Walking in Unity

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you 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. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 17:20-23

Suppose we, as a church, walked in perfect unity. Suppose there was absolutely no division in our ranks. No division overtly and no division covertly. Every thought, every action, every motive of every individual was in complete unity. What do you suppose we might accomplish as a church? What power would be available to us as the Children of God walking in perfect unity?

Now let me ask you another question. What do you suppose perfect unity looks like? I would like to answer that question by suggesting to you that it looks just like Jesus, the Son of God, doing the will of the Father and the Father glorifying the Son for His obedience.

Perfect unity isn’t always ‘pretty’. You only need to look at the cross of Calvary to discern that. But there also is no substitute for it. Jesus declared: “It is finished”. He did not say – it is finished with a few minor exceptions. He did not say – It is finished except for those couple of times that you and I disagreed Father. He came to do the will of the Father and He did it. He did it because He walked in perfect unity with the Father. He walked with God at all times.

We all need to be walking with God. We do not defer that task to someone else. It is not simply ‘the Pastor’s job’. Look again at the words of our text today. Jesus prayed for unity and He did not pray that all the ‘Pastor’s may be one as we are one’. Rather He prayed for you and me – that all believers may be one.

Father:

I pray that we take to heart the prayer of Jesus and understand the obligation each of us has to walk with you. As we obediently follow you, may we bear witness to the world that we belong to you. May our unity not be that unity after the flesh, but a unity of the Holy Spirit bringing all who believe in you to a place of surrender and faithful commitment to walk with you each day.

I pray this in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.