The Favour Found in Your Striving to Live in Unity

John 17:9-23

Whenever God calls people, He calls them out of their normal life to serve them. Whenever God calls them to follow Him, He gives them a new identity and a new lifestyle or culture that matches their new identity. For example, we have from the bible that Abram becomes Abraham, and Jacob becomes Israel.

    Jesus gives a new identity which is a culture of unity. In John 17: 9-23, we read in Jesus prays that God will keep them and help them to live in unity. As Christians, how are we supporting this community of unity?

    

    Why does Jesus emphasize the unity of oneness with His followers. It is because of the essence of the Godhead is unity. A follower of Christ will pursue after harmony with everyone. Failure to agree with    one another is not the culture of Christ. When Christians fails to forgive someone or to reconcile with others, that Christian needs to question whether the Lord has complete control over our lives.

    There must have been dissension and conflict within the group of believers and even in the leadership. This is most likely the reason Jesus prays so fervently that God will help keep them in His word.

And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

John 17:11 ESV

    We have to be submissive to the word or command of the Lord. We need to go back to chapter 15 to have a better understanding of what "keep in your name," means.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.    “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

John 15:10‭, ‬12 ESV

There are moments that keeping the culture of unity is difficult  Forgiving, loving and reconciliation can be difficult. Jesus understood this and offers to help us to do this. We might not be able to love each other, but in Jesus, He can do this for us. Jesus also tells us his commandments that we might have joy.

But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

John 17:13 ESV

    The culture of unity starts with the people closest around us. We glorify the Father by forgiving others and allowing others to humiliate us.  It is not easy, but God can give us the strength to overcome.

    Jesus also wants us to have effective prayers, but this cannot happen unless we abide in Jesus. That is to follow Jesus' command to love one another. Our prayers might not be answered if we are not in unity.

“Truly, truly, I say to you,   whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I   am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me  anything in my name, I will do it.

John 14:12‭-‬14 ESV

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15:7 ESV

    The world will hate us because it is against Jesus. The world represents the powers of darkness. This world does not want you to gain salvation of through the word. Many Christians will fail in their walk with Christ. We need to reach out and help them who have fallen. Instead many of us make fun or hurt them further.

But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

John 17:13‭-‬14 ESV

    The call to keep unity with one another allows us to stay in unity with God. This healthy relationship with God is necessary. God has forgiven us, so we too need to forgive others. We have a responsibility to forgive or the relationship with the Father will be tainted.

that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  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, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

John 17:21‭-‬23 ESV

    Let's strive towards unity with one another as the Godhead is unified in love, so that we may experience the joy of Christ and effective prayers.