John 17:11-12
"I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. ..."
In the prayer the Lord prays for the disciples before leaving the world, one of the most important thing is they may be one. We see the Lord knows beforehand the most deadly attack of the enemy Satan is to make us not be one, be separated from each other, and be each broken up. It is a pity that until today the church still can't see through the schemes of the devil, so they fight with each other, attacking each other. Many people say unity must be based on the foundation of truth. I believe the foundation of unity for the believers is based on the seven things Ephesians 4 mentions.
First, we have one body, which is the church. From Pentecost until today, we belong to one church and one body. Second, there is one Holy Spirit. He is God who gives various gifts, therefore we don't need to separate into different types because of the different gifts. It is the same Holy Spirit who gives us the gifts. Third, we have the same hope, which is to look for the Lord Jesus to come back again to meet us. Fourth, we have one Lord, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. We are all the bride of Christ, so we don't need to compare to see who is more like the bride, because we are the same bride.
Fifth, we have one faith, which is referring to justification by faith, not by our actions, but because of faith in the salvation of Christ we have righteousness. Sixth, we have one baptism, which is referring to our baptism, and it means that we have died with the Lord, buried with the Lord, and resurrected with the Lord. It is not referring to the ceremony of baptism. Seventh, we have one God, the same Heavenly Father. He is the source of our life and is the foundation for the unity in our lives. In these things, we must stand firm, and on other things we should be accepting and tolerating of each other.
Many people ask, "Why are there so many denominations in Christianity?" I love to answer it this way, "Because each denomination reflects an aspect of God's goodness and kindness. It is as if God is a big garden and there are not just one type of flower in the garden, but it is filled with every kind of flowers. Each kind of flower can only reveal an aspect of God's goodness and kindness, but when we are joined together, we can reveal the whole glory and beauty of God! Thus, the church needs to do our utmost to keep the unity God desires.
The Lord Jesus on the cross has already broken down the wall separating people from people. What the Lord has broken down, may the Lord help us not build back up again. Whether it is the wall of denominations, the wall of race and culture, the wall of forms of worship, the wall of ways of life, or even the wall of religious doctrines, we need to ask God to remove and demolish them so the Spirit of the Lord can unite us together. When the churches are joined together, we can have such a great power of influence in the community! Brothers and sisters, let us pray for the unity of the churches in our community. Let us humble ourselves, lay down our own opinions, so that in Christ we can truly be united!
Pray with Pastor Tong
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