Young Adults' Group

The Prayer For Oneness

by Pastor Mark
January 25, 2018

The importance of oneness in the church

Last Saturday at YAG, we learnt about the challenge of being one. We are encouraged to be like-minded, to have the same love, to be of one accord and to have one mind. (Phil 2:2) Oneness was something that Paul emphasised to the Philippian brethren. The importance of cultivating oneness cannot be stressed enough.

In the high priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus that was recorded in the gospel of John, He prayed specially for all believers…for the church. There were many things that He could have prayed for. But He chose to pray for oneness. The Lord stressed the importance of oneness in the church by making it His main focus in His prayer for the church. Let us also be challenged to pray for oneness as a church.

The Lord’s purposeful prayer for oneness

“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.” (John 17:21)

The Lord Jesus used the Greek word “hina” three times in this sentence. This was meant to indicate “purpose”. There was a great sense of purpose in the Lord praying for all believers.

1. The first purpose in prayer was for the church to be one

All believers are meant to be one. The Lord Jesus used His relationship with His Father as a model of oneness. His Father was in Him and He was in His Father. There was a special sense of oneness in how they related. This is the kind of oneness that we should pray for.

2. The second purpose was the church to be one in the Father and the Lord Jesus

The church was also meant to be one in the Father and the Lord Jesus. When we are able to be one with each other, there is a special relationship that we share with the Father and the Son. We would become one with them. But if we are not one with each other, we cannot be one with them. The second “hina” is contingent on the first “hina”. Let us truly be challenged to pray that we would be one with each other and to be one in the Father and the Son.

3. The third purpose was for the oneness of the church to be a witness to the world

The church is meant to have a corporate witness to the world. If we are able to be one as a church, we can be a witness to the world and they may come to believe in Christ. If the church is unable to be one, it would greatly affect our witness to the world. If those who believe in Christ cannot get along and be one, it would be hard for us to convince the world of the gospel that we preach. Let us pray with purpose to be one so that we would be a good witness corporately to the world.

Reason for praying for oneness

“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” (John 17:22)

Why did the Lord Jesus pray specially for oneness in the church? There is a special glory in being one. The Lord Jesus and His Heavenly Father reflected this great glory in their oneness. It is this same glory that the Lord has given to the church. We are also meant to reflect this glory of being one. We are meant to be one in the Father and the Son. This is a special union that we have with them that helps us to reflect this glory of being one. But this glory would be affected if we do not learn to be one and division were to affect the church. Let us challenged to pray for this oneness and to do our part in forging a greater sense of oneness with each other as a YAG and as a church.

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