As you peruse the pages of the Word, you can’t help but notice how often ideas of oneness and unity come up.  The Shemah in Deut. 6:4 states that the Lord is One.  Jesus, in His high priestly prayer recorded in John 17, prays that all believers will be one as He and the Father are One.  Paul exhorts the Philippians to be of “one mind.”  Similarly, in Ephesians 4, he tells them to be eager to “…maintain the unity of the Spirit…”  In short, unity and oneness are all over the pages of Scripture.

What, you may ask, does that have to do with our discussion of biblical eldership?  As leaders and guides of the Church, some of the responsibility of promoting the unity demanded by Scripture certainly falls to the elders.  So, how does biblical eldership bring about a more unified church? This will be the topic of our time together this Sunday.

A study of passages relating to “unity“, “oneness“, and “elder” sheds a great deal of light on this topic.  I’d encourage everyone to look up these words and see what the Bible has to say about them.  I’ve identified a number of possibilities, but I’m sure there are many more.  I’ll give you one, just to get started.  Biblical eldership promotes unity in the Church by preaching and teaching what accords with sound doctrine.  This directs the focus to our Head, Jesus Christ, and gives us as the Church something and someone around whom to rally, the greatest treasure and truth in the universe, Jesus (see Titus 1:9, 2:1, etc).

My notes can be seen here.