Philippians 4:2 NLT
“Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.”
REFERENCES:Romans 12:6, 1 Corinthians 11:19
Think about the anatomy of the body. There's so many parts, functions and processes all working together to create a human being! Each atom and cell are assigned a specific task and without it will cause complications and diseases in the body. The Apostle Paul reminds the church that we must work in unity by resolving any conflict and respecting our unique gifts and perspectives. Our differences help fill in the gaps to complete the body of Christ as a whole and united creation.
If we are going to live in joy, we are going to have to live in unity.
Unity can be confused with uniformity or conformity, but God has made those of us in the body (the church) diverse, except when it comes to the most important thing, our faith in Jesus. We all look different. We all come from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures. And we all have varying gifts and ideas. Despite all of these differences that God has woven into us, Jesus is where we find our greatest commonality.
“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us…. Romans 12:6 NKJV
Unity requires you to live in peace with one another. Rather than disagreeing, we can seek to settle the conflict and choose to have an open heart and an open mind. When you make the active choice to join together despite differentiating beliefs, you are practicing unity. The church was designed to work with our differences because of our choice to follow Christ.
No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.”
1 Corinthians 11:19
God expects the body of Christ to live in unity, but if it were easy we wouldn’t need to strive for it. In Philippians 4, Paul encourages us to focus on our similarities in order to rest in God’s perfect peace. Unity takes work, but when we lean into resolving conflict, we will find ourselves better on the other side. This is God's promise, so do not be afraid. Make the phone call, send the text, and do whatever it takes to settle the disputes in your life so that you can live in joy.
We can learn and grow with the disagreements in our life. As Christians we have a deeper common thing: Jesus. Reflect on what disagreement you need to settle. If you need to apologize, do it, there’s power in forgiveness.
If someone in your Crew needs care, we want to come alongside you. Our Care Response Team is designed to equip you to walk with people in different seasons of their life.Our team is committed to celebrating life’s best moments with you and offering support through its hardest ones.We would love to come around you for the following life events:
+ Marriages
+ Births
+ Deaths
+ Hospitalizations/Illness
Please submit a request at vouschurch.com/requestcare
Serve Day is happening Saturday, July 12th, and we want to get ALL of our crews involved in loving our city so please sign your crew up for a Serve Day project! To see the projects and sign up, please click here! Please have your form in by Wednesday, July 2nd.
When: Saturday, July 12th
Where: All VOUS Locations
Time: 10:00 AM
We are having baptisms this Sunday, July 27th, across all of our locations, and on the beach.
To sign up for baptisms, please click here.
VOUS High Camp is happening July 22–25 in St. Petersburg, FL. A four-day experience for students in 6th–12th grade to grow in faith, build friendships, and have a blast. Camp includes worship, games, lodging, meals, merch, and transportation.
To sign up for VOUS High Camp, click here.
Join us for a powerful night designed just for college students and young adults. VCOM PM Chapel is where faith and community collide — a space to encounter God, connect with others, and be stirred in your calling in the community and culture of VOUS College.
To RSVP, click here.
When: Thursday, July 17th
Where: VOUS Design District
Time: 7:30 PM
Address: 77 NE 40th St, Miami, FL, 33137
VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS Miami Gardens
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM
VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM
Church Online
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 5PM Español
Growth Track
After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack