Is it possible that Jesus can be our Savior but not our Lord? Yes; in fact, not only was the Corinthian church struggling with this, but many Christians today continue to do so. Paul encourages us to live united in this: we share in receiving God’s life through Jesus our Savior & discipleship in this life following Jesus our Lord.

Many Christians today have a hard time with understanding the role of love in our faith. To some, love is weak; to others, it’s tolerance & acceptance. Maybe we don’t understand His love? How does God’s love shape the unity we have in Christ? Our love for God & others becomes our motivation, character, & eternal pursuit.

As we've been talking about Christ being our measuring stick for unity in 1 Corinthians 12, what does that look like practically in our work & service in God's kingdom? What do we work toward? And what is our reward? NRF Elder and Minister of Worship & Admin John Marshal leads us in a special deep dive into the scriptures to build out some answers.

How do we find unity when we’re constantly bombarded at how different everyone else is for us? This isn’t just a modern problem: it’s the situation the Corinthian church wrestled with too: one that Paul addresses in ch.11 to show unity in Christ focuses us on who are in Christ instead of how we’re different on earth.

How do we measure unity in Christ? The answer to this is highly important because it drives what we work toward in our faith: and what we lead others to work toward. Paul exhorts the Corinthians that unity in Christ is measured by how His life is being reproduced in ourselves and others.

In honor of Father's Day, guest pastor Bob Jackson (retired church planter & pastor, former interim pastor for NRF) studies some of the final words from King David to his son Solomon. These words, aimed at modeling fatherhood for children, nevertheless bring a charge to believers everywhere toward a courageous and bold faith.

How can unity bring God glory? We often believe we bring God glory by receiving what He’s giving us, by what we do for Him, or in getting His life “correct.” But does this bring Him glory? God desires our relationship over transaction; presence over performance; community over correctness: because this glorifies Him.

In a world that fights for its rights to get what it needs, the church is often no exception. Don’t we use our rights to make the gospel more appealing? How should the church look different? Paul shows unity in Christ means we surrender our rights for His gospel by leveraging our weaknesses & training in His image.

// Closing Prayer: Valley of Vision, "A Disciple's Renewal"

Isn't it easy to live united with others today? No? Well, then we need 1 Corinthians 8. Here, Paul opens a discussion lasting through chs.9-10. If 1 Corinthians is all about what unity in Christ looks like, the center of the letter here shows how unity in Christ plays out in pursuing unity with others. Guest pastor Chris Leeper (Director, Baptist Collegiate Ministries at Radford University) shares how we need to be spiritually sensitive to others as ambassadors for Christ.

Is Christ enough for us? We may readily agree to this in theory, but our language/actions/pursuits may say otherwise. How often do we say, “I’ll glorify God when I get _” or “We need to do _ to glorify God?” Paul cautions us that unity in Christ teaches us to glorify God in every season because Christ is enough for us.

// Closing Prayer: Valley of Vision, "Repose"