6/18/11
Greetings,It is my hope that the concept of unity is becoming firmly rooted your heart. There is no way around the issue. Unity is important and it is heavy on the heart of God. This week we are going to look at evidence that unity is heavy on the heart of God. This is revealed in a prayer of Jesus that is recorded in the book of John. We are going to spend this letter looking at some of the implications of this prayer.
The setting is the last supper. Before Jesus goes into a long discourse on various topics, He sees to it that Judas Iscariot is not present. His disciple (John) asks Jesus who it is that will betray Him and Jesus responds that it will be the one to whom he hands the bread dipped in wine. At this comment He dips the bread in wine and gives it to Judas Iscariot. As it is written:
“Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop [bread dipped in wine], when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly… He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.” (John 13:26-27, 30)
With Judas gone Jesus began to explain many things to His disciples, particularly things that regard the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. In the midst of what Jesus explained He gave two comments that are absolutely mind-blowing.
“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14:10)
“He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” (John 14:24)
From these two very similar phrases we glean an important concept. Everything that Jesus says comes from the Father’s heart. There is nothing that Jesus said that came from the flesh. He was what could be called “perfectly prophetic.” Every word He spoke had its origin in heaven. His words were spirit and they were life.
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)
Not only was every parable and teaching that Jesus spoke directly from the Father; every prayer Jesus prayed also revealed the heart of the Father. This is one of the main ways through which the Bible reveals the Father’s heart on the issue of unity. During this conversation at the last supper Jesus closes the discourse with an intercessory prayer. He prays about several topics. He definitely focuses on bringing glory to the Father. He also intercedes for those that were “given to Him” by the Father. However, notice how many direct references to the unity of the church are made during that prayer.
1. “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” (John 17:11)
2. “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:21)
3. “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:21)
4. “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:22)
5. “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” (John 17:23)
During this prayer of intercession Jesus prays that the church would “be one” five times across four verses. There are a lot of things that Jesus could have prayed heavily upon, but one of His top agendas was to intercede for the unity of the church. He was revealing the Father’s heart in these prayers. The heart of the Father is the unity of His people. Jesus shares this burden, and it couldn’t be more obvious.
When it comes to the type of unity that Jesus was praying for, it wasn’t an “agree to disagree” type of unity. In the several references to the body of Christ being made “one” Jesus prays that it would be in the same way that He and the Father are one. In Christianity, we worship the triune God. The doctrine of the Christian trinity basically breaks down to the idea that our God is one God expressed in three separate persons. These persons are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is a great mystery that is difficult to explain.
Some explain the trinity like H2O. Although it can be in the form of water, ice, or vapor, it is the same molecule regardless of manifestation. I also like to use a Gelatin example. I can let gelatin set with pieces of fruit in it. When it is served I call it “dessert”. There is only one desert. However, the gelatin dessert has pieces of fruit in it that are not gelatin, yet no less part of the single dessert being separate from the gelatin but equally essential to the composition of the dessert. There is also the chain link example. I can have a single chain composed of three individual links. There is no chain apart from the links, and the links cannot be severed from the chain. It is one chain with three separate links.
In any case, Jesus compares the type of unity He wants within the body of Christ to a type of unity that is impossible to fully explain or understand. He wants us to be one in the same way He and the Father are one. Can you wrap your mind around that? In a world where there are over 1000 different denominations and groups all declaring themselves Christian, is it feasible to say that Jesus is actually to be taken seriously? Of course it is.
I am going to prophesy that this prayer will be answered. Will my prophesy fail? Don’t count on it. It doesn’t matter what we see among Christians today or experience in our own Christian walks. There will come a day when this prayer is answered, and this day will come before Jesus returns for His church in His second coming. The answer to this prayer will come hard and fast and will probably leave as many heads spinning in the kingdom of darkness as it will in the kingdom of light. However, it will not leave your head spinning because you know it is coming. Unity will not be stopped, God will honor the prayers of His Son, and we will be part of the answer.
Discussion
1. Why do we know that Jesus communicated the Father’s heart
2. Do you feel that you share the Father’s heart on the issue of unity? Why or why not?
3. What does Jesus’ prayer for us to be one in the same way He and the Father are one mean to you?
4. According to Jesus’ prayer, what other fruit will unity bring about?
5. Is it okay to settle for “agreeing to disagree” in regard to long-term efforts to introduce unity into the body of Christ?
