One of the most solemn passages recorded of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ is the Gospel of John Chapter 17. It is especially relevant because the setting was the last few days that Jesus Christ spent on earth before his execution.
And Jesus Christ Expressed Profound Desire For Perfect Christian Unity
At such a solemn occasion as recorded on John Chapter 17, Jesus Christ expresses deep desire for the perfect unity of all those who would ever believe in him. Relax and look at this briefly with me - and see how much we today's Christians need to unite and fight our common battles, achieving One Victory with the One Lord.
"There is One Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, through all, and within all" (Ephesians 4:6)
Between verses 20 and 25 of John Chapter 17, Jesus said something that millions of modern Christians don't seem to care about today, but which anyone who calls Jesus Christ "Lord" shouldn't take lightly without being an impostor...
As you can see, it is significant that the Lord was addressing not just His immediate listeners but also those who would ever believe in him through the words of his immediate listeners down to this day.
And for all these people, he is quoted as saying to God that "I am praying not only for these disciples but also for ALL who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will ALL be one, just as you and I are one - as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And (so) may they be in us so that the world will believe that you sent me" (John 17:20 and 21, New Living Translation, emphases and bracket mine).
You can see the extent of unity that Jesus Christ desires for those who believe in Him: the model is the unity that exists between Jesus Christ himself and the Almighty Father.
And it is as serious as an important validation of the Christian teaching that the personality identified as Jesus Christ in the Bible once lived on Earth and now lives in Heaven, the fullest Presence of God, forever. As he put it: "that the world may believe that you sent me". In other words, disunity among Christians provides a valid ground for the world not to believe that God truly sent Jesus Christ. It's that serious.
And, you might ask: What sort of unity is that that exists between the Father and the Son based on which Christian unity should be patterned? It is a unity of perfect love. It is a kind of unity whereby one is in the other and the other is in one. They are perfectly United and yet, the two are distinctly identifiable Entities (as you can see especially in verse 21☝️👆).
How Does This Apply To Today's Christians?
Since Jesus Christ was praying for ALL who would ever believe in Him down to 2024 and beyond, then, whoever claims to be a Christian today but says or does anything that divides Christians in any way, should be certain that he or she is working against Jesus Christ directly. Imagine the consequences!
At least, there should be the deepest levels of love among Christians, no less than there is between the Father and the Son. It doesn't have to be physical unity since the unity between the Father and the Son isn't merely physical. Instead, Christian unity (like the Trinitarian Unity) should transcend the physical realm and be evident in a depth of love among Christians.
As there is no form of rancor between Jesus Christ and the Father, any form of quarrel between Christian denominations and individuals should be seen as service to the Enemy. So, it should be dealt with as the Enemy that it is.
It is on this note that I personally commend Bishop David Oyedepo, Apostle Johnson Suleiman, Apostle Joshua Selman and 8 other pentecostal pastors who spoke so lovingly and commendingly about the Catholic Church as seen in this video. It's a departure from the rancor that often existed among different Christian denominations.
That's a wonderful step in the right direction that should be emulated by everyone else in today's Christian world. And if you still want to be surer about whether this is the will of God for today's Christians, consider how Apostle Paul viewed divisions among early Christians. You can see this by reading especially his first epistle to the Corinthians chapters 3 and 4...
As you can see, Apostle Paul saw divisive tendencies among early Christians as manifestations of
Immaturity of faith, and
Carnality (that is, a lack of spiritual depth and connection).
So, if you are a Christian and you are still maintaining any form of divisive mindset and/or attitudes towards other Christians, Apostle Paul says you are still a kid Christian without a depth of faith.
In other words, a mature Christian should be able to see beyond denominational and institutional structures and boundaries and, instead, emphasize the spiritual connection between Christians and Jesus Christ and the Father above other considerations. Such considerations as doctrinal expression, form of worship, and institutional structures should therefore be deemed inferior to the spiritual connection based on God's grace in the Christ Jesus and our faith in that grace.
Even The Lack Of Power Among Today's Christians Relative To The Early Christians Is Due To Lines Of Division Among Contemporary Christians
There is a point that Apostle Paul began to make as he began to pen his first epistle to the Corinthian Church. This point of discussion is about Christian unity. It crescendoed from chapter 1, climaxed in chapter 3 and then descendoed to chapter 4.
It's a part of this point of discussion that I just referenced above. We saw Apostle Paul describing divisive tendencies among Christians as a manifestation of immaturity of faith (a.k.a carnality).
Going further, Apostle Paul also hinted on the idea that division among Christians makes Christians to be disconnected from the Kingdom of God and therefore from God's power (because”Kingdom” is actually another word for “Power”). It's the background to the popular scripture that says that "the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power" (1 Cor 4:20). Paul was referring to those Christians who were "puffed up" by the Christian denominations they belonged to - whether of Paul or Apollos or Christ.
Isn't it how many pentecostals today may feel superior to Catholics for “carrying fire”? Isn't it also how a Catholic may feel superior to a pentecostal or protestant for being a member of the ‘original’ church? Even the inscriptions and voiceovers on the video in question has an obvious Catholic voice bragging that Pentecostal pastors are talking good of her church (well, I too, I'm a Catholic).
That's exactly how the Corinthian Christians were puffed up against one another. Some said, “we are of Paul and we are the best kind of Christians”. Others said, “no, we Apollosians are the best”.
But Paul told them, “that isn't necessary. Instead, whether you are of Paul, Apollos or anyone else, you can only show that you're the best in ACTION rather than in words. In other words, what matters in your Christian life is not the Christian sect where you belong but the level of genuine connection you have with the Kingdom of God through His Christ. This connection is going to be evident, not by you merely saying it, but by the Power of God manifested through you”.
That's the point Apostle Paul was making which came clear in 1st Corinthians 4:20. If you want to see the connection more clearly, take time to read from 1 Corinthians Chapter 2 verse 1 up to Chapter 4 verse 20. It therefore means that, the evident lack of power among today's Christians relative to the early Christians can well be attributed to the rancour that has existed among Christians especially since the Reformation (1517 AD).
No wonder it is generally agreed that, united, we are stronger and better but, divided, we are weaker and worse. No wonder the Christian leaders featured in the video here under discussion, are some of those manifesting some of the best of the power of God today, not minding that today's Christians generally fall short of the ideals set out in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles in this regard.
Conclusion
So, let this be a veritable opportunity for us Christians of today to begin to retrace our steps and be faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ by living up to His ideal for Christian unity. Let me stop here for now, and see what my fellow Christians have to say about this point. I hope to write more on this topic.
And, if this makes any sense to you, kindly share👇. Thank you.
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Desmond Chinedu Nweke is the CCO of Awake Digest. Outside preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he is a content marketer (including SEO, video, social media, funnel, etc). You can get to know more about, and possibly connect with him via his LinkedIn profile here.
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