Jesus’ Prayer for Our Unity in Him.
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.” (John 17:20-23)
One writer had this to say about God’s heart for us:
“One of God’s biggest dreams for us is authentic community.” (Bill Willits, Creating Community: 5 Keys to Building a Small Group Culture; page 40)
That also seems to be at the heart of Jesus’ prayer for His followers the very night He was about to betrayed,… then beaten, whipped and crucified. You can tell what is most important to someone in those times when they are facing their mortality.
And, even though Jesus trusted and rested in the promise of His resurrection by the Father’s Hand, the reality of what He was about to face in His “stations of the cross” loomed large in front of Him. So did His heart and desire for His followers to remain “one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You.”
And think of what the world might believe about Jesus as God’s “Only Begotten Son” if they witnessed our unity with Jesus in the same way Jesus was united with God, the Father.
WHY small groups?
Because it can be a place where meaningful relationships can both given and received.
Because it was Jesus’ dying wish for His followers… for you and me… for us and the resurrected Him.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Denny Finnegan
Associate Pastor, CPC