John 17:20-21
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
It’s an amazing thought, really. Jesus was praying for his eleven disciples, but also for those who would believe because of their Gospel work after his ascension. In the face of their imminent failure, Jesus knew they would eventually succeed: After they scattered. After they hid. After they abandoned him. After Peter denied him. Jesus knew those failures would be temporary, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, his followers would eventually do great things.
The same is true of you and me!
Do you have some terrible sin in your past that you think disqualifies you from being used by God? Some indiscretion that makes you damaged goods. An affair. An addiction. An arrest. When we screw up it doesn’t turn us into a spiritual leper that must be put outside the walls of the camp. Our sin should lead us to humble confession and repentance before the Throne…and when we do, our relationship to God is fully restored and the power of the Holy Spirit is fully available to enable us to do great things for God! It was true for the original eleven and it is true for every one of us today.
“…on Earth as it is in Heaven.”
Jesus prayed for His Body to be unified. He knew that one day there would be perfect unity in Heaven (Rev. 7:9-10), but his prayer was that we would strive for that and experience that here on earth. Has that prayer come to pass? Partially. For those that have gone before us into the presence of God, there is no division whatsoever. No arguing over secondary doctrine or politics or what style of worship music is the best. No backbiting or gossip or bitterness. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Sadly, for most of us, that unity is largely constrained to our small inner circle rather than the larger Body of Christ.
Spurgeon asked, “Why are we not one? Sin is the great dividing element. The perfectly holy would be perfectly united.” Our sin can lead to taking an improper position on some issue of the day…or it can even lead to misunderstanding and/or misapplying Scripture. Spurgeon goes on to point us to something we should all work on:
“We are to be faithful to truth; but we are not to be of a contentious spirit, separating ourselves from those who are living members of the one and indivisible body of Christ. To promote the unity of the church, by creating new divisions, is not wise. Cultivate at once the love of the truth and the love of the brethren.”
The love of The Truth—of the Scriptures—and the love of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Are you willing to set aside less weighty doctrinal differences (as we all see through the glass dimly) for the sake of unity and loving your family of faith? Are you willing to leave your political allegiances at the front door of the church to unite with people of faith who sit on the other side of the political aisle? Can you set aside past hurts in order to life a lifestyle of forgiveness and love with people you will spend eternity with? When we do, that paints a beautiful picture of Heaven for everyone…both inside and outside the Church.
