We Are catholic

Sermon Title: We Are Catholic
Scripture Text: Ephesians 4:1–6

1. Key Scriptures

• Ephesians 4:1–6

• Ephesians 1:3, 5, 7, 13; 2:15, 19

• Ephesians 2:13–16

• John 13:35; 17:23

• Psalm 117

• Psalm 96:1–4

• Revelation 7:9–10

2. Sermon Flow & Takeaways

Introduction: Who We Are & What We Do
The church’s identity is received, not achieved. “Catholic” means universal: one people of God across all times, places, and cultures.

• Takeaway: Our church is part of something much bigger than ourselves.

• Application: Resist defining your faith only in terms of local preference or style.

I. The Call to Walk Worthy (v.1)
Paul urges believers to live lives that “balance the scales” with the weight of God’s calling. His chains testify that the gospel is worth suffering for.

• Takeaway: Walking worthy means living a life aligned with God’s grace, not our old allegiances.

• Application: Ask: Does my life reflect the weight of my adoption and redemption in Christ?

II. The Character of Unity (vv.2–3)
Unity is guarded by humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance. These are not natural virtues but Spirit-shaped.

• Takeaway: Pride fractures unity; humility and love preserve it.

• Application: Stay at the table in conflict; listen longer; forgive as you’ve been forgiven.

III. The Foundation of Unity:The Seven Ones (vv.4–6)
Paul anchors unity in unchanging realities: one body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, and Father.

• Takeaway: Unity rests on God’s work, not human consensus.

• Application: Refuse to elevate secondary issues above the “seven ones.”

IV. Catholicity: Who We Are
To be catholic is to belong to the one universal church. Baptists stand in that stream, with gifts to share and gifts to receive.

• Takeaway: Catholicity guards against sectarianism and rootlessness.

• Application: Honour believers from other traditions; learn from the wider body of Christ.

V. Living the Unity We Have
We do not create unity, we display it. Guard it daily through love, reconciliation, and gospel-shaped practices.

• Takeaway: Unity is blood-bought; treating it lightly dishonours Christ.

• Application: Ask: “Am I eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit?”; “How am I showing the world a foretaste of the New Creation?”

Conclusion: Our One Hope
One day the unity of the Spirit will be perfectly visible: a great multitude from every tribe and tongue gathered before Christ. Until then, we walk worthy of the calling we have received.

• Takeaway: Catholicity is not an aspiration but our present reality in Christ.

• Application: Live now in light of the unity you will one day see.

3. Primary Sources (cited)

• Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible

• Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

• R. Lucas Stamps & Matthew Y. Emerson, Evangelical Baptist Catholicity: A Manifesto

• Baptist Catholicity and Renewal (Center for Baptist Renewal)

• Steven Harmon, Baptist Identity and the Ecumenical Future

• Kimlyn J. Bender, “Baptist Identity, Receptive Catholicity, and Intentional Ecumenicity” (Christian Scholar’s Review)

4. Additional Resources

• Timothy George, “Is Jesus a Baptist?” (essay on retrieval and renewal)

• The Nicene Creed (focus on “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church”)

• John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! (missions and catholicity)

• Article: “9 Things You Should Know About the Apostles’ Creed"

• Video: Bible Project – Ephesians Overview

• Evangelical Baptist Catholicity: A Manifesto*
• Baptist Catholicity and Renewal
• Albert Mohler, A Call for Theological Triage and Christian Maturity