Preserving our unity in Christ goes hand in hand with keeping or obeying God’s Word (John 17:4). This powerful Word of God protects the body of believers by laying down the boundaries of the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42). We have that truth preserved for us in the inspired New Testament ( “Your word is truth” -17:17). In fact, it is that “truth” which protects the church from the eroding influence of division.
It was this final declaration that elicited the infamous response by Pilate, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) We know the truth to which Christ referred. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (18:37). For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. “Are You a king then?” (18:37) This last question prompts this response: “You say rightly that I am a king. “Are You the King of the Jews?” (18:33) “My kingdom is not of this world” (18:36). Forced to hear the case against Jesus (John 18:29-32), the reluctant judge questions Him. In just the next chapter Jesus is betrayed and arrested, brought before Annas (a former yet still influential High Priest 18:13), denied by Peter, taken before the current High Priest Caiaphas (18:24) and then He was finally brought before the Roman Governor, Pilate (18:28). The events of the closing chapters after Jesus’ prayer for unity (John 17) move quickly. It is on this very basis that unity among believers of this common faith is possible: “that they may be one just as We are one” (17:22). That same love which eternally exists between the divine Father and Son must also exist between believer and Lord (14:15 and 15:14). Jesus prayed specifically “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:4). It is the mutually shared faith in Jesus as the Christ, the God ordained Savior and the God appointed Head of the one true New Testament church that provides the very basis of our unity in the church of Christ. Listen to His words: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:20). The very basis for a single body of believers stretching across the centuries is their love for and obedience to Jesus Christ. As Jesus’ thoughts progress in His betrayal night prayer from the chosen twelve to the multitude of yet unborn believers it becomes clear that the unity of this body will rest in their mutually shared love for Christ. What we learn from Jesus is crucial in establishing and maintaining fellowship. It is vital to keep in mind that in this portion of Jesus’ prayer, our Lord was praying for us, the then future Christians who “will believe in Me through word” (John 17:20). High among the thoughts occupying the Lord’s mind on this agonizing night was the idea of unity (John 17:20-26). Part of that final conversation included Jesus’ prayer. John describes in depth Christ’s words to the chosen twelve on His final night with them prior to His arrest and execution. In John’s gospel account, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7 and 21:20) provides his readers with a unique look into Jesus as He interacts with His disciples on a level not pictured in the synoptic Gospels. This precarious balance can be clearly seen in John’s portrait of Jesus. Healthy, scriptural fellowship in all its various facets is the result of the careful balance of two vital traits that lays at the heart of New Testament Christianity: love and unity.
Relationships are important, especially when it comes to Christian fellowship. Another hint: the accused had changed his Facebook status to “widowed.” After looking over the scene the woman’s step-father contacted police who discovered a battery charger connected to the inside knob of the front door in such a way that to insert a key into the lock would complete the electrical circuit sending a shock through the person seeking to unlock the door and enter the home. When his wife mentioned this odd request to her step-father, he went over to her house to investigate. Among them, according to reports, the 32-year-old man warned his estranged wife to not allow a child to touch the knob on her front door. One of the relationship options is “widowed.” That single word, according to an article dated Decemon Daytona Beach News-Journal Online, raised the suspicions of Florida authorities leading to the eventual charges against a man accusing him of attempting to murder his pregnant wife. Part of our online presence is, on Facebook at least, often summed up in a single word: single, engaged, married, separated, divorced. It can be a helpful way of keeping in touch with friends, literal, and “friends” of a less personal nature (they have no interaction outside of the online community). Many people in the Lord’s church today have a presence on Facebook and other social media.
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