Based on some comments that were made previously on my blog, I wanted to post this Bible study by Lester Zimmerman and Mark Ammerman. Would you agree that anyone mocking authentic Christian unity is mocking Jesus?
JESUS’ HEART FOR UNITY
—The prayer of Jesus in John 17:20–23
Jesus knew what was in the heart of man. He knew that in ourselves we fight for position, for place, for advantage over each other—in order to see, to taste, to have, to hold and to control. We fight—and we even kill—because we want what we want when we want it.
Even among Jesus’ own followers, the pride of position and the desire for selfish gain raised its head constantly. Jesus rebuked his men for sectarianism (Luke 9:49–50), corrected them for clambering for position (Mark 10:35–45), and consistently addressed their need to humble themselves (Luke 9:46–48).
Only hours before praying the words recorded above, Jesus addressed the prideful boastings of his followers by stripping down to the underclothes of a common house servant in order to wash the disciples feet in a dramatic example of humility and servanthood (John 13:1–17).
On the same night, one of his hand-picked men slipped away into the shadows in order to betray him to the Jewish authorities (John 13:21–30). That betrayal—as Jesus knew and had openly predicted—would lead swiftly to his arrest, his trial, and his death upon a Roman cross. Yes, Jesus knew what was in the heart of man.
In sharp contrast to the darkened, selfish human heart, we can feel the compassionate heartbeat of God in this prayer of Jesus for his followers. We can hear the consummate concern of the savior for the well-being of those who would come to trust Him for the forgiveness of their sins. Sadly, Jesus could also foresee the broken relationships, divisions, mistrust and even hatred that would manifest itself among those for whom he would lay down his life. And so he prayed for unity.
(read the rest here )
After you read the rest of their article, come back here and tell me what you think.
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8 comments:
WOW, I wish I had said that. They express uncommon insight and understanding. I pray that we will see the prayer of Jesus fulfilled in the Church today. We desperately need it.
Oops, I almost forgot ... yes, I would agree that anyone mocking authentic Christian unity is mocking Jesus ... mocking his life, death, and resurrection.
That's a great word and one I wholeheartedly agree with. We just had a meeting this week with over 85 ministry leaders in our city to develop a 24 hour House of Prayer and Worship in one location. All of the churches will send people there to pray for the harvest in our city. Your words ring true as I think about what God is doing where we are.
Thanks Steve, for pointing me to this.
"We must repent of these things that divide us and humble ourselves before God and one another. We must learn to love."
This is a great quote from that Bible Study. Thanks, Tim.
Great aricle Tim. It really hits home. I am going to pass it on to other christian brothers and sisters who will also benefit from it.
--Michael
Good Article. I can't help but think God is angered and heartbroken by the stupid little quarrels christians have among themselves. I believe that Jesus intended for his followers to be united working together to make sure everyone is told who he is and is given the opportunity to accept salvation through him. How awesome it would be to see all christians committed to that goal working together and supporting each other so that we could all die knowing that we did what Jesus asked of us and made sure everyone could know him intimately like we do if they wanted to.
I could just be a pesimist but unfortunately I don't see this ever happening, at least not to the the degree Jesus may have intended. The article gave some obvious reasons why we struggle to be truly united and I don't see Christians as a whole ever being able to overcome those issues.
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