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"I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, {21} that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. {22} The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, {23} I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
(John 17:20-23) NRSV
Bruce Shelly in his book "What is the Church" writes:
"In one of my favorite Peanuts cartoons, Lucy demands that Linus change TV channels and then threatens him with her fist if he doesn't.
'What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?' asks Linus.
'These five fingers,' says Lucy. 'Individually they're nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.'
'Which channel do you want?' asks Linus.
Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, 'Why can't you guys get organized like that?'
The potential of the Body of Christ to do great things in this world is overwhelming. Jesus told His disciples "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12 NRSV) I believe this applies to the Church today as well. We have the ability in ourselves to change the world for in us dwells the Spirit of God. Not only does the church possess the potential for saving a multitude of lost sinners from their bondage to sin, but the Church also holds within its grasp the ability to create an atmosphere of love and peace in the hearts of its members. In fact, it is the Church's duty to desire this one thing and that is the promotion of peace in the hearts and unity in the lives of individuals.
If this statement is correct then why does it seem that the number one excuse given by lost souls for not being interested in Christianity is the overwhelming existence of hypocrites in the Church. We hear it all the time. "All they do there is fight, they never can agree on what it is they should do. Did you hear about what they did to their minister? Those Christians have more problems getting along than any other group I'm associated with, why would I want to spend time with them?"
The loss of credibility in the eyes of the lost is not the only consequence of our lack of unity. Consider the attrition by neglect, loneliness and disenchantment among believers. How many times have you seen an individual, and maybe your the individual, who begins a passionate walk with God only to eventually lose that zeal and become dry and emotionless in the faith. How often do we spy out a once zealous Christian, sitting in a state of despair and loneliness. The world sees these things and says "No Thanks." I see them and say its not surprising. A man on fire for the love of Christ and His ministry joins a Bible study with older, not necessarily mature, Christians, longing for direction and discipleship and finds himself in the midst of some long dead debate over some pointless issue of church dogma and doctrine. In that place, rather than finding love and guidance he finds bitterness and an argumentative spirit, and his zeal is crushed. A woman newly devoted to her God, longing for the companionship and discipleship of other Godly women joins her own bible study. Once the initial superficiality of the meeting wears off, she discovers that these "godly women" are not here to grow closer to the Lord, rather, they spend their time complaining about the minister, griping about their husbands and gossiping about the women who aren't present. And yes, soon her love for God becomes a thing she shares with no one and her zeal for the body of Christ is lost and she becomes one of them.
I wish it were not so, and in fact it doesn't have to be this way. The Chruch can be that place of refuge for the lost and a balm of blessing for the sick. It can be a light in the dark, and a door which leads to a warm fire and a nourishing meal on a cold deathly night. That was God's intent and the desire of our Lord.
In the 17th chapter of the gospel of John we have recorded for us one of the few recorded prayers of Jesus. We are told numerous times in scripture that Jesus went away and prayed to His Father in Heaven. Prayer was an integral part of His life. He recognized it as a necessity, it was not something to neglect and He did not neglect it. However, seldom did His prayers end up in print, if they had, our Bibles would be even thicker than they are today for many were Our Lord's conversations with the Father. And so when we find one of His prayers recorded, it is wise to stop and take notice for in them are truths so great God could not neglect to reveal them to us. Such is the case with the 17th chapter of the gospel of John. In this passage we find, among other important points, a description of God's intention for the coming body of Christ, the Church.
Notice that I said in the prayer of Jesus we find God's intention or God's will for His church. It is such the case that when a person whose Spirit is one with the Spirit of God and his heart is not clouded over with the stain of sin, that his prayers are not ramblings and wish lists but they are in fact the will of God. For when we are one with the Spirit of God then the Spirit of God leads us in our prayers to the end of making our prayers a revelation of the will of God. That is why Marcus Rainsford wrote, "Our Lord's prayer must have been answered. He could not pray in vain. And if this be so, then it is a divine fact, a most blessed reality, that all His believing people are one, according to His own words, 'even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee.' "
That was the desire of our Lord. He said in verse 11 concerning the disciples "And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one." (John 17:11 NRSV) It was our Lord's desire that we be given a shield of protection that could safeguard us from the attacks of the world. And so we now have the shield of faith which we are told is ours to take up. "With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one." (Eph 6:16 NRSV) Believing in the name of God is key to holding up the shield of faith. As long as we continue in our trust in Him for our daily provisions He will continue to protect us from attack. And notice that it is this protection which makes it possible for us to remain unified in our relationship with other members of the body. You see, Jesus realized that in order for the Church to be effective in bringing about peace and restoration in the world it needs to remain unified, and so he also realized that would be Satan's number one mission: to divide us. A house divided against itself cannot stand. And so it was the prayer of Jesus in verse 21 "As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us." In order to maintain a good grip on the shield of faith we hold in our hands, it is imperative that we remain in the presence of Jesus. They say absence make the heart grow fonder, and that is probably true for awhile. But for flawed humanity absence from the presence of God makes the heart wander, faith weakens and in steps the deceiver to fill the gap. That is why it is imperative that a body of believers which desires to remain unified in their efforts toward promoting peace and salvation also remain diligent in the corporate prayer. Prayer allows us to enter into the presence of God. The more we pray, the more time we are with God, the less likely it is that we will forget him. A church that does not pray bickers, in my opinion, for they are dead in their faith and open to the attacks of the enemy. And so I urge you as a body and as individuals dedicate yourself to prayer. And focus your prayers on seeking the will of God, not promoting your personal agenda.
But before I go and make it sound like Jesus' desire for unity among believers is dependent on the actions of believers let me say it is not. Remember, our Lord was not praying after His own fancy, he was praying after the will of God. He was merely reciting what God was going to do in the lives of those who trust him. We are unified. All those who have heard the word of God, accepted Him as their Savior and followed Him in obedience through baptism have a common trait which unifies them and creates a bond between them that is indestructible.
Now, I here you saying, wait just one minute there mister, if God has unified us, if this prayer has already been answered as you seem to be saying it has, then why do Christians argue so much? And that's a good question. Why do they? Why would anyone argue with and find fault with another individual whom God has declared faultless? It's a valid question. If God sees you as perfect, if He calls you His child, most loved, then how can I find fault in you, and treat you with contempt. It is because of this: We do not always manifest in our actions the truth of who we are, and often that is because we don't know who we are.
Our Lord had a desire and His desire was fulfilled. And it was fulfilled the day he was crucified. Notice what Jesus said in verse 22 "The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one," And in giving us that glory He blessed us in many ways.
I want you to understand something very clearly. I believe that human nature is such that we often become what other people say we are. I am also convinced that when a person has a misconception concerning their relationship with another person their actions toward that person often are harmful to the relationship. Christians are not immune to these tendencies either. Where we are concerned I'm afraid these two problems have a direct effect on the way we treat each other.
First of all Christians, in this country at least, live in a society which tells them that they are okay. They are their own master, and they have every right and responsibility to be so. As a result Christians who hear this enough fall into the trap of believing that as far as their salvation is concerned, as long as they don't mess up big time, they're fine. That's just not true. Whether we're okay or not is not dependent on us, we are not our own master.
In a recent psychological study when a random sample of male adults were asked to rank themselves on the ability to get along with others, all subjects, 100 percent, put themselves in the top half of the population. Sixty percent rated themselves in the top 10 percent of the population, and a full 25 percent ever so humbly thought they were in the top 1 percent of the population. In a parallel finding, 70 percent rated themselves in the top quartile in leadership; only 2 percent felt they were below average as leaders. Finally, in an area in which self-deception should be hard for most males, at least, 60 percent said they were in the top quartile of athletic ability; only 6 percent said they were below average.
We all think we're tops. We're exuberantly, wildly irrational about ourselves. And that has sweeping implications for organizing. And the same is true in the church. Unity is difficult to support when we think we have everything and need nothing. That explains why Paul says ". . . if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves." (Gal 6:3 NRSV)
And so the first thing we must realize about ourselves, the initial I want you to understand about who you really are, is that as a part of fallen humanity, we have a problem, we are not autonomous individuals, we cannot govern our own affairs in a vacuum and without flaw, and by no means can we justify ourselves before God by our actions. We need help because we have fallen and we can't get up. Until the body realizes this and becomes free from the lie of Satan unity will always be a thing which exist in our interior beings but is not manifested in our actions.
Secondly and probably most importantly it is imperative that you understand your relationship with God as it now stands. Our understanding of the position of our souls before God has an infinite impact on how we handle ourselves in regards to our fellow believers. Because of our society's position on the autonomy of individuals, (that is that our society believes that each person is a government in it self, responsible for its own actions and answerable only to itself,) Christians become convinced that if God is going to save me then I must first save myself. It goes back to that passage in scripture, which I can't find, which says "God helps those who help themselves." Too many of you believe that you hold your destiny in your own hands. My friends that is too great a burden for you to carry. To attempt such a load will inevitably bring you to despair. You can't help but one day echo the words of Solemn "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity and a chasing after the wind." But that is precisely where Satan wants you. But not God. God has it in His mind to inform you that everything you need to obtain His love He has already given you. There is no need for assembly when you buy the cross of Jesus. Its plug and play all the way.
That's why Jesus didn't say, "I hope you give them my glory, I hope you make them one with us, I hope you cleanse them from all guilt." Instead He spoke with conviction when He said "The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one," (John 17:22 NRSV) And when Jesus instructed the disciples in the truth that once a person sins that person can do nothing to free himself from the slavery into which he has sold himself, he said,"So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36 NRSV)
And now it is imperative that you understand how this all happened. Jesus set us free and gave us His glory by filling us with the Holy Spirit. That is the one common trait that all believers possess. The indwelling of the Spirit of God is a guaranteed possession.
Listen to the words of Paul, he writes in Romans 8:
"But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh--for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." (Rom 8:9-14 NRSV)
And then he writes in II Corinthians 3:
"Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses' face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, much more does the ministry of justification abound in glory! Indeed, what once had glory has lost its glory because of the greater glory; for if what was set aside came through glory, much more has the permanent come in glory!" (2 Cor 3:5-11 NRSV)
Sermon upon sermon could be written and preached on these two passages, but I must be short. I will let them speak for themselves for the most part, but I will add this in closing. God has done a special thing for you. While you and I were without any power to help ourselves, he helped us. He sent to live in us His very own Spirit. In so doing, He gave us unity with Him, assurance of our security in salvation through His presence and a blessed bond of love, peace, joy and glory with others of like condition. There is no reason we have to quarrel among ourselves. If we would only humble ourselves and see our helplessness and turn to God and see His helpfulness, which is infinite, then we would start on the road to manifesting in our actions what is already true in our beings, and that is unity.
Shortly after the close of the Civil War, in a fashionable Richmond church, members of the congregation were invited to come to the altar rail to receive Holy Communion.
After several rows of worshipers came and left after receiving Communion side by side, a black man walked down the aisle toward the altar. A tense silence gripped everyone. No one got up to come down to receive the bread and wine, although many had not yet received Communion. The black man started to kneel alone.
Quietly, a tall, graying man with a military bearing stood up and strode down the aisle to the black man's side. Together, they knelt.
Before the officiating clergyman could continue, people recognized that the person kneeling beside the black man without showing any distinction was General Robert E. Lee. Although Lee said nothing, everyone realized he had shown his faith through his act of joining that lonely black worshiper at the altar.
Lee's example is an example for all. We must not be content with any system that divides us as fellow Christians. We must seek to demonstrate our essential unity. Only then can we say truly: "We are one in Christ."
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