Week of December 29

“I believe very strongly in the principle and practice of the purity of the visible church, but I have seen churches that have fought for purity and are merely hotbeds of ugliness. No longer is there any observable, loving, personal relationship, even in their own midst, let alone with other true Christians” (Francis Schaeffer, The Mark of the Christian). Talk about a disconnect between Jesus’ prayer for all disciples and our all-too-common church experience! Let’s discover the bridge to restoration of relationships today.

John 17:1-26 embodies what many Bible scholars term “the high-priestly prayer.” It is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus. The prayer may be divided into three sections: prayer related to the completion of Jesus’ earthly mission and return to the Father (17:1-5), prayer for His disciples (17:6-19), and prayer for the church’s unity (17:20-26; NAC). The goal of the prayer centers around relationships with the Father and the relationship He desired for His disciples to maintain with Him and the Father (EBC). 

I’m not issuing tickets for a guilt trip here, but we should notice that Jesus expected fully that the cross would be the bridge through which broken relationships were restored. Paul writes elsewhere, “that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by his cross” (Ephesians 2:16). Jesus’ sacrifice provided the means by which we may no longer be at odds with one another in the Christian home and in our churches. If you are like me, then you are “all in” with the goal, but perhaps you are a bit unsure about how to take steps toward being a part of the answer to Jesus’ prayer.

Unity not uniformity. To begin with, Jesus does not mean by His prayer for “oneness” that we must practice uniformity. Mission Arlington, in Arlington, Texas, is one of the places where I volunteer at times during the year. The sheer volume of people the Mission reaches, who are from every conceivable background and nation, is overwhelming to comprehend. Furthermore, every variety of Christian walks through those doors and does the same thing. They “take the church to the people” through sharing the Gospel and serving them in Jesus’ name. Unity, but never uniformity, is a key characteristic of service in that place. The unity is personal in nature, not institutional (17:21-22; EBC). So, where is the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love, as the old hymn goes? Mutual love for Christ binds us for the tasks like the ones in which I engage at the Mission. There is something more, however, than simply working shoulder-to-shoulder on a common goal (i.e. functional unity). 

Our new nature in Christ feeds our unity. Jesus knew that the Church would one day be comprised of many different backgrounds and personalities and life directions. The unity He prayed for was to be derived from our “new nature” (EBC). We have been “new birthed,” as Peter writes, into a living hope (1 Peter 1:3). We are a part of a family of faith now (1:12-13; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; cf. John 15 and “the vine”). Our family name, Christian, carries with it the family aim, which is to provide, through our unity, a convincing testimony to the world that God saves through His Son, Jesus Christ. The aim is ineffective without the name! The world will see that God loves it, when the Church, by its nature, embodies His love for the world.

One of the contemporary medical marvels is wrapped up inside a tiny stem cell. Stem cell therapies are providing healing for a wide range of diseases and conditions, many of which are life-threatening. A stem cell is a “cell that develops into more specifically differentiated daughter cells.” Embryonic stem cells have the capacity for self-renewal, meaning they can divide and give rise to more stem cells in all parts of the body. We know that the wonder of human life in all we see around us is contained within this tiniest of sources. It is in the nature of an embryonic stem cell to grow and become a full, healthy human life. It is also the nature of our “new birth” to grow into the unified, healthy the Body of Christ, the Church. We do well to protect the source of our unity at all costs by preserving the unity of our common nature in Christ and in order to fulfill the common aim of taking the Gospel to the world.

1. Are you living as an answer to Jesus’ prayer for unity? This generation has learned the hard way that artificial sweeteners come with health risks. Similarly, the world is “on to” the church and its artificial sweetness. A healthy body of Christ is made possible by the honey of our new life in Christ and our commitment to the mutual goal of sharing the love of Christ with the world. 

2. For Families: Our children can learn about unity and its importance in the church, related both to our identity in Christ, and to our aims of loving service that forward the Gospel. Have your kids conduct an experiment that shows the sweetness of unity.

Lemons and limes, as we know, are fruits, as are cantaloupes and strawberries. By their nature, some of these are sweeter than others. Invite your kids to a taste test, to see which of these four fruits is the sweetest. Use a blindfold test to make it more fun. Have them taste the fruit, identify it (if possible), and then, after all four have been tasted, take the blindfolds off and rank them according to sweetness. See what they come up with.

Then cut the remaining fruit into small pieces and place in a bowl. Now drizzle a teaspoon of honey over them all and mix gently. Give them a taste of this “honey-fruit.” How does the honey change the fruit flavors and sweetness ranking?

Share with them that Jesus wants us to live in unity, and that “sweetness” will be the result when we make good decisions to follow Him and live each day according to His ways. When Jesus guides our hearts, and we are bowing our actions and wills to Him, our family life can be characterized by delightful relationships!

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock