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John

John 
Day 
Day 268

John 17 : 1 - 26 "SPECIAL REASONS FOR PRAYING FOR ONENESS"

Day 268 – John 17

SPECIAL REASONS FOR PRAYING FOR ONENESS

What are some of the reasons why Jesus prayed for this special sense of oneness to prevail? Let us consider carefully these words uttered prayerfully by Jesus.

“That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in
Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us,
that the world may believe that You sent Me.
And the glory which You gave Me I have given them,
that they may be one just as We are one.”
John 17:21-22

Let us take time to consider two special reasons, why we must work hard at forging a special sense of oneness in the local church.

1. “That the world may believe that You sent Me”

Jesus was concerned about the kind of witness that the Church must bear in the world! As it is, the world is already skeptical and hostile to the Name of Jesus! If the Church cannot even bear witness that it can have oneness in its ranks, how would it convince the world concerning its belief in the message of salvation that Jesus offers?

The sense of oneness that the local body of believers has in Christ would actually affect the corporate witness of the Church! This is surely a valid and powerful reason for the Church to work hard at achieving oneness in Christ!

Our witness of faith in Jesus would either be hindered or helped by how much unity we have as a Church! We dare not take this statement lightly. We must not be found hindering the work of the Lord because of a lack of unity!

2. “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them”

There is a special glory in the concept and practice of Oneness. This was certainly seen in the Oneness that Jesus maintained with His Father!

Jesus spoke about having given “the glory” of Oneness to His disciples already! What did He mean by that? Paul’s statement in his Epistle to the Ephesians could shed some light on this subject. He too argued strenuously concerning the matter of Oneness.

“There is One body and One Spirit, just as you
were called in One Hope of your calling;
One Lord, One faith, One baptism; One God and
Father of all, who is above all, and through all,
and in you all.”
Ephesians 4:4-6

There is great glory in being One with each other, and ultimate in our Union with God through Jesus! Let us do our utmost to forge practical Oneness in the Church.

PRAYING FOR ONENESS

Oneness is obviously not easily obtained; otherwise it would not be an item of prayer where Jesus was concerned! How many things could Jesus have mentioned in prayer? A thousand different things could have been brought to His Father in prayer. But He focused on just ONE item! That surely teaches us that this matter of Oneness is very important!

Do we find ourselves praying for oneness too? Are we deeply concerned about being one with each other, and one with God? Let us be deeply moved and challenged by the way Jesus prayed, and by His concern for Oneness.

WORKING TOWARDS ONENESS

The Apostle Paul wrote on this subject of oneness on more than one occasion. He was understandably concerned about this subject of oneness! Besides the need for praying for oneness, he also urged his readers to do their utmost to achieve oneness. Prayer was of paramount importance, but there were other things that the believer must do to achieve oneness! Let us consider some of these texts.


“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you
to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering,
bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Ephesians 4:1-3

Paul spoke of the fact that there was already essential oneness in the Spirit! However, practical oneness is another matter! Practical oneness is something that must be worked at! The believer must walk worthy of his calling. He must therefore cultivate virtues like humility, gentleness, patience, love etc and then apply these things in the context of the Christian community. The believer is expected to do his part, to endeavour to keep the essential unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace!

THE DANGEROUS SIN OF DIVISION

There was great danger in the sin of division! Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church urgently on this danger that confronted the brethren.

“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the
same thing, and that there be no divisions
among you, but that you be perfectly joined
together in the same mind and in the same
judgment…”
1 Corinthians 1:10

Paul was rightly concerned about the problem of division in the Corinthian Church! Division was indicative of the deeper problem of carnality! He wrote,


“For where there are envy, strife, and divisions
among you, are you not carnal and behaving
like mere men?
1 Corinthians 3:3