Sunday Evening, June 22, 2008, 

This evening, Bro Dale brought a lesson on The Union Heaven Gave Us. He focused on Eph 4:1-6, where the oneness principles of God were outlined for the church in Ephesus.

Eph 4:1-6  I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation by which ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Paul spends the first three versus of this chapter addressing the necessity of having a right attitude towards those with less understanding than ourselves. Truth, if it is really truth, will cause one to be humble and will not lift a person up in pride. Having a haughty spirit and having an understanding of truth are incompatible. They both cannot coexist in the heart of the same individual. If we are ever to come in the unity of the faith and see doctrine alike, we must first maintain the unity of the Spirit and operate "with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love".

After this 1/2 hour discussion, which set the stage for the remainder of the lesson, we discussed the 7 doctrinal principles of oneness, addressing each one individually. One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God. These are basic principles of the Christian faith, yet there is a great need today to get back to the simplicity of the Gospel. At the end of the lessen, we sang that old familiar song, The Bond of Perfectness. One verse says,

God over all, and in us all,
and through each holy brother.
No power on earth or hell withal,
can rend from each other.

To read the outline of the lesson, please click here.