That they May be One May 12

 

May 12, 2013  That They May be One

This is a day that shows God’s power to the World. Jesus calls the disciples to be one, not only with each other but also with Him. Through this unity of the spirit, the world may know God’s presence through the disciples ministry

Acts 16:16-34

In Acts, Paul has the power to heal a slave girl suffering from demon possession – a healing that leads to transformation throughout the town as people witness this miraculous act.  The girl lost her ability to make money for her owners and Paul and Silas ended up in prison.

Paul and Silas find themselves at the center of captivity: they are in the innermost cell, feet fastened in stocks, at the darkest hour, midnight. In this complete darkness, Jesus prayer is answered.

Paul and Silas are praying and singing hymns to God, with their fellow prisoners listening to them, when there is a violent earthquake that shakes the foundations of the prison. “Immediately all the doors are opened, and everyone’s  chains are ‘unfastened”.

The jailer is scared out of his wits and cries out: Sirs, what must I do to be saved?...Paul and Silas cry out : Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.

The irony is that those who seem to be in prison are actually free in Christ, and the jailer, who supposedly has the keys to freedom, is actually the one shackled by his duty.

What duties shackle us today?

Psalm 97-

The Glory of God is proclaimed in both Psalm 97 and Revelation 22.

Many people find God in sunsets, storms, waves, the beauty of the forest, or even the stark barrenness of the desert.  In nature they experience deep feelings of gratitude, mystery, reverence, and joy. 

Many people are much more inclined to experience and name the presence of God in nature then in history or in the complexities of human interaction.  Psalm 97 provides ways to  invite worshippers into theological reflection and spiritual formation around their own experiences of revelation and insight, found in the beauty, majesty, and awe of God’s creation.

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

God’s glory is evident even to the heavens, so that the world may know God.  Christ announces that he is coming soon to reward everyone according to deeds (22:12).  The theme of the book is the nature of Christ as Alpha and Omega.

And the message that there is blessing for those who have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb…so they will have the right to the tree of the life.

John 17:20-26

This is the ministry to which the disciples will soon be sent – the ministry of showing and proclaiming God’s glorious presence to the world.

The purpose of Jesus’ prayer is unity not for its own sake, but for the sake of witness to the love of God and the authenticity of Christ as the one “sent”. It is a prayer needed as much in the divided fragmented world of the 21^st Century Christianity as in the churches of the first century.

When Christians are one with one another, their unity surely allows the world to see the “peaceable” teacher, Jesus. Unity among the followers of Christ may offer a model of a better world for all of humanity., a healed human race, yet to come.  Imagine a world without war.

Our moments of unity with god and with our neighbors allow us hope for the eventual reconciliation and unity of all humankind.

The importance of unity among believers is that such oneness leads the world to believe (v.23). The counterpoint of that truth is that the world does not believe in Jesus because the world sees partitions among the followers of Jesus…..

If two churches can’t get along what kind of testimony is that for the world? Even in our small community.

Jesus prays that the 11 disciples and those who come to believe because of the disciples be unified into one body (V.20). There is no second class citizenship among the people of faith.

Jesus does not call for doctrinal unity, organizational unity, or political unity.  This prayer is for unity that grows out of the love of God, received and shared among his followers, leading to an experienced unity in love between Jesus and his followers, and with the one from whom Christ comes.

If we were to take such love to heart, would our divisions and hostilities melt away?

As Jesus walked among people, the Father’s love filled His Son.  Jesus recognized that no ordinary love could motivate Him to go to the cross. No human love could keep Him perfectly obedient to His Father throughout His life.  Only His Father’s love was powerful enough to compel Him to commit His life to the saving purpose of His Father. God’s answer was to play His Son in them.  It is impossible for a Christian to be filled with this measure of love and not to be on mission with God.  I in them as You are in Me.

Jesus prayed that God would place this same love in His disciples. He knew that no other motivation would be sufficient for the assignments God had for them.

Five times within these six verses, Jesus names “love” as the key descriptor of divine relationships (vv 23,24,26).

Love is the bond within the Godhead (vv.23-24).

Love is the divine gift to the disciples (23.).

Love is the magnetic grace through which God seeks to attract the world (vv.25-26).

Love is the ingredient that the Lord prays will be within his followers. (v.26).

The Scriptures say:  God is Love. If we are to be one with God then when others see us they see the Love of God in our lives and this love draws all men to Him.

Prayer:

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord…and we pray that all unity may one day be restored. And they ‘ll know we are Christians by our love, by our Love, yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love. All praise to the Father, from whom all things come, and all praise to Christ Jesus, God’s only Son, and all praise to the Spirit, who makes us one. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love. Amen.