One of the most painful issues a parent must deal with is watching and listening to their children misunderstand, fight and bicker among themselves. I believe it must be the same with our Heavenly Father. Hearing His children criticize, complain, and put down each other for their differences must be difficult for Him to bear. Reading John 17:20-23 brings home this point. Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching,21 That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me.22 I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one:

23 I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.

He not only reveals His desire for His children to walk in unity, but He also, expresses the ultimate purpose in wanting us to do so. So that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me and again in verse 23, “that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.” In other words, how we walk together as believers either strengthens His influence, or weakens it. How we talk about those from other churches, other “groups”, or even other people of our own church, adds value to our influence or drains it from its potency. A raised eyebrow, a disdaining tone of voice or a simple careless comment takes away from the honor and glory of the Lord in the eyes and ears of those listening. I think believers can get lax in this area, not comprehending that they are fighting against the very prayer Jesus prayed!

One of the privileges of being a part of Impart Ministry is the opportunity to travel around and meet a kaleidoscope of Christian believers. Each group we meet has a unique distinctive which adds to our understanding that God loves diversity! Our Heavenly Father seems to enjoy variety, because His children come with such vast array of perspectives. We find the simple act of celebrating communion is administrated in many different ways. In some churches communion is passed out to the congregation with each of the elements coming together at the same time. Each individual prays and partakes when he chooses (after a corporate time of instruction). In other settings, the sacraments are held in the front and the congregation comes forward to select their own cup and bread. At this point, some are instructed to partake as they make their selection, while in others they take them back to their seats where they are held until everyone is ready to partake corporately. Another variation has to do with the bread being passed out first, partaken of and then the cup is passed and partaken. Some use a whole loaf, some unleavened matzos, some use crackers, some drink wine, others grape juice. Is this unity? Yes. Because the goal isn’t the “how”, but it is the fact that we are all acknowledging and submitting to the commandment found in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” If in one small aspect of our Christian walk there is so much variance, how can Jesus prayer ever get answered?

I believe that it must start with each of us as believers choosing to walk in unity with the Head, Jesus Christ and choosing to honor all the members of His Body. It sounds simple. Submission to His ways and His will is the key ingredient to walking in unity with the Head. However, I don’t always find it easy to do. My flesh rises up and says No. My carnal mind decides to make up its own mind about loving or caring for a brother or sister. “They don’t act or look like me, so they must be wrong.” The natural response is to make a moral judgment about those differences, with my ways coming out right, with theirs naturally being “wrong”. Natural children do not always act or look alike, but they still come from the same mother and father. As children of our Heavenly Father, let us take time to see where our brother and sisters resemble Him and ourselves, not emphasizing the differences. His blood was shed for them as well as for me. The same price needed to be paid for them as for me. This is where we begin to find unity, at the foot of the Cross, a place of humility. Paul instructed the Philippians to “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." Phil 1:27.

He is the only one who can bring unity and diversity into the right balance. As we join with Jesus in His prayer that we become one, His name will be glorified. It will cease to be about who is right and who is wrong but it will become more about how we can honor His prayer. We must learn to trust the Father to parent His children as He sees fit. Submitting to the Head also means that we will trust Him with the rest of the Body. Those we don’t understand, we will pray for the Father’s will to be done in their lives. We will ask Him to bring about the changes He feels they need and release them into His hands, in faith. Spend more time praying for those that bother you (in their worship approach, major message or doctrinal stands etc) will effect much more change.

Starting where we can start also means that we can choose to walk in unity with those we worship with, those you see every week. Learning to love them, honor them and speak well of them is a good place to begin. Guarding your heart and your tongue when you get home from church or a meeting, covering a leaders mistake with grace and mercy, expecting the good in others will go a long way to ward promoting unity. It will help keep division and harmful criticism from taking root. This area, as in all other areas dealing with love involves a choice. A choice to love your brothers and sisters will foster unity, which is a good thing. Let us not forget to live our lives in such a manner that Jesus’ prayer will be answered.

Let us join in prayer with Jesus. 21 That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me.

Written by: Martha Rodman