John 17:13 But now I am coming to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. 14 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. 15 I am not asking You to take them out of the world but to keep them away from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 Just as You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, so they may also be sanctified in truth. 20 “I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, 21 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 sent Me.
Why so much disunity in the modern-day church? The symptoms of this disunity are people who are not "in the Word" are using their words from their perspective to make decisions. You can tell that the influence of the world, with all of it's self-centeredness is behind the cracking apart of the modern-day church. So many church fellowships are struggling right now because of a lack of vision for what Jesus showed us to do. We are not to be "of the world" in any of our personal decisions and church decisions. We are to be "people of the Word" and anything less is the cause of so much selfishness and pride in church fellowships.
Jesus in the above verses prays for God to "sanctify them in the truth." Truth (def) - a fact or belief that is accepted as true. So where do we find that truth? The Word of God. I have seen churches that felt like it was wrong to put scriptures in their hallways because it might offend people coming in to their building. WHAT? And it is no surprise that those churches have a unity problem and still don't know how to fix it. God is the fixer and His Word shows the way. To be sanctified is to be set apart to a bigger task than ourselves. To be unified a church must unify itself around the greatest source of pure unity and that is Jesus. He is our purpose. He is our power. He is our provider. He points the way and we are the ones He has sent to be His voice in the wilderness of the world. We are IN the world but not OF the world, so let His truth reign supreme and all other issues fade back into the shadows.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. The only hope for any church is to lead its people back to the Word and ask Jesus to sanctify that truth and drive it deep into the lives of His children. The result of doing that will be unity, vision, power, revival, and a pure direction that draws all of God's children to work together for one unifying purpose. Win the world to Jesus. Have we forgotten? If you are not in the Word, then, yes, you have forgotten. Have we transgressed? Yes, you have fallen short of what God wants for His "vibrant" church. Can it be fixed? Of course, but time is short and souls need to see the effect of a purpose-driven visionary fellowship called The Church. What needs to happen? You must first come back to the teaching of Jesus and disciple the church in the area of unity and following Jesus and then set the vision into motion through the power of the Holy Spirit.
You may say "Is that it?" To which I would have to say, Yes. But it must be an ongoing commitment by Godly leaders and Godly saints who only want to lift up Jesus and not themselves. Listen to the words of Jesus as He prays for this unity. 20 “I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, 21 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 sent Me. This oneness, this unity is to resemble the unity between Jesus and the Father, so take it seriously and be willing to readjust your thinking about what you can do to make this unity real and happening. We are the sent one from Jesus to a lost and dying world. If we are not together then there needs to be change. Are you willing to experience this change in your own life? Then you will be a change agent in making this vision a reality. Now is the time and you are the person. Step up and answer the call. The world cannot win against the Unity of The Sent.
The Pilgrimage Continues,
David Warren