The Call to Unity | Doctor Don Ross | Venture Church

This week at Venture, Don Ross continued our Journey Through Ephesians series with a powerful and challenging message from Ephesians chapter 4:1–16.

Speaking into the heart of Paul’s words from prison, Don reminds us that unity is our calling — not uniformity, but a shared commitment to the mission of Christ. In a divided world, the church shines brightest when we walk in humility, gentleness, patience, and love.

Don also unpacks the gifts of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, explaining how every believer is uniquely equipped to build up the body of Christ. We are not spectators — we are contributors. As each of us steps into obedience, the church grows stronger, healthier, and more unified.

This message calls us to maturity, to bold faith, and to using our gifts for the sake of the Kingdom.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Venture Church Online

00:21 – Don Ross opens the message

00:43 – The early days of Venture: “It’ll never take… and here you are.”

01:23 – Introduction to Don’s network role and ministry

02:02 – Don’s book resources

03:02 – Opening prayer

03:10 – The city of Ephesus and why it mirrors Seattle

03:37 – The three themes of Ephesians

04:00 – Paul’s perspective writing from prison

04:24 – Why God uses difficult circumstances

05:17 – “God allows situations for your good — and others’ good.”

06:16 – Ephesians 4:1–2 — living worthy of our calling

06:50 – Unity in a divided world

07:42 – Unity ≠ agreement, unity = shared mission

08:26 – Jesus calls Simon the Zealot and Matthew together

09:31 – Unity above politics

10:18 – You are a citizen of heaven

10:33 – Make every effort to keep the unity

11:00 – The seven “ones” of unity

12:01 – One Father: approaching God with intimacy

13:02 – Why Jesus taught us to pray “Our Father”

13:45 – One baptism explained

14:05 – Baptism in the Holy Spirit

14:27 – The power needed to walk in unity

15:16 – Water baptism: going public with your faith

15:40 – Three types of spiritual gifts

16:04 – Gifts of the Father (Romans 12)

17:00 – Examples: leadership, teaching, giving

18:17 – Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12)

18:39 – The Holy Spirit activates the gifts

19:15 – A story of healing and obedience

19:38 – Gifts of the Son (Ephesians 4)

20:09 – Christ’s ascension and the giving of gifts

21:14 – Christ descending and ascending

22:10 – The five-fold ministry: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers

23:04 – What apostles and prophets do today

24:44 – The call of the evangelist

25:28 – Evangelism in everyday life

26:30 – The role of the pastor — equipping, not replacing

27:13 – Obedience: stepping out when the Spirit prompts

28:16 – No longer infants tossed by every wind of teaching

29:05 – Speak the truth in love

30:04 – Every supporting ligament: everyone has a role

30:38 – Are you contributing… or consuming?

31:22 – Producing fruit vs. being a “sucker” branch

31:59 – Response: stepping into obedience

32:35 – Prayer

33:14 – Closing and next steps

33:39 – Don’s book table + building expansion reminder

33:59 – Thank you for joining Venture Online