Dear Explorer,
Read John 17:18-23
We've already looked at John 17:20. It tells us that Jesus was praying not only for the followers of His generation, but for all future followers. So that means this prayer is for you and me!
Jesus is praying for unity. I believe that He's talking about 2 directions of unity. First, I believe He's praying about the unity that we can have with God and secondly, the unity that we can have with fellow followers. It's like a triangle with God at the top.
The closer we get to God, the closer we get to other followers. The closer we get to other followers, the closer we get to God. But the opposite is also true. The farther we are from God, the farther we are from our fellow followers. And the farther we are from our fellow followers, the farther we get from God. It's all related.
When we try to describe a follower of Jesus' relationship with any other follower of Jesus, a good picture is that of being gloves. Jesus has you (if you are a follower of His) on one hand and me on the other hand. You'll readily see that we should be able to cooperate! We are "filled" with the same Person and led by the same Mind.
I believe that's the picture that Jesus would have us see today. If the same Holy Spirit that guides me (and there's only one!) is guiding you -- there WILL be unity and the world will notice!
So why isn't there unity among so many followers today?
The only possible answer is disobedience to the Holy Spirit. Remember that even though the Holy Spirit is in each follower of Jesus, it is still up to the individual to determine obedience or dis-obedience. It's not a given. It's a choice. When SELF is totally obedient to the Holy Spirit, we see an amazing transformation in our lives. We are filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This is so different from what the world experiences that it attracts attention like a moth to a flame.
This is Jesus' prayer for you. That you will be so unified and in tune with God that your life will be transformed. And that you will walk in unity with fellow followers. The results will cause the world to be attracted to Jesus because of what they see.
Would you say that “unity” is what others see when they look at the way you interact and relate to fellow followers? Why or why not?
Sadly, Satan knows this plan, too. I believe that he works overtime to keep followers from unity. So, we must be especially on our guard when we are tempted to criticize and tear down our fellow followers. It has serious consequences for those watching our behavior!
In His service, dale
Next study