Make Us One

Christ’s Final Prayer Before the Cross

In John 17, Jesus’ last prayer with His disciples before the cross is recorded. It is a beautiful prayer where Jesus asks God the Father to restore Him to the place of His former glory that He enjoyed before He came to earth. Another focus of the prayer reveals Jesus’ concern that believers be unified. He asked God to make us one. The prayer encompasses not only the twelve disciples but all believers through every age.

We are one body with many parts. We each have our gifts and talents. This is true in the local church but also in the universal church.

Different churches and denominations reflect Jesus differently. We can attribute specific strengths and weaknesses to different churches. In the Book of Revelation, God pointed out the strength and flaws of seven different churches.

It’s good to love your local congregation but we shouldn’t do so at the exclusion of other church fellowships. We should not have the mentality that we are the only ones that God accepts.

The truth is that we can sometimes take our sides, like two sports teams fighting hard to win over the other. We hide behind our doctrinal differences. But if we could only focus on what we agree upon, we could have the means to rally for oneness in Christ. Here are a few essentials that I believe make us born again believers.

Essential Doctrinal Points We Can Agree Upon

• Believe in the Trinity. God is one God made up of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:26, Luke 3:21-22, Colossians 1:15-17
• The Bible is inspired by God and is free from error. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
• Jesus suffered, died and was resurrected. His death and resurrection is the basis for our salvation. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19
• We are not saved by works but by grace through faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9
• We must be born again. John 3:3

If we can agree on these essentials, then I believe we have a basis for unity. This does not mean that we need to sacrifice our other unique beliefs. Some churches are more liturgical instead of worshipping in a more modern format. Many churches believe that the gifts of the Spirit are still for today, while many do not.  Some churches like to sing the hymns. Contemporary chorus appeal to other churches. It is important that we keep our scripturally-based convictions. While we differ, we can agree on the core tenets of the Christian faith.

Other Things that Separate Us

Beyond our doctrines, there are other things that can separate us, if we let them. These include, race, ethnicity and economic differences. The Bible warns us not to treat our brothers and sisters with favoritism or prejudice. He truly desires to make us one.

Can we look past our differences in the name of brotherly love? Jesus prayed that we would be one. One of the great benefits of a unified Church is that the lost will witness it. In the words of that old song, “Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love…” John 13:35 KJV says, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

God’s Command to Love

Time and time again Jesus commands us to love our fellow believers. He doesn’t qualify the command.  Are we to love only white middle-class believers? Is our love to only find expression towards Pentecostals? How about Baptists? No, we are commanded by Jesus to love all believers. The two greatest commandments according to Jesus are to love God and to love people. This command to love people encompasses believers and nonbelievers alike. Here is a poem I wrote to help encapsulate what I am saying.

We are as One

Jesus did not die to save only me

On the cross, I was not the only one His eyes did see

His sacrifice won a vast family

Many people form His body

 

From ages past

To the present and beyond

Rich and poor

The old, the middle, and the young

 

We do not all believe the same

There are differences in how we perceive the way

Yet we must unify under the centrality of our faith

Only some things do we need to agree upon

Our God is Three in One

Abba Father, Spirit, Son

 

His Word is truth divine

Precept upon precept, line upon line

Jesus paid the price for all to find salvation.

He is the only way to true reconciliation

Heaven can’t be won through trying to live right

Instead, it’s by grace through faith in Jesus Christ

 

We believe Jesus suffered, died and rose again

He is the reason we are born again

 

Love believes the best of another

We are as one, sisters and brothers

 

None of us are perfect in loving. We often fall short, but God’s Spirit within us helps us to treat others with kindness and respect.

Psalm 133 is a chapter we would benefit from meditating on…

Psalm 133

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.

 It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore. NKJV

When we seek after unity in the body, God commands His blessing. When we do all we can to love others, He will work on our behalf to make us one.

I hope this look at the command to love our fellow believers has encouraged you to reach beyond your own congregation and embrace others who may be a little bit different than you. We are one body and we truly do need each other.