#2 - Unity
“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you…Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” – John 17: 20-21
Last words are important. What someone says with their last words are often some of the most important words they have every said. So, on the night that Jesus was betrayed, one of the last things he every prayed for was that we would be united, together, one.
Jesus said that one of the ways that people will believe in God is that they will see and be impacted by the “oneness” of believers and by our “complete unity.” In Acts 2:42-47, Luke paints a beautiful picture of what the family of believers should look like – a group of people who love the same God, who live with the same purpose, and who love each other so much that they would sacrifice their resources and pride to meet the needs of their brothers and sisters.
As Christians, our being brothers and sisters in Christ is so much more important than anything else that has the potential to divide us, and it is through our unity that we find our strength.
It was Jesus’ love, his humility, his oneness with the Father, and his genuine care for people, that opened hearts to him and allowed him to impact the world more significantly than any other person in human history. It wasn’t his knowledge of the scriptures or his ability to win an argument that won people to him - the Pharisees had that! It was the way that he loved. The way that he truly cared about people. The way that he took the time to see the needs of the people around him and allow himself to be interrupted in order to love them, that led so many people to leave everything they had to follow him.
Yes, leadership is important. Politics are important. Healthy debates are important. The way that we as a country operate is important. But there is nothing more important than leading people to a relationship with Jesus. And I promise you, it won’t be our ability to win an argument that will bring people to him, it will be the way that we, as Christians, love each other and the rest of the world. It will be the way that we, as a community, choose the best interests of others and act on their behalf that will win people to Jesus.
So, remember… our hope is not in the things of this world, but rather in the One who created the world. Our hope is in Jesus Christ, who through love, paved the way for us to be with him in Paradise for eternity. Love your brothers and sisters well. Love people who don’t know Jesus well. And always choose winning the person over the argument, because what good is winning an argument if we do so in such a way that it turns people off to Jesus?