May 26, 1999

FAMILY BIBLE SERIES:
Unity within church is
witness to people outside it
___ John 17
___By Thomas Lea
___Southwestern Seminary
___At a time when the early church was growing rapidly, a complaint came from Greek-speaking Christians against Hebrew-speaking Christians. Greek-speaking widows were not receiving a daily distribution of food which others were receiving (Acts 6:1-7). A great church fight could have developed.
___Instead of fighting, the church focused on a ministry of prayer and evangelism. They appointed also a group of Greek-speaking leaders to distribute food to the entire group of needy people. The unity of the church became a factor in allowing the number of Christians to multiply greatly. Our lesson calls us to display this type of unity before a lost world.
___ Perfect obedience (John 17:1-5). Jesus had committed himself to the task for which the Father had sent him to earth. He had not passed through the crucifixion, but he had committed himself irrevocably to accomplish the Father's task. Jesus faced many obstacles and terrifying hardship. He never stumbled in doing God's will. His prayer was that the Father would glorify him with the glory he had before the incarnation.
___Jesus brought glory to God by his perfect obedience to the Father. His example can motivate us to honor God by following enthusiastically his mission for our lives.
___ Profound unity (John 17:9-19). Jesus made three requests for his disciples. First, he prayed for their unity (v. 11). Their unity was spiritual, not organizational. This unity would play a role in leading the world to believe that the Father had sent Jesus.
___Second, he prayed for their protection (vv. 11, 12). He wanted God to guard or protect them so that they might experience divine joy in conflict (v. 13).
___Third, he sought their spiritual growth (v. 17). To "sanctify" means to be set apart for a special task. Jesus prayed that his disciples might be so changed by God's work that they would separate from evil and fully obey God's will.
___Jesus' prayer becomes a model for us to use in seeking God's help to live in obedience before him and with other believers.
___ Purposeful witness (John 17:20-21). Jesus focused his prayer on coming generations of believers. He expected the ministry of the Spirit in the disciples to produce many more believers in the future.
___The burden of his prayer is for unity. He prayed for unity in the face of coming differences of temperament, background and interest among believers.
___The purpose of this unity is evangelistic. Jesus wanted his followers to maintain a united witness before the world to establish his divine origin. Christians who show love and compassion for one another convince the world that Jesus is the Lord of life.
___A love for God and for one another is the chief evidence of Christian unity. An unbelieving world is attracted to a Savior who can temper the natural selfishness of human beings into a compassionate acceptance of each other.

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