NOV 16

John 17:20-24
Memorise John 17:21
“…that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me”

John 17 records Christ’s prayer and shows us how Christ is indeed our intercessor while He was on earth and now in Heaven, as He mediates for us at the throne of God our Father. He prays for the believers, that they “all may be one” (verse 21). The unity He wants His believers to achieve is of the purest kind. He wants them to be united in the same manner as He and His Heavenly Father are united. Two distinct Persons yet united as One and True God, singular in the aim to glorify the Godhead, singular in drawing all those who are His to Himself.

Christ says that if His followers are united as one, they will be united to Him as well, all being partakers of His grace and following His teachings. This unity will then show the rest of the world that Christ is indeed the Son of God and the Saviour of the world. In this we see the importance of Christian unity. Through our oneness, we exhibit to the world the one unified message of the gospel that all who see and hear may glorify God and believe in Jesus as our Saviour.

Christian disunity is definitely one of the factors why unbelievers find it difficult to accept the gospel. We claim to believe in the same God but have different denominations and practices. We preach love but have infightings and quarrels. This type of misrepresentation of Christianity does not show forth the agape love of God and does not set us apart as God’s children. We should seek to fellowship with like-minded brethren who hold fast to the same doctrines, and this can include Christians of different denominations. Yet this does not mean that we compromise on doctrines for the sake of unity. If we do have to separate from another church because of false teachings, we should explain patiently the reasons of doing so to our unbelieving friends, and not allow the differences in doctrine to result in ugly contentious arguments. We should focus on what the Bible says and not attack the character of the people in the church involved, and above all, exhibit the love of God in all that we do.

Thought: Have you encountered unbelieving friends who have been turned off by the lack of unity in Christian churches? What did you say to them?
Prayer: Dear Lord, may Your people truly be as one as the Father and Son are one.