So, to glorify the Son so that the Son glorifies the Father means to honor and to reveal the character and nature of God through the Son which then reveals the nature and character of the Father. The way in which God’s nature and character were thus revealed through Jesus were through his life, his ministry, his miracles, through him completing the work the Father had given him to do, through his death on the cross for our sins, his resurrection and conquering of death, hell, Satan and the dominion of sin over our lives, in his ascension into heaven and in sending the Holy Spirit of God to indwell the lives of believers so that his divine character and nature are revealed through his working in us in transforming us into the image of God, and ultimately in Jesus’ return for his bride at which time our salvation will be complete and we will no longer be in these earthly bodies but will have glorified bodies no longer subject to the flesh and sin and physical death, but fully revealing the divine nature and character of God.
Then, in vv. 6-19, the Lord taught me this about both the need for unity among the members of the family of God, as well as the type of unity our Lord required:
Jesus, after he had described to the Father those that the Father had given to him out of the world to be his disciples, prayed for their protection. He had protected them when he was on the earth, but now he would remain in the world no longer. He was going to the Father, yet his disciples would remain in the world, so that is why he prayed that the Father would protect them by the power of His name, the name He gave Jesus, so that they would be one as the Father and the Son were one. Jesus knew that the hatred that was aimed toward him would now be transferred to his disciples and that they would face the same or similar treatment as he had experienced and that he would now yet endure in going to the cross. They would need God’s divine protection over them so that they would have the strength to endure what they were yet to face, and this would be for the purpose of uniting them in the faith, in their love for God, in their desire for Him and for Him alone, in their commitment to be totally abandoned to him in service and in obedience, and I believe, as well, for the purpose of mutual encouragement, as was patterned to us by the relationship between the Father and the Son.
Jesus’ disciples would now share the gospel message wherever they went. They were now to be Christ’s apostles – his sent out ones; his ambassadors, as though Christ were making his appeal through them. And, now Jesus’ prayer was no longer for them alone, but for all who would believe in Jesus Christ through their message; through their testimony about Jesus Christ and of his salvation provided for all who would believe. So, Jesus’ prayer now shifted to a prayer for all believers – present and future. I thus read John 17:20-26:
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 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. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
Jesus began this prayer for all believers with a call for unity – a type of oneness among believers in Jesus Christ as was and is experienced between the Father and the Son. He stated that the reason he was praying that all believers be brought to complete unity was and is to let the world know that the Father sent Jesus into the world and that the Father loves all believers in Jesus Christ even as the Father loves the Son.
As I considered this subject of unity, which appears to be one of the central messages of this passage of scripture, the Lord brought to mind a false unity that exists in today’s church that I have seen and have experienced with my own eyes. Under this false unity, believers in Jesus Christ are asked to be in oneness with the leadership of the church concerning a vision or a purpose statement of the local fellowship of believers supposedly given to them of God that is unique to their particular fellowship. The congregants are even reminded weekly in the bulletin, in the newsletters, on the walls of the church buildings, on the Power Point presentations and even verbally from the pulpit, as well as through the local fellowship’s website, of the vision and mission statement of the fellowship comprised by the church leadership, and the members are even called upon to put this to memory. If the local congregants are not in conformity or agreement with all or any of this vision of man, then they are encouraged by the church leadership to find their fellowship elsewhere.
Another aspect of this false unity is that the sheep are to get their understanding of the word of God from the pulpit and from the clergy of the local congregation, never questioning the teaching, the authority, or the truth of what is being taught and never expressing a belief contrary to the belief of the pastor (or to even call into question his moral character), no matter how prayerfully, Biblically or respectfully submitted. The sheep are also not to question the particular doctrine or book by man that the church leadership has chosen to adopt for that local fellowship of believers. This adopted doctrine or man-vision is strongly encouraged for acceptance by the local congregation for the express purpose of indoctrinating the sheep into a particular school of thought and to lead them in the direction that the leaders themselves were taught by the teachers who were over them, whether or not, by the way, what they were taught or what they espouse actually agrees with scripture or not. This doctrine of man is what the leaders were taught both to espouse to their congregants, to enforce as the correct doctrine, and to follow that philosophy of man even above the word of God sometimes. And, they are also taught to hold fast to their vision and to not let anyone get in their way, even if it means losing church members because of it.
The problem with this type of unity is that it is based in man, not in God. It has its origins in the thinking and teachings of man, not in the scriptures. It is controlling, it is rigid, it is oppressive, it is unbiblical, and it is extremely hurtful to the Body of Christ. It does not allow for diversity of gifting within the Body of Christ because that would threaten or could threaten the vision that the church leaders have chosen to follow as their course of action in building what they mistakenly believe is God’s church. It is Pharisaical, as well, as it is prompted by a strict adherence to a man-made set of rules without regard for love, mercy and the freedom we have in Christ as Christ’s free servants to use whatever gifts he has imparted to us (Biblically based here) for the building up of the Body of believers in faith, in purity, in obedience to God’s word, in being made holy and in understanding that it is Jesus’ Spirit within us who will teach us all things. It makes the “clergy” the only ones who can exercise gifts of prophecy, exhortation, etc. within the Body, and that is not how God designed his Body to work where all the parts would have equal concern for one another.
In contrast to this false picture of unity that we now see in today’s church, as well as in the government of the USA, which I believe is just setting up the church for the rule of the beast and a one-world religion, is the true picture of unity in scripture that is modeled to us by the relationship between the Father and the Son. It is clear that the Father and the Son have equal concern for each other. There is respect of diversity of gifts (personality, mission, assignment, etc.) and yet there is still unity of mind and heart and purpose, which is based solely in the Father and the Son and in the Word of God. There is no threat among the members of the trinity that suggests that they must be like clones of one another, which I believe is very evident in today’s cult-like teachings in the present church here in America. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit each had their separate personalities, gifts, as it were, functions, mission, assignments (though having the same source), yet they were still one in heart and purpose and mission – a divine mission that is to be the mission and vision of the entire Body of believers, not just particular to one local group. If a vision or a mission of a particular local body of Christ is based in the word of God and is of God, then it should also be fundamentally (in truth) the same mission and vision of the entire Body of Christ, though there can be diversity of application without compromising the Word of truth.
So, the kind of unity that this passage of scripture is speaking of is not necessarily the same kind of unity that is espoused in many of today’s modern church congregations. Unity does not mean that we all think and act the same. It does not mean blind obedience to man. It does not mean suppression of gifts within the Body or squashing parts of the Body in order to elevate other parts. It does not mean excluding parts of the Body of Christ in order to fulfill some man-made vision. That is so unbiblical! And, it certainly does not mean ignoring the obvious teachings of scripture in order to follow the teachings of man. I have seen many a church leader use this false notion of unity in order to control, manipulate, suppress, abuse, reject, and ostracize (exclude; shun; banish; ignore; snub) members of the Body of Christ in order to fulfill their “calling” of building “God’s church.” Oh, how wrong!! This is God’s design for how an elder should lead his congregation:
Titus 2:7-8:
“In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”I Peter 5:1-4:
“To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”Jesus prayed to the Father that those he had given to him would be where he was and to see his glory (his character; his righteousness; his authority; his salvation; his vision; and his mission for his followers). In today’s church, too much glorying of man is being done in the name of Jesus that is not of Jesus at all. If we, as Christ’s sheep, are being led to follow a man over and above following Christ and his word, then that is not of God. Our spiritual leaders should be leading us into a unity with the Father and the Son instead of a unity with the vision and mission of man’s business ventures on this earth. So, just make sure that you are following Jesus and not man, and that the unity you are being asked to adhere to is the unity modeled to us by the Father and Jesus and not this false unity of man. Jesus’ mission was to make the Father known, and our mission is to make both the Father and the Son known, so let’s keep first things first and make sure we are following the right Lord.
The purpose of making God known to the people of this world is not so that they can become followers of man and of man’s doctrines, visions and missions that control, manipulate and suppress God’s people. It is for the purpose that we may come to know our Lord in full intimacy, to realize that he is truly all we need, that he is to be our only Lord, and that the love of the Father and of the Son may be lived in us and out through us and in them and out through their lives. It is for the purpose of bringing the wandering souls of this world into true and genuine relationship with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And, it is for the purpose of not only bringing them to salvation, but to bring them into an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ that produces in them the yearning and the longing to walk in full obedience to God and to surrender all we have and are and will be into the loving arms of our loving God for him to work out his purposes in and through us for his honor, praise and glory. To God be the glory! Great things HE has done!!
All of Me / Selah
Holy Father, love me still
I have fallen from Your will
I am broken
Hear my humble cry
My cry
I have wandered for so long
Tired and weary on my own
In Your arms I know I'm home,
O God, My God
Take my life and make it Yours, Lord
Fill me with Your love
You are all I need
I surrender all of me
Take my life and make it Yours, Lord
Fill me with Your love
You are all I need
I surrender
I surrender
I surrender all of me
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