October 6th, 2020
By Jack Broomell
As we get closer to November I can’t help but feel our nation is getting further and further divided and we can even see that within our own denomination. Now I am not saying all the division is without cause but it is nonetheless heartbreaking. I begin to wonder what I can do and how is God guiding me during this. The passage that always comes to mind is when Jesus prays the night before his betrayal in John.
I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. They glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:20-26
Here we see Jesus finish his prayer just before Judas betrays him, and he is praying for unity within his believers. He is praying for all future believers for unity, for protection from the evil one, and holiness. Those now trusting in Christ can find great comfort in the fact that he specifically prayed for them on the night of his betrayal.
He prayed for unity which is based on the Unity that exists among the Father, Son and Christians. Paul also teaches us that God’s Spirit is another crucial component of Christian unity indicating that Christian harmony is the result of being incorporated into the community of God himself. As we trust in the gospel, we all become apart of the same heavenly family now, differences become secondary.
As those who have been united with God, believers have the privilege of knowing the Father and the Son in an intimate way. When we look at Jesus, we see his glory of our Father and through the Holy Spirit we love Jesus with the same love the Father has. While Jesus is describing his vision for believers I feel we can still take this love we experience and live in, and bring it to all areas of our communities and nation. I often wonder how we set ourselves back on the path of unity in our world, and struggle to even see how it will be possible. Yet I know our God is great, and his love is great. By simply spreading that to our neighbors we can begin the process for a world that is truly glorying to Him.
As we get closer to November I can’t help but feel our nation is getting further and further divided and we can even see that within our own denomination. Now I am not saying all the division is without cause but it is nonetheless heartbreaking. I begin to wonder what I can do and how is God guiding me during this. The passage that always comes to mind is when Jesus prays the night before his betrayal in John.
I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. They glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:20-26
Here we see Jesus finish his prayer just before Judas betrays him, and he is praying for unity within his believers. He is praying for all future believers for unity, for protection from the evil one, and holiness. Those now trusting in Christ can find great comfort in the fact that he specifically prayed for them on the night of his betrayal.
He prayed for unity which is based on the Unity that exists among the Father, Son and Christians. Paul also teaches us that God’s Spirit is another crucial component of Christian unity indicating that Christian harmony is the result of being incorporated into the community of God himself. As we trust in the gospel, we all become apart of the same heavenly family now, differences become secondary.
As those who have been united with God, believers have the privilege of knowing the Father and the Son in an intimate way. When we look at Jesus, we see his glory of our Father and through the Holy Spirit we love Jesus with the same love the Father has. While Jesus is describing his vision for believers I feel we can still take this love we experience and live in, and bring it to all areas of our communities and nation. I often wonder how we set ourselves back on the path of unity in our world, and struggle to even see how it will be possible. Yet I know our God is great, and his love is great. By simply spreading that to our neighbors we can begin the process for a world that is truly glorying to Him.
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