We are looking at things which are important to us in City Life Church. Today is C for Communion. We are using this to mean sharing our new life in Christ together. As we will see, this is something which is very close to the heart of God. There is a spiritual power in a united church. We will start by looking at Jesus prayer for his followers in John 17.
Jesus prays this prayer for us. This is at the heart of Jesus’ concern for his people. We might have thought that Jesus would ask for powerful, miracle-working faith. We might have expected him to ask for courage. We might have expected him to ask for self-denial. But instead Jesus asks God to help us be united. That tells us 2 things. One is that is that it is really, really, important to God. The second is that we really, really, need help. Humans are naturally selfish and divisive. So Jesus asks God the father to give us the power to be united. A quick question: do you ever pray this prayer? If this prayer is so important to Jesus, it should be important to us.
Jesus asks for us to be united. He prays that we should be one. This doesn’t mean that we should be the same. In fact, this is almost the opposite of what he meant. God created people different. He made us male and female. He gave us different languages and cultures and he gave us different gifts and abilities. God wants us to be different, but he wants us to be united. So what does it mean to be united?
So what does God’s unity mean? We can think of this as a family in some ways. A family is highly committed to each other. I have a baby grandson. We are highly committed to him. This is not because he has done anything good. He cries, he makes a mess, he disrupts his parents’ lives. But we don’t think it a sacrifice to feed him, clean him, play with him or help him sleep. Of course we would do these things. He is part of the family. Families, of course, have senior and junior members. The parents expect the children to obey them. The church is not like this: we are all brothers and sisters. Unity means forgiveness. We are committed to forgiving each other, wanting the best for each other. Sometimes our emotions tell us that something is not right. We know that we have to forgive people. When we are united, we live at peace. When we are united, we are generous. We don’t think firstly of ourselves. We think of others. We love to give. Giving has a powerful effect on the unity of the church. Unity is practical, spiritual and emotional.
How can we be more united as a church?
Jesus says that we when we live together, then God lives with us. There is a direct connection between our unity and the presence of God with us. God will pour out his Holy Spirit when we are united. When we are united, God will change and heal us. When we are united, God will answer our prayers. God is love. When we love each other, God lives with us. God’s love for us will produce love for each other. When you give to God’s people, when you love God’s people, when you forgive others, you are inviting God to come and live with his people. You are inviting God to fill his church with his love. Our relationship with God includes love for others.
Have you ever been in a situation where God was at work in a group of people? What was it like?
When we are united, God will change the world. Unity, communion, is a miracle. The world cannot produce love. God will breathe love into us which will amaze the world. People will see God in us when we love each other and share our lives. God will answer our prayer when we are united. Those prayers can change the world. Sometimes we find it difficult to convince people that God is real and that he cares for us and loves us. But if people see that we are united, then they will believe. God’s love is powerful, but people have to see it to believe it. God wants to change the world. When we love each other, when we trust him, God will change the world.
Prayer topic:
Pray for a united Church
Pray for a church which welcomes the Holy Spirit
Pray for a church which influences the world.
