This is my last message on John 17, which is Jesus' prayer for you and me. Jesus is at a pivotal point in time; the cross is coming soon, and He knows it. We always look at His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and miss this prayer in John 17. But this prayer is fraught with wonder and power. Jesus sees the then, the now, and the ultimate soon, and He thinks of His church's future and the unity we must have together. In the following verses, we will see what this oneness entails and respond in any way we can to make it happen.
John 17: 20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. 22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
25 “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”
Paul saw the necessity for the church, or Christians, to be united. In one Bible Translation, the term is called like-minded, which means "totally for each other as we are for Jesus. In Philippians 2:2 Paul says this 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. In our world, we can't even get this oneness right within the confines of marriage, much less, with other believers. We have become too consumed with our own ways and ignored the ways that God brings other perspectives to the table when it comes to following the call of God. A wise person will listen and discern others' thoughts when considering following God. THIS is when the church will need to consider "change", not for change's sake but for the sake of the whole mission, so that it will succeed. These deeper truths for all believers are found in Jesus' prayer for those He died for and who want to grow in His grace.
If there is a "my way" that must be followed, it is the way of Jesus, but how we get there must be achieved through all believers believing together, serving together, and succeeding together. No one is left behind, and a central call will make the mission continue the work of Jesus. That is made possible through prayer, deeper study in the Word of God, and discernment given by the Holy Spirit. Now you see why Jesus took a stand on being born again in the Spirit, because without the Spirit there can be no oneness of unity. Many churches are not "one" in Jesus because many do not have the filling of the Holy Spirit. Just think about the need for the church to be following the Holy Spirit in every ministry. The following was taken from a Christian website dealing with the need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. These are helpful when looking at this subject.
Luke 11:13 – Ask and You Will Receive: Jesus teaches that God is eager to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.
Ephesians 5:18 – Be Filled Continually: Instead of being drunk with wine, be filled with the Spirit.
Acts 1:8 – Power to Witness: The Holy Spirit empowers believers to be witnesses.
Romans 8:9 – The Spirit Dwells in You: If you have the Spirit of Christ, you belong to Him.
Galatians 5:16-26 – Bearing the Fruit of the Spirit: Walk by the Spirit and bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Our Oneness must be a Heavenly Oneness and that kind of Oneness is described in the following verse in John 17: 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. That pretty well explains the heart of Jesus' prayer. May we respond to this prayer with a desire to be "one" with other believers in everything we say and do. HEAVENLY ONENESS!!
Today's Message,
David Warren
コメント