scripture
John 17:20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 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.
22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
observation
Unity of the Trinity
There are various areas of a relationship that may or may not be in unity but the scriptures teach us that within the trinity the three persons work in complete unity. There is a unity of purpose that affects everything that they do, all three persons doing nothing that will be in conflict with their common goal, all three of them are always building up the other. We have no better example of what unity looks like than to look at the relationship in the trinity.
Unity of the church
Here is where unity gets messed up. The body of Christ is not working with a unity of purpose, to much of the time we become selfish and self serving rather than constantly looking out for the best interest of the whole body.
Romans 12:3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
Too much of the time the body of Christ is an odd looking creature, this part elevating itself above another part, a part that is weak being abused by a stronger part. There has to be a unity of purpose in order to accomplish anything that God has called us to do, if each leg has it's own agenda then how will the walking get done. If the body is not in agreement about the direction it is trying to go in then there wont be much progress in any direction.
Ephesians 4:2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
application
It is human nature to look out for yourself and to promote your own agenda, but scripture tells us to be careful in how we see yourselves and in how much we promote our own personal interest.
We are on this planet for God's purpose and his agenda, we need to be careful that we don't allow anything that is on our personal agenda to get in the way of God's agenda.
Each part of the body of Christ should have the same purpose, working together in harmony to bring glory to God.
We are on this planet for God's purpose and his agenda, we need to be careful that we don't allow anything that is on our personal agenda to get in the way of God's agenda.
Each part of the body of Christ should have the same purpose, working together in harmony to bring glory to God.
prayer
I need to be on a mission for you Lord, working for your glory and not for my own pride. I am here to bring glory to you, the church is here to bring glory to you, I pray that we will all work together in unity.
