VIRAL #1: "That They May Be One"

I can’t remember his name, but I recently heard of a theologian who once said, “I will never speak of a man’s vices, except to his face. And I will never speak of a man’s virtues, except behind his back.”
This kind of attitude can go a long way in protecting the unity of the church, as PJ talked about in his opening sermon for 2012. As Pastor John indicated in his sermon, few things can so damage the unity of a church as gossip, backbiting, and looking for the negative in others. So we need to be careful and deliberate about building up the body of Christ, rather than tearing it down or allowing anyone else to tear it down.
Interestingly enough, though, as we looked at John 17, which contains Jesus’ final prayer for His followers before going to the cross, one thing that jumped out at me was the fact that He was asking the Father to protect His followers. This chapter does not contain any instructions Jesus gave to His disciples. It contains a prayer, and so what we read here is what He was asking God to do on our behalf.
This does not absolve us of any requirement or obligation. Certainly, such passages as Philippians 2:1-4 tell us to be “of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
In his various letters, Paul actually says a great deal about what we need to do in order to build up and protect the unity of the church. However, as I said, the focus of John 17 is on what Jesus was asking God to do, which means the two go hand-in-hand. God does His part, and we are expected to do ours. And when we struggle with how this all works out, I think it best to simply say that God does His work in us and through us as we strive to obey the commands given throughout the Bible.
Another significant point to consider is the purpose for which Jesus asks the Father to protect His followers. Most immediately, it is so that we might be one. Four times in His prayer, he mentions the unity of the church (vv. 11, 21, 22, 23). But why is it so important that we be unified in this way?
Two answers are given within this passage. We find the first in verse 13, where Jesus prays, “But now I am coming to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.” Unity within the church is one key element to experiencing joy as a Christian. If you doubt that, just speak to someone who has been part of a church where there was little or no unity; a church where there was much gossip, backbiting, and arguing amidst various members of the church. They will tell you there wasn’t much joy to be experienced in that kind of setting.
The second reason Jesus prays for unity in the church is found in verses 22-23. Here, He says, “The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one…”—watch this now—“so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.”
Oneness within the church draws people’s attention to God and to Jesus Christ. The same concept is stated in John 13:35, where Jesus told His disciples, “By this all people will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The antithesis is just as true. If we are not united; if we do not love each other within the church, then the world will not know we are His disciples. The world knows that one of the foundation stones of Christianity is love, particularly the love of God. So if outsiders look in at a church and see that the members of that church are not loving one another, then those outsiders will say, “They claim to be Christians, but they sure don’t seem to act like it.”
So how do the instructions of Paul tie in and relate to the prayer of Jesus. Quite simply, to tell the truth. As I’ve heard one pastor often say, “God initiates. We respond.” This is the pattern of the Christian life. With respect to oneness within the church, it starts with God placing His love within our hearts—His love for us, our love toward Him, and then His love toward those around us. As He gives us this love (in answer to Jesus’ prayer), we express it by following the commands we find in the Bible. And the more we act in obedience to God, loving each other by obeying God’s commands, the more He fills our hearts with love for Him and for one another.


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION

1. How much am I striving for unity within the church? Or am I someone who may be causing division? Do I gossip and talk about people behind their back? Do I listen to gossip? If I hear someone gossiping, am I willing to address the matter with them?


2. How’s my attitude at church? How’s my attitude toward the leaders of the church? How quickly do I get angry about decisions I don’t understand or don’t agree with? When discussing church matters, publicly or privately, what tone of voice do I use?


3. Read Philippians 2:1-4. To what degree am I exhibiting these characteristics? Where do I need to improve?


4. How often do I, like Jesus, pray for unity within the church?