As members of God's own redeemed family, mutual partakers of his life and his love, does our family witness honor this distinctive heritage? I think of how I live and I name the help I need. This is a oneness in which love is given and received, a love which embraces difference. RayStedman.org/permissions. They lived in a remote Norfolk village without even a shop, with almost no bus service and with no other means of public transport, but thankfully, they had their own car. John 17:20-26 20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. There must be contact, the willingness to talk, no aloofness, no withdrawal from each other. What is that? The objective is the goal, the hilltop you wish to take or the city that needs to be captured; some specific target toward which all is aimed, that is the objective. Jesus wants his disciples to live in such a way that the work of God is
(B) May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (Matthew 5:47 RSV). For permission to use this content, please review All rights reserved. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. I am one of those who, through the words handed down by the disciples, now
Come light up our souls to rise in faith, to stretch out and take in your kingdom. Call to Worship Prayer We fix our eyes on you Jesus, our Lord, our Savour and King. I am ready, God in me and helping me, to give myself in love to any Christian, anywhere, whom I may chance to meet and in whom I sense a fellowship of love for Jesus Christ. Why, in this day of ours, is there widespread apathy to biblical authority, this indifferent unconcern of the world at large to hear the voice of the church? Jesus tells us in Verse 22: "The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them that they may be one..." (John 17:22a RSV), This is what makes them one. But, aside from the involvements this would put us in with the authorities, it is clear from the Scriptures that the Lord does not intend it this way. This is the prayer of Jesus for his followers through the ages. Jesus’ prayer that “all may be one” can be misinterpreted. Most years, I have bought the simple, two-dimensional types, featuring some seasonal picture and twenty-five paper “windows” that can be opened, revealing perhaps other pictures, scripture verses, or song lyrics. WE CELEBRATE AT THE TABLE WITH ALL GOD'S PEOPLE There are those who tell us that this prayer of Jesus concerning the church must now begin to be answered, that it is now time to answer this prayer after twenty-one centuries of it remaining unfulfilled, that we must now forget all the differences and distinctions that have separated us into various denominations and sectarian groups through the centuries and join in one great organization or union. This last weekend a number of us were at a men's retreat together. The church is here to be God's instrument by which human life in every area and at every level is penetrated by the transforming gospel of Jesus Christ, that men may see that in Jesus Christ there is the authentic voice of God to men; that in him is the ultimate issue of human destiny, and in him we come face to face with all that is important in human affairs. Whatever this may mean in terms of our personal circumstances, teach us, Father, to love one another. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Today, as Jesus concludes his prayer, he makes it very clear that he is praying for me, as I am one of those who believe in Jesus through the words of his early disciples. As I sit with these words can I sense something of the depth of Jesus’ love for his Father? He came with all his defenses up, with barriers erected, but it was evident, as the weekend went on, that he could not resist the warmth of the Christian fellowship. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name! ‘Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. The world will believe when they see the church is one and this is what makes them one, "the glory which thou hast given me I have given them. In saying that, we put our finger squarely on the reason for the failure of the church to reach the world in our day. In other words, the unity of the church is visible when Christians love one another. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Ministry Matters™ is a community of resources for church leaders. Sung Prayer for Illumination: "Like the Murmur of the Dove's Song" (American) PH 314, RN 280, SFL 191, SNC 171, TWC 286, WOV 685. The remarkable thing is that when the church is like this there is no more potent evangelistic thrust. What’s my part in it? Website © 2020 by Ray Stedman Ministries. No, this prayer has been answered ever since the Day of Pentecost. Here is the whole secret. The life of Jesus Christ in the Body of Christ is an invisible thing. One man said, "World Evangelism is the attempt to give every man an opportunity to make an intelligent choice of whether to receive or reject Jesus Christ.". Therefore, for the sake of a confused and sinful world which is facing enormously complex problems, Christians must not, dare not, isolate themselves from that world. 1 John 5:2). generous invitation. That union is threatening the unity in the island of Formosa, a unity that has existed apart from any efforts of men or any of the divisions or restrictions of men. No, we are to love all simply because they are Christians, whether they are stupid, or wrong, or irritating or stubborn. That is the strategy by which God intends to accomplish his objective. Lord, this is the nature and character of the love that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us. All rights reserved. The thing that makes this whole thing practical, and keeps us from sabotaging the work of the Holy Spirit in his thrusting urge to reach the blinded, confused world outside, is that we give willing, glad consent to love any Christian, any time, for Jesus' sake. (M) 26 I have made you[a] known to them,(N) and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them(O) and that I myself may be in them.”. He asks that I may be united with him and with the Father. Call to Worship(based on Psalm 98, John 15:9-17) by Bruce Prewer Here today there is love, freely available to all. (John 17:24 RSV). Subject to permission policy, all rights reserved. Thanks be to God! What is it? Something must make it visible. I ask
But this artificial union, this joining together in an organization, is this the answer to Jesus' prayer here?
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