It is God's glory that produces the unity for which Jesus prayed, not outward politics. Not Military might. Not strong leadership. John 17:22. The glory which You gave Me I have given them that they may be one just as We are one. That unity with Christ produces perfection and the winning of souls. It does not produce a super-church. Nor a watering down of truth. John 17:23. I in them, You in Me. That they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me...
Jesus kept His group together based on His Name. Not based on strong-arm power-plays. He asks the Father to do the same. John 17:11-12. Keep through Your name those You gave Me... While I was with them, I kept them in Your name.
When the prayer is answered, we will be united, as Christ is united with the Father. If we try to answer a prayer prayed to the Father, we will be united as men unite with men. Very imperfectly. Only God can make us one. The early disciples were already together physically, in one group. He prays that when the Spirit comes they will be made one. One is a totally different idea from together.
John must give way to Paul to show us how the prayer was answered historically. I Corinthians 12:12. As the (human) body is one... so is Christ. By one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body... Paul is not looking to a future time when all the Corinthian factions will be united into one big humongous group of people that can take over the Empire. He asserts that already the Body is one. Jesus' prayer is already answered! And continues to be whenever the Spirit falls on one new member of Christ.
There is a huge difference between striving for unity and recognizing the unity that already exists. The striving, when taken to the wrong extremes, becomes fleshly activity and creates men of renown ruling over "forces" to be reckoned with, challenges to the world's systems... but on the world's level. The recognizing, when viewed through the Spirit, leads to men and women submerged in a deluge of true Power that confounds God's enemies in God's time.
North Korea, for example, may be won to "Christianity," Medieval style, by a show of "Christian unity," when the floodgates swing open and let the Light in. But North Koreans will be won to Christ only when the Spirit-filled Church hears from God and does His bidding.
There is absolutely no reason to lay down the precious truths of God's Word in order to unite with those who wear Christ's name but do not know Christ. Beware, Christian ministries! Read afresh the story of Jehoshaphat and be wise. When the doors open, let's go in with God, not with men.
http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!
And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.
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