What Kind of Unity -- 8/19/07 (The Lord's Church)

Sunday, August 19, 2007

WHAT KIND OF UNITY?
John 17

Last week we looked at John 17. In this chapter, we heard our Lord Jesus cry out to His Father that we might all be one. Then we asked the question: "Did the Father answer His prayer?" We saw from the scripture itself that the Father did indeed answer Jesus’ prayer. The Father always answered the prayers of His Son, and this was no exception. We read in the New Testament, especially in Gal. 3:28 that we are all one in Christ Jesus.

However, we were also reminded from scripture that the answer to that prayer cost Jesus dearly. The Father answered His prayer by sending Him to the cross. The reason all believers are one is because Jesus bore our sins on the cross, was buried, and was raised from the dead. Then, after being set at the right hand of the Father, He sent His Spirit to dwell in all those who put their trust in Him. We are one because we share the life of the Father and Son. We are not one because of common beliefs. The unity of believers goes much deeper than that. We are one because we share the life of our Lord.

This morning we are going to look again at John 17. let’s read it together. Read John 17:1-26…
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

I. The Subject Matter of Jesus’ Prayer

Yes, Jesus’ prayer is about unity, but don’t restrict His prayer for unity to verses 20-21, as we so often do. The theme of unity permeates His entire prayer. We focused on this truth last week. Jesus prayed that His own might be one, even as He and the Father are one. So wherever we see the oneness of the Father and the Son, we are confronted by Jesus’ desire for unity among His own.

Jesus’ prayer is also about glory. That is where He begins. 17:1, "…Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also many glorify thee." The words "glory" and "glorify" are found no less than eight times in this prayer. Jesus could say from His heart, "I have glorified you on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" (4). And now He is praying for a soon return to the glory of full, unhindered fellowship with the Father (5). But this glory is not confined to the Father and the Son. Vs. 22, "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them…" Again in vs. 24, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me…" Jesus longed for His followers to be a part of this glory.

Jesus’ prayer is about eternal life. Though the term "eternal life" occurs only twice in this prayer, the concept is never far below the surface. 17:2-3, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Notice vs. 9, "I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." So for whom is Jesus praying? He is praying for those to whom He has given eternal life. Vs. 20, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." For whom is He praying now? For those who will receive eternal life, which is nothing less that knowing the Father and the Son (3). Yes, this prayer is about eternal life.

This prayer is about holiness. Jesus prayed in verse 17, "Sanctify them through thy truth…" Literally, "Make them holy (that is, ‘set them apart’) through thy truth." As we will see, this theme of holiness, of being set apart, is not restricted to this verse. We will explore this in more depth in a few minutes.

This prayer is about love. Again, the theme of love is never far beneath the surface, but it comes to the forefront in verses 23-36…
I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Jesus declares that the Father has loved Him from before the foundation of the world. In that context, He prays that the world may know that the Father has sent Him and that the Father has loved us, as He has loved His own Son Jesus. That is too much to grasp. Such knowledge is too wonderful for us; it is high; we cannot attain unto it (Ps. 139:6). But that isn’t the end of His prayer concerning this agape love. Vs. 26, "And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." Jesus’ prayer is not only that we receive such love from the Father, but that we demonstrate that same love. Yes, this prayer is about love.

II. The Nature of This Unity

So we see that this prayer is about unity, but it is also about glory and about eternal life and about holiness and about love. But how does it all fit together? As we read and meditate on this prayer, we begin to understand that Jesus wasn’t praying for some isolated qualities. No, the entire prayer fits together beautifully. There is not a single piece out of place.

Let’s go back through Jesus’ prayer and see what it teaches us about the unity for which He prayed. Above all else, we can’t miss the truth that this unity is bound up in the oneness of Jesus and the Father. That is the basis for all Christian unity. This is why it is impossible for us to produce the unity of the Spirit. If we are the ones who brought about the perfect oneness of the Father and the Son, then we are the ones who are responsible for creating unity among the brethren. Jesus prayed repeatedly that we would be one, as He and His Father are one. "As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us" (21).

Glory and Unity

So what does glory have to do with this unity? What is this glory of which Jesus speaks? For what was Jesus praying, when He said, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee" (vs. 1). Was this the same as the prayer of verse 5, where Jesus asked the Father for a renewal of the glory that shared before the world was? In between we have the little statement of verse 4, "I have glorified thee on the earth."

I suggest to you that there is a great but beautiful tension in this concept of glory. On the one hand, ultimate glory will be realized in heaven. That is what Jesus was praying for in verse 5. However, this glory begins long before Jesus or His people are taken to heaven. Don’t forget Jesus’ opening words, "Father, the hour is come." What hour? All through John’s gospel, we read about this hour. More than once Jesus said, "My hour has not yet come" (see 2:4; 7:30; 8:20). But when Jesus came to Jerusalem for the final time, His message changes. Jn. 12:23, "The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified." We might say, "Praise God! The Father is finally going to take Jesus home." That is truth, but it is only partial truth. The rest of the truth is found in the verses that follow… (Jn. 12:24-28)
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 26. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. 27. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

For what cause did Jesus come to that hour? For the purpose of dying on the cross. Jesus was the kernel of wheat that was about to fall into the ground and die. No wonder His soul was troubled. The cross loomed before Him. When He said, "Father, glorify thy name," He was saying what He would later pray, "Nevertheless, thy will be done." In other words, "I don’t want to go to the cross, but I know this is the way I am to bring you glory. Therefore, Father, your will be done. Glorify yourself through my cross." For Jesus, the way of glory was the way of the cross. It was through dying there, bearing the sins of the world, taking upon Himself the wrath of God, that Jesus would honor His Father.

But what does all that have to do with unity? Vs. 22, "And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them." Then in vs. 24, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me…" Now He seems to be praying for the glory of heaven, when we will be with Him where He is. But back in 22, He speaks of a glory that He has already given His followers. Do you see it? As it was with Jesus, so it is with us. Yes, if we truly belong to Him, we will someday be where He is. We will enjoy unhindered fellowship with the Father and the Son. Yes, as the songwriter declares, "that will be glory." But the way of glory is the way of the cross, for Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me" (Matt. 16:24).

Now back to verse 22 again. This time we will read the entire verse: "And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." God’s purpose is giving us glory is that we might be one. As we are one in suffering with Him, so we will be one in eternal bliss with Him. Even in an imperfect world, we have a beautiful illustration of this kind of unity. Suppose a man named Tom decides to marry a girl named Sally. I have to tell you that Sally was raped when she was 16 and, as a result, has a four-year-old daughter. Can you imagine Tom going into the marriage with the attitude that says: "Sally, I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. We will be good for each other. I want us to enjoy all the benefits of marriage. Of course, you must understand that you are on your own with your daughter. I don’t want to be weighed down with that kind of burden." That’s crazy. We can’t conceive of that.

Rhonda and I worked with a young man named Jeff back in the mid 70’s. We had the joy of watching him come to Christ. Because of his background, he had some real struggles. A few years later after we had moved away from the area, we got word from Jeff that he was getting married. He was marrying a girl who had severe diabetes and who was going blind. Jeff knew that she might not live very long. That doesn’t sound like a very glorious marriage, does it? Nevertheless, Jeff married her. And in a few years she died. But Jeff went with her every step of the way. I suspect that they were closer than most married couples because of the deliberate decision to share that suffering together.

Please hear me well. The unity for which Jesus prayed is the unity that shares in this glory – both the heavenly bliss and the earthly cross. Jesus gave us this road of glory so that we might be one, even as He and the Father are one. The preparation for a return to heavenly glory was the completion of glorifying the Father while He was on the earth. It is no different with us. "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14). "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29). When the pilgrims of Jesus Christ walk through this world, rejoicing in the cross of their Lord, there is a unity that the world cannot explain. "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (Phil. 3:10). This is a supernatural unity. It came through the cross of Christ and it is advanced as His people take up that cross daily.

Again, let me emphasize that there is a great tension here. The way of the cross is glory. We learn that from Jesus, especially as related in the gospel of John. But that is not the end of the story. There is a fuller glory to be revealed. As we bear the cross of Jesus in this world, we nevertheless look for a greater glory to be revealed on that glorious day when our Lord returns. We see the beauty of that tension reflected in Tit. 2:11-14…
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

What a mighty God we serve. There is glory now; there is the promise of greater glory for all eternity. And as we walk in the glory of the cross and anticipate the glory of heaven, we walk as one with the Father and the Son and with all who belong to them.

Eternal Life and Unity

But we said that this prayer is also about eternal life. Jesus was praying for those who know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent (17:3). Let me emphasize again the fact that Jesus made it clear He was not praying for the world. Vs. 9, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." Remember that great distinction He makes between those who are His and those who are a part of the world. This division is between those who have eternal life and those who do not.

We find the same tension as with the concept of glory. The fulness of eternal life will not be realized in this world. How we look forward to the day when that eternal life with the Father and Son will not be hindered in any way, when we will no longer have to put up with the presence of sin and sorrow. On the other hand, that eternal life does not begin when we leave this world, for we can know God the Father and Christ the Son in this present life. Praise God!

So what does this eternal life have to do with unity? Much indeed. Let me remind you of another definition of eternal life, which is found in 1 John 1:1-2, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)…" John writes about this eternal life. It was with the Father and was manifested unto John and his companions. It was from the beginning. They had seen it, heard it, and even handled it. It was the Word of life. So what is this eternal life that John is describing? It is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. So the most basic definition of eternal life is simply "Jesus." Jesus is eternal life. And because He has been manifested in the world, it is possible for a person to have eternal life. To have eternal life is essentially to have Jesus, to know God the Father and Christ the Son. To have eternal life is to share the very life of Jesus Christ.

This truth is able to demolish some of our weak concepts of Christian unity. Jesus prayed for unity among those who have eternal life. This unity is restricted to those who share the life of Jesus.

Please allow me to illustrate this on a human level. For a moment, forget the spiritual and confine yourself to the natural. Let’s use Norman for an example. Norman has a wife, four children and their spouses, and a host of wonderful grandchildren. He has a special closeness to these family members. Except for the spouses, they have his blood in their veins. And even of the spouses, it must be said that they are one with Norman’s children. Now let’s suppose that we want to enlarge Norman’s family. So we go to Albuquerque and select six people off the street. They are from all walks of life, but all agree that they would like to become a part of Norman’s family. So they start coming to a family gathering each month. As Norman gets to know them, he can honestly say that he loves each one of them. However, his relationship with these 6 is still not the same as his relationship with his family. Even after including them for 20 years, it still won’t be the same. Why not? Because they do not share the family tie. Norman’s blood is not in them. Though he loves them, it isn’t the same.

Listen to me. The unity for which Jesus prayed is restricted to those who have eternal life, to those who know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He sent into this world. A person who does not have the life of Jesus within him can never be a part of this unity. He may know the Bible backward and forward, pray regularly, never miss a church service, be baptized, be a member of the church, even be a teacher… but if he doesn’t have the life of Jesus, he is not and cannot be a part of the body of Christ. He cannot be included in this oneness for which Jesus prayed.

This is one of the greatest problems in understanding, defining, and applying Christian unity in our day. It is absolutely distorted in our society because such a large proportion of the professing church has never been born again, does not have the life of Jesus, does not possess eternal life. You ask, "Am I suggesting that there could be numbers of people in the church who do not have eternal life?" Yes. Even in this church? Yes.

We’ll come back to this, but let’s go a step further and consider…

Holiness and Unity

Though you won’t find the English words "holy" or "holiness" in the King James rendering of this passage, the concept is woven throughout Jesus’ prayer. Read again vs. 9, "I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." Jesus makes a very clear distinction between the world and those whom the Father has given Him. This is the essence of holiness, for the word speaks of being "set apart." Jesus is praying for the holy ones, those who have been set apart from the rest of the world.

This theme comes into focus in verses 14-19…
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

These for whom Jesus is praying are not a part of the world. As a matter of fact, the world hates them. Why? Because they have received and have kept (vs. 6) the Word of God. Don’t be deceived; adherence to the Word of God separates from the world. If this is so, it would seem logical to simply take these believers who have eternal life and take them out of the world, but that is not what Jesus prays. Instead, He prays that the Father would keep them (guard them; protect them) from the evil one. But how will this be done? Vs. 17, "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." "Sanctify" is literally, "Make them holy;" "Set them apart." As the Word has caused the world to hate them, the Word will continue to set them apart from the world and is the Father’s means of protecting them from the evil one. Not only does Jesus refuse to pray that we be taken out of the world, but in verse 19 we see that He sends us back into the world. We have been separated from the world, but we have been sent into the world. And because we are in the world, we have great need to be continually set apart through the truth of the Word. Yes, this prayer is all about holiness.

So when Jesus prays, "Sanctify them through thy truth," for whom is He praying? Yes, for the eleven, but who are they? They are holy men. The world hated them because Jesus had given them the Word of God. He was praying that the Father would continue to set them apart.
I said earlier that we can take great comfort in the truth that Jesus is praying for us, but we must understand who the "us" is. He is praying for His saints, for His holy ones. If you haven’t been set apart by the Word of God and the work of the Spirit, then you cannot take comfort that Jesus is praying for you.

And what do His holy ones look like? They don’t look like the world, because they have been set apart from the world. As a matter of fact, the world hates them. Remember what Jesus said back in chapter 15. John 15:18-21…
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

True believers have been set apart from the world, because they have been set apart unto God through faith in His Son Jesus.

Now when Jesus prays for His set apart ones, for His saints, He does not pray that the Father would take them out of the world. Nor does He pray that the world will stop hating them. Instead, He prays that the Father will continue to set them apart more and more. Paul would later say to the believers in Rome, "And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed through the renewing of your mind…" (Rom. 12:2). It is the reception of the Word that causes the world to hate His people, but Jesus prays that the Father will continue to set us apart through that same Word. The gap between the true believer and the world becomes greater and greater, and that is by God’s design. Ultimately, that gap will be the gulf between heaven and hell.

Listen to me. Don’t believe the devil’s lie, because the devil’s lie tells us that Christians and non-Christians can live together in this world in harmony. There is little difference between them. But then suddenly in the end, the Christians will be taken to heaven and the non-Christians will go to hell. That isn’t the way it is. Jesus gives us the true picture. Even in this world, there is a great division between the world and the saints. The world hates those who belong to Jesus, and the gap between the world and the saints of God is growing as we approach our final destination.
So we see that when Jesus prays for oneness, He is praying for unity among those who have been set apart from the world unto God.

Love and Unity

As we have seen, this prayer is also about love. This is a bit difficult for us, because many of us have grown up with a distorted view of the truth "God is love." Too often we have understood that to mean that God loves all people at all times, with no exceptions. I don’t claim to have a handle on this, but I must say that such a view is simply not true. Do we think that God is going to love people as He assigns them to hell, that His heart is going to break for all eternity because they went to hell? Do you think His people are going to weep with Him for all eternity because their loved ones in this world ended up in the lake of fire? Never. God’s people will rejoice for all eternity in the Lord’s justice and in His victory over all His enemies. The Lord will take vengeance on all His enemies, and His people will rejoice.

You say, "But how do we reconcile this with ‘For God so loved the world,’"? I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that we have presented a half truth about the nature of God. We talk about His love, but we are afraid to talk about His wrath. We say that He loves people, but we are afraid to say that He hates people. Let’s take a moment to read Psalm 11…
In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? 2. For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. 3. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? 4. The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. 5. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 6. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 7. For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

That’s enough of that for now. I say that to prepare you for the truth in John 17:23, "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." Jesus wants the world to know not only that He is sent from the Father, but also that the Father has loved His saints, even as He has loved Jesus. Notice the connection. It is our oneness that will convince the world that the Father has loved us, even as He has loved Jesus.

Can we see the depth of this love? Imagine that the Father would love any man the same as He loves His own Son Jesus. That is unbelievable. But don’t misunderstand. Jesus is not saying that the Father loves all people as He loves Jesus. No. May it never be! The "them" in verse 23 must be seen in the context of this whole prayer. It is "them" for whom Jesus is praying, "them" to whom Jesus has given the Word of the Father, "them" who have known the Father and the Son. Those who are one in Christ demonstrate that the Father has loved them, even as He has loved Jesus. The goal is that people from the world might be drawn into this circle of love and unity.

And then again in verse 26, "And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." Jesus prayer is that this divine love might be in us. But what does He mean? Is He talking about God’s love for us? Or about our love for God? Yes, He certainly is. It is God’s love for us that makes it possible for us to love God. "We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).

Notice especially those last words, "And I in them." God’s love cannot be in us, if the life of God’s Son is not in us. And that brings us back to the subject of unity, for our oneness together is dependent upon His life in us. Remember that this shared life is the source of all Christian unity.

For whom does Jesus pray "that they all may be one"? For those whom the Father loves, even as He loves Jesus. For those in whose hearts the love of God has been shed abroad, because Jesus lives in them.

Conclusion

This is an issue that we must face. I have been wrestling with this for years. I greatly desire that we all be one. The fact is, we can’t all be one, because we are not all one. We are not all one, because we do not all have eternal life. All of us do not share the life of the Father and the Son. We must understand that Jesus was praying only for those to whom He would give eternal life.

Down through the centuries there has been a tension between what might be called the institutional church and the true church of Jesus Christ. This tension exists because many who profess Christ do not possess Christ. There are many who claim to be Christians who do not belong to Jesus Christ. What we must understand is that the true church is made up only of those who have the life of the Father and the Son. They have been born again by the Spirit, whom the ascended Christ sent to take up residence within. His church is composed of those who glory in the cross of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s church is made up of the saints, those who have been set apart unto Him and who love with a love beyond themselves. Jesus was not praying for everyone who attends church meetings, because many who attend church meetings are not born-again, set-apart, glory-in-the cross, lovers of God.

You may say, "Pastor Ron, are you trying to cause division?" No, I am not. Jesus has already brought division. He is the most divisive person that ever lived. God hates those who sow discord among brethren (Prov. 6:19), but that is not what we are talking about. Jesus brings division between His own and the world. By rescuing people out of the world, he sets the world against them. I was an enemy of God. When Jesus came and reconciled me to the Father through His own death, He immediately made me the enemy of the world. This is what we might call "divine division."

The problem in the institutional church of America is that we are so afraid of division, we hesitate to say that there can be no true fellowship between those who belong to Jesus and those who do not. Paul said, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" (II Cor. 6:14). We most often apply that passage to marriage, emphasizing that God commands believers not to marry unbelievers, and that is absolutely true. However, the application is much wider than that. Amazingly enough, many times it is not applied to the professing church.

Praise God for everyone who comes here seeking the Lord. I praise Him even for those who come out of curiosity, just to see what is going on. But we must make it clear that everyone who attends meetings in the building is not part of the church, because light cannot have fellowship with darkness. Believers are light in the Lord, who have been "called out darkness into his marvelous light" (I Pet. 2:9).

Over the years, I have sometimes been frustrated, as I have tried to draw people on the fringe into the fellowship of the Lord’s people. I am realizing more and more that sometimes I am trying to do the impossible. I am trying to include people in the fellowship who do not have the life. You may ask, "So does that mean that if I don’t exercise a desire to spend time with and open my lives up to the other believers that I am not a true believer?" It may very well mean exactly that. God knows our hearts, but if you don’t have a real desire to share that common life of Christ with others who know Him, you have every reason to ask why. It is foolish to say you love Christ and do not demonstrate the same love for His people.

Oh that God would draw everyone of us to Himself. And as we are drawn to Him, we will be drawn to one another. But beware of deception. I have a precious older brother who reminds me from time to time that the reason for our difficulties in our horizontal relationships with one another is to be found in our relationship with the Lord. Whenever we can’t seem to live as one, we need to get on our knees before Him who has made us one.