shortcuts that dangerously risk our doom? Phil Ware continues his series of articles on churches facing the challenges of the interim season and uses the imagery of high mountain climbing to help us appreciate the challenges.

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were..."

How do you measure up? While we can measure many things in many ways, there is only one way to measure a Christian -- by the standard of Jesus!

Are you still hungry or have you found a way to be full? God wants us to be full of Him, his grace, His mercy, His Spirit, His Love.

Corporate worship isn't enough The Christian life is meant to be lived out among non-believers, living in such a way that they can see who we are and eventually glorify God. A Christian life lived inside a building will never accomplish that.

For the sake of making 'every effort to pursue the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace' (Ephesians 4:3). Rubel Shelly gives us a practical, yet very challenging, set of practices to help us pursue unity with other believers without compromising our own faith and commitment to Scripture.

How in the world could they do such a herculean task in less than eight weeks? Phil Ware shares a third message from the book of Nehemiah, this one focusing on the great work of ordinary people given in lists of names in Nehemiah.

"Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."

"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."

"Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."

"From [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

"Many Christians remain stunted and dwarfed in spiritual things, so as to present the same appearance year after year. No up-springing of advanced and...."

"Dear Precious Disciple, The world can be a bewildering place for you as you seek to live for Me in a culture controlled by the evil one. This..."

"Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace."

"Dear Father, You have called me to your kingdom and glory! Help me to live a life worthy of the calling I have received from you. Help me live the..."

Inspirational illustration of Ephesians 4:16 -- From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Inspirational illustration of Ephesians 4:15 -- 15   Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

A scripture card on unity: Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. - Ephesians 4:3

Can you stand firm in a Play-Doh world? In a world of bending and conforming, Christians need to learn to hold their ground.

How much influence and power does a leader really have? Leaders build confidence, encourage others, and equip to serve and thus change the culture of an organization.

Can something good come from our time in the wilderness? Mark Frost continues his series on interim ministry and Israel's time in the wilderness

So do we make people think of Jesus? Phil Ware continues his series on What is Core by calling us to true discipleship, people being conformed to be like Jesus and living out the cross, burial, and resurrection in their lives.

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

Have you found it? Tom Norvell talks about living life abundantly, with urgency, a recognition that life is short, and that we may only have the opportunity to do some things once.

When all is said and done, what will you be? When we grow up, we want to be like Jesus!

How are we alike when we seem so different? What Christians share in common is much greater than any differences than could seem to separate them.

Jesus died. He was buried. He was raised from the dead. Each one of those facts reminds us that Jesus was not some antiseptic hero from a distance. James Nored and Phil Ware remind us that Jesus died and was buried and that his burial has special significance for us.

Jesus wants to be united as one! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in virtual worship through words and music using YouTube videos and invite us to see the power of the Holy Spirit to make us part of Jesus' one body.

How do we survive in a place and time like this? Phil Ware talks about being stuck in the Land of In-between and how hard it is and some core ideas to take with you as you find yourself in that kind of place.

If we listen to Acts like a play, what do we learn in each scene? Mark Frost of Interim Ministry Partners shares insight on viewing the church through the lens of Acts and focuses today on the church being the living, breathing, embodiment or incarnation of Jesus to the world.

Are you a thrill seeker? Let's not just be thrill seekers, but also Kingdom seekers.

How can they be the same and yet so different? Sometimes differences aren't as large as they appear in the big scheme of things.

What do we do when our partners are involved in email relationships? Joe Beam deals with the challenging issue of improper email relationships.

Can you see God's signature on his masterpiece? Phil Ware reminds us that we are all God's gifted children and that God has put his signature on each of us in three different ways.