It is God's glory that produces the unity for which Jesus prayed, not outward politics. Not Military might. Not strong leadership. John 17:22. The glory which You gave Me I have given them that they may be one just as We are one.
That unity with Christ produces perfection and the winning of souls. It does not produce a
super-church. Nor a watering down of truth. John 17:23. I in them, You in
Me. That they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You
have sent Me...
Jesus kept His group together based on His Name. Not based on strong-arm
power-plays. He asks the Father to do the same. John 17:11-12. Keep through
Your name those You gave Me... While I was with them, I kept them in Your name.
When the prayer is answered, we will be united, as Christ is united with the
Father. If we try to answer a prayer prayed to the Father, we
will be united as men unite with men. Very imperfectly. Only God
can make us one. The early disciples were already together
physically, in one group. He prays that when the Spirit comes they will be
made one. One is a totally different idea from together.
John must give way to Paul to show us how the prayer was answered
historically. I Corinthians 12:12. As the (human) body is one... so is
Christ. By one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body... Paul is not
looking to a future time when all the Corinthian factions will be united into
one big humongous group of people that can take over the Empire. He asserts
that already
the Body is one. Jesus' prayer is already answered! And continues to be
whenever the Spirit falls on one new member of Christ.
There is a huge difference between striving for unity and
recognizing the unity that already exists. The striving, when taken to the
wrong extremes, becomes fleshly activity and creates men of renown ruling over
"forces" to be reckoned with, challenges to the world's systems...
but on the world's level. The recognizing, when viewed through
the Spirit, leads to men and women submerged in a deluge of true Power that
confounds God's enemies in God's time.
There is absolutely no reason to lay down the precious truths of God's Word
in order to unite with those who wear Christ's name but do not know Christ.
Beware, Christian ministries! Read afresh the story of Jehoshaphat and be
wise.
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regular updates on the persecuted church. Check out my books at Amazon.com.
Send me a message at bobdiakonos7@gmail.com
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