Read John 17:20-23
A Unified Body Equals New Believers.
Jesus switches his prayer from his disciples to the new believers that will come because of His disciples.
His prayer was for all believers to be unified as one. Unity starts when believers are connected to God and Jesus, who are unified as one. When we are connected to them as a body of believers, we naturally become a unified body bound together through the Holy Spirit who is in us.
A unified body of believers produce new believers. A broken body of believers produce misguided believers. One advances the kingdom of God while the other advances the kingdom of the devil. Let me explain:
Denominations across the globe must come together as one, promoting the same message, that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. No one gets to the father except through a relationship with Jesus. If the church is unified with this message, then the message we send to the world is that our message is true and reliable. It removes confusion and gives strength and credibility to our message. It’s then we see more people coming to Jesus.
However, the denominations of the world have increasingly compromised the message of salvation. This takes away the reliability and truth of what we preach. It sends the message that there is more than one way to see God. The message becomes confusing and less reliable. It gives power to the devil and kills the expansion of God’s Kingdom.
But here’s another thought. Just as the body of Christ must be consistent with their message, I/we must also be consistent with our message. I can’t be a hypocrite because I want my friends to conclude that Jesus and God are real. My hypocrisy will only send the message that my faith is not reliable. It sends the message that sin is not really sin. My message of salvation becomes confusing and brings doubt. The very people God is calling me to reach, I actually push them away from God like the Pharisees did with their disciples.
God help us all to promote your TRUTH.
