Prayer for Unity
Recently, I have been deeply burdened, and even angered by the division in the body of Christ. Unfortunately, I was more focused on what we were not rather than what we are becoming. After all, He that has begun a good work in us will continue to perform it until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in us (ref. Philippians 1:6).
Then, one day I was reading John 17 (the prayer of Jesus to the Father before he went to the cross). And the revelation leaped off the pages. The Word became alive in my spirit. Guess what? Jesus has already prayed that we be one! And, I know you will agree that JESUS' PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED! Having this understanding and convinced that the written Word of God is truth, my whole perspective changed. I saw beyond the present division into the future. My attitude changed about the people of God. I started seeing their potential. I stopped focusing on all the issues and began resting in power of God to bring us to the place that He already destined. Without a doubt, Jesus’ prayer to the Father is already answered. It’s settled in heaven. In the fullness of time, we will be united. The process of unifying us is well on the way. Actually, it began on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the 120 in the Upper Room (Acts 2). The true Church of Jesus Christ--the "called out" assembly-- we are one!
READ THE PRAYER: John 27: 20-21, “Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching, that they all may be one [Us] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me.”
However, what stands out most to me in Jesus’ prayer is recorded in verse 22. He says, “ I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.”
There is a specific reason for Jesus’ prayer for unity among believers. That reason is to be a witness to the world--unbelievers. Our unity is essential to the world believing that Jesus is the Christ—the Anointed One—sent from God to save the world from eternal damnation. Our unified witness to the world will validate and affirm the Father’s love for them just as He loved His Son Jesus. More iimportantly, Jesus' command for us to love one another gives evidence of us being his disciples (followers of his teachings). It is impossible to be unified without love for one another. (That's another blog).
In essence, we are the representatives of Christ in the earth. We are His witnesses. NOW, carnal logic and reasoning says even false witnesses are more convincing when they are united—telling lies; working for the same wrong cause. When two or more people tell the same lie they are believed. I say to you how much more if two or more of Jesus' disciples would stand firmly in agreement to the Truth of God's word would our witness be believed?
In addition, Jesus also says to the Father, “I have given them the glory and honor which You have given Me that they may be one.” This is past tense. In essence, we already have what it takes to be one! When we accepted Jesus by faith and was born again, we received the essence of himself through the Holy Spirit to become one. This leaves us with no excuses. It’s no excuse to say I can’t work with this group or that person.
Truth is, it is the Holy Spirit that unify us. If you have the indwelling Holy Ghost, and He's controlling your life, there's no room for the spirit of division. When it comes to the Kingdom, our personal differences are irrelevant. Our opinions don’t move God, but they can move people either away from God, or toward God. Therefore, we must be careful with our opinions and speak the truth of God’s Word. Our opinions don't save souls! The Gospel of Jesus Christ save souls and brings deliverance. And we are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). We must get over ourselves— look beyond our idiosyncrasies and focus on God’s agenda (plan and purposes). God’s agenda is what ‘s most important— it is priority over everything. It's about what GOD wants. It's about what HE is saying, and what HE is doing. The question is: Are we available as obedient servants committed to giving HIM the GLORY and not ourselves?
With this mindset and understanding we become one through the power of the Holy Ghost. Studying this passage released me from the burden of negativity, and caused me to refocus. I can no longer focus on the petty disagreements and conflicts among believers. I am convinced that if we are serious about our relationship with Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to control us, we will become unified.
At some point, we will agreeably disagree if necessary for the Kingdom’s sake. We will set aside personal opinions and stand in agreement on the Word of GOD.
It is the Holy Spirit who will unify the body of believers and as we yield our will to God’s will, walk in love, be compassionate, be real and share the good news about the King and his kingdom, the world will take notice and recognize the Truth about who Jesus is and desire the unconditional and satisfying love of God through faith in Jesus the Christ.
Then, one day I was reading John 17 (the prayer of Jesus to the Father before he went to the cross). And the revelation leaped off the pages. The Word became alive in my spirit. Guess what? Jesus has already prayed that we be one! And, I know you will agree that JESUS' PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED! Having this understanding and convinced that the written Word of God is truth, my whole perspective changed. I saw beyond the present division into the future. My attitude changed about the people of God. I started seeing their potential. I stopped focusing on all the issues and began resting in power of God to bring us to the place that He already destined. Without a doubt, Jesus’ prayer to the Father is already answered. It’s settled in heaven. In the fullness of time, we will be united. The process of unifying us is well on the way. Actually, it began on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the 120 in the Upper Room (Acts 2). The true Church of Jesus Christ--the "called out" assembly-- we are one!
READ THE PRAYER: John 27: 20-21, “Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching, that they all may be one [Us] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me.”
However, what stands out most to me in Jesus’ prayer is recorded in verse 22. He says, “ I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.”
There is a specific reason for Jesus’ prayer for unity among believers. That reason is to be a witness to the world--unbelievers. Our unity is essential to the world believing that Jesus is the Christ—the Anointed One—sent from God to save the world from eternal damnation. Our unified witness to the world will validate and affirm the Father’s love for them just as He loved His Son Jesus. More iimportantly, Jesus' command for us to love one another gives evidence of us being his disciples (followers of his teachings). It is impossible to be unified without love for one another. (That's another blog).
In essence, we are the representatives of Christ in the earth. We are His witnesses. NOW, carnal logic and reasoning says even false witnesses are more convincing when they are united—telling lies; working for the same wrong cause. When two or more people tell the same lie they are believed. I say to you how much more if two or more of Jesus' disciples would stand firmly in agreement to the Truth of God's word would our witness be believed?
In addition, Jesus also says to the Father, “I have given them the glory and honor which You have given Me that they may be one.” This is past tense. In essence, we already have what it takes to be one! When we accepted Jesus by faith and was born again, we received the essence of himself through the Holy Spirit to become one. This leaves us with no excuses. It’s no excuse to say I can’t work with this group or that person.
Truth is, it is the Holy Spirit that unify us. If you have the indwelling Holy Ghost, and He's controlling your life, there's no room for the spirit of division. When it comes to the Kingdom, our personal differences are irrelevant. Our opinions don’t move God, but they can move people either away from God, or toward God. Therefore, we must be careful with our opinions and speak the truth of God’s Word. Our opinions don't save souls! The Gospel of Jesus Christ save souls and brings deliverance. And we are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). We must get over ourselves— look beyond our idiosyncrasies and focus on God’s agenda (plan and purposes). God’s agenda is what ‘s most important— it is priority over everything. It's about what GOD wants. It's about what HE is saying, and what HE is doing. The question is: Are we available as obedient servants committed to giving HIM the GLORY and not ourselves?
With this mindset and understanding we become one through the power of the Holy Ghost. Studying this passage released me from the burden of negativity, and caused me to refocus. I can no longer focus on the petty disagreements and conflicts among believers. I am convinced that if we are serious about our relationship with Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to control us, we will become unified.
At some point, we will agreeably disagree if necessary for the Kingdom’s sake. We will set aside personal opinions and stand in agreement on the Word of GOD.
It is the Holy Spirit who will unify the body of believers and as we yield our will to God’s will, walk in love, be compassionate, be real and share the good news about the King and his kingdom, the world will take notice and recognize the Truth about who Jesus is and desire the unconditional and satisfying love of God through faith in Jesus the Christ.
Comments are closed for this blog post
© 2024 Created by Raliegh Jones Jr..
Powered by
