We’ve learned what Paul describes in Eph. 3:19 as “the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge”. It is with this increasing knowledge that our hearts are drawn to Christ more and more. From this our love for one another increases, as does our unity.
Where Christ and His work are exalted, and where that love is known and experienced, it is freely given and you know you are in a faithful church. Out of that knowledge of Christ and His Word, the character and work of the church flow. In a faithful church, with faithful teaching and obedience, one of the key distinctions that will be visible on the inside and outside is unity.
There is no people group, culture, ethnicity, or nation out of which God is not saving His people. And the promise we participate in is the future hope of a completely united eternity where all who have believed the gospel are together in our worship and praise of Christ forever.
How is it that the apostle Paul has such confidence that he can declare that he is a prisoner—not of Rome, but of Christ? "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles".
When studying the Gospel of Matthew closely, it becomes clear that Jesus came for a purpose, and that ultimate purpose was to glorify God and to save a people called by God to magnify His name on earth.
After the calming of the storm, Jesus was not finished showing His disciples His power, or His love for the most lost and enslaved of all people. The demoniacs of Matthew 8:28-34 were dangerous and no one could go near them.
In Matthew 8:23-27 Jesus taught the disciples a lesson of faith they could never forget. They had seen many miracles already, and they had seen Him teach with great authority, but the storm on the Sea of Galilee would leave an indelible mark on their lives.
In Matthew 8 after Jesus healed many people (8:1-17) He decided to depart and venture over the sea to another place. When He gave orders to depart, two men indicated that they wanted to follow Him. The first, a scribe, desired to go but was told that the Son of Man had nowhere to lay His head. The second, a disciple, said that he first wanted to bury his father. Jesus responded by telling him to leave the dead to bury their own.
