“I am praying not only for these
disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their
message. I pray that they will all be
one, just as you and I are one - as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will
believe you sent me.” John 17:20-21 NLT
Jesus is
praying to the Father regarding his disciples and all future believers. He is praying that one thing take place,
that believers will all be one. The finer nuances of God’s word seemed to often
be pushed aside in an effect to project ones personal agenda or will onto a
congregation. Liberal thinking and an
inaccurate dissection of the Bible can lead many believers down a slippery
slope, cheapening God’s message in the process.
Believers in all walks of life must earnestly dig for the word of truth
as they prayerfully seek spiritual understanding. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a
worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of
truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NIV)
Being as one is being likeminded with
the Lord and as a result with one another.
Sadly, man-made denominations based on differences in doctrinal
understanding makes this very difficult.
How will the world ever come to know Christ if we can’t even agree on
what the truth of the Gospel is?
Believers need to take the personal relationship they have with Christ
seriously. We all need to be Christ as much as we are able with
the help of the Holy Spirit.
If you’re a
true, blood bought believer in Christ, then you are included in this
prayer. Even those who have yet to be
saved are included, for Christ has foreknowledge of each conversion that is to
come. We need to be a student of the
scriptures, open to the movement of the Spirit and quiet before the Lord, so
that we might live an effective life in His name. Those who do so will be in one accord with
those other believers who have taken their induction into God’s family as an
honor and privilege. Our prayer should
always be “Use me Lord, that the world may see You in me.” Until next time, walk with the King and be a
blessing!
Resources:
Matthew Henry’s Commentary of the Bible; The Reformation Study Bible.
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