December 31, 2016 THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE
John 17:20-21: “I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those who also believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.”
Jesus often spoke of the unity that He and the Father enjoyed in heaven and continued to enjoy while on earth. The seventeenth chapter of John is referred to as the high priestly prayer of Jesus; in this chapter we have the prayer Jesus made to His Father just before He was crucified, and it reveals the heart that Jesus has for those who believed Him then and for all of those who would come to believe in Him-and that includes us. It is apparent that in the kingdom of God, there is not division or competition, but total unity. Unlike the heavenly kingdom, in this worldly kingdom, competition and division are the norm and at the heart of this is the selfishness of man and the pride of man. In Gods kingdom at least two things are evident; the majesty or splendor of God, and the love of God. When one, whether an angel or a man, sees the glory of God, His absolute power, His beauty, His wisdom, His purity, and that He IS love, worship of Him and unity among all who see Him is the only response. Believers are to live in unity, and when they do not, it is evidence that they are not seeing God for who He is and that He is not ruling in their heart; for where God rules, there is unity. This is not to say that there cannot be varying view points and opinions among believers, but unity supersedes any differences. We do not, and cannot create unity, but we are to ‘maintain’ the unity among us that comes as a result of living in fellowship with the Father and with one another. In Ephesians 4:2-3 we read: “with all humility and gentleness, with patience bearing with one another in love; being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” It is interesting to see that God has chosen to use unity among believers as a means of letting the world know that Jesus was sent by His Father. Sad but true, there has been much dis-unity among believers, and surely this is not pleasing to the Lord. There are numerous denominations and churches in existence and most of them were formed because they disagreed with ‘the other church.’ We must remember that there is only one true gospel, and wherever this gospel is honored, pursued, and proclaimed, there will be unity. If just the ‘one another’ verses were put into practice, there would be unity; theses verses take the emphasis off of self and put it on the call to serve and bless others. Just as Jesus emptied Himself and came to bless us, we can likewise be a blessing to others. Disunity will be replaced with unity when and where the Lord reigns.
1 Corinthians 1:10: “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no division among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgement.”
Romans 12:16: “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in our own estimations.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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