My dream is that Jesus' Church would live as one church in our communities. What would that look like? How would that experience be different from what we are experiencing now.
Today churches are typically buildings identified by the signs out front. I know there are people who are members of these churches and that "the church" is really the people; but you know what I'm talking about. It reminds me of high school when I was a kid. There were school rivalries and turf wars and sometimes, even brawls, to defend our school's honor. We had school pride and school colors and cliques, victories to celebrate and defeats to endure. What we didn't have was unity.
It may not be as obvious when it comes to churches but just have a conversation with a cross-town or cross-community church and the contest begins. How many go to your church? We had ten baptized last week, how many did you baptize? And so it goes. Is this the "oneness" Jesus prayed for in John 17:20:21, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."
We're in a perpetual state of competition with each other to grow our church no matter what that means to your church. After all, if people are drawn to our cool ministry stuff, your stuff must be missing the mark. All's fair, these days, in love and church-wars.
Imagine Jesus' prayer actually being answered. What would that look like? What would our experience be like if we were one "just as" the Father and Jesus were one? We would care a lot more about one another than we do about ourselves. We would trust each other as we got to know one another. We would want to help our brothers and sisters in Christ to achieve the dream that Jesus has for them. We would invest ourselves in each others lives even when, especially when, we disagreed with one another.
We would look a whole lot more like Jesus who did not come to be served, but to serve; to humble himself and wash his disciples feet. And then he said, "Do you understand what I have done for you?' he asked them. 'You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.'" John 13:12b-15
Growing churches are reaching many people for Jesus; and that is good. But, they are not reaching the world. To reach the world we must be one with each other as we are one with Christ. "May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."
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