​Responsibility and Promise in the Prayer

John 17:20-21 “I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message. 21 I pray that they may all be one.”
 
DO you want to know Jesus loves you? Then please see John 17 as Jesus’ loving words to the Father for you. The apostle John reveals our Lord as one who deeply loves God the Father and all who are his disciples in this “High Priestly Prayer”. Jesus not only asked the Father to watch over his disciples who were with him that night, he petitioned God to unite and protect all who believe in me because of their message through the ages.
   In this prayer is a crucial responsibility and a great promise to all disciples. From the first disciples, belief in Jesus would go into the world as they spoke, wrote and lived the gospel message. There would be no future disciples if the message was silent among the first 12. The responsibility has not changed through the ages. There is no future church if we are silent about God’s gospel.
   Within this responsibility to speak the message is Jesus’ promise the message will advance the gospel. The message will cause new believers. The King of the Kingdom has the expansion plan. Be God’s messenger in his plan. Be intentional to find ways to deliver his message to people yet to know him. Jesus has promised this will save more souls.
   I know many of us find it discouraging to speak the good news. People often turn away or turn against us if we attempt to offer the gospel’s power of salvation. But we must always remember Jesus’ promise. As you find ways to make this your life habit, know the Spirit will act through your words to awaken some people to know Jesus. To begin, you can be purposeful to follow the message system at home. God set this long ago in Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. It begins with God’s love. Then tell the message to  your family, friends and neighbors.
   And please note Jesus prayed that all believers may be one with each other! Our Great High Priest wants us to be one under God! How sad it is in the Christian church to allow very minor differences and personal preferences to separate us. Instead, we must center our minds on the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As we are one with God, we will be one with others who are united in God’s purpose.
   Let’s consider this: The next time we are inclined to speak of how the church next door is different or how someone’s faith is not in line with ours, stop and pray all of us may be one under God’s gospel message.
   What a remarkable, loving Savior Jesus is! He prayed his specific plan to change the world. He included each disciple in history into the plan, so his church will be one under God’s salvation.