One in Christ

John chapter 17


Jesus Prays for Himself

1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.


Jesus Prays for His Disciples


6“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. 12While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17Sanctifyb them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.


Jesus Prays for All Believers

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. 22I 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.
24“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

                             ................................................................................................................


Jesus prayed the same thing for all believers as he did for his disciples, verse 11 and 21. His desire is that we all be one, united in him just as he is in the Father.

This is the fulfillment of and the reason why God created mankind in the first place.

God wanted a companion of his own likeness who would choose of their own free will to spend eternity with Him.

Just like Adam made a choice to separate from God by accepting the fruit.

We make a choice to return to God by accepting Jesus.

Which brings us to the greatest mystery of all time; Christ in us...

God and man living together as one through Christ....

God is the author of unity.......

Lets take a look at how it turned out.


1 Corinthians 1:10

10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephasa”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

Let me paraphrase;
                               12What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow penticostal”; another, “I follow baptist”; another, “I follow catholic”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
13Is Christ divided? Was anglican crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of penticostal?

This early division has resulted in what we see today, a church that is divided against itself and we all know that a kingdom that is divided against it's self can not stand.

No wonder the Scriptures say, "The Gentiles (Unbelievers) blaspheme the name of God because of you. (the church)   Romans 2:24

Matthew 7:20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

So what can we do?

Colossians 3:11

Unity a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.


I will write this another way for Clarity;

Unity a renewal in which there is no distinction between protestant and catholic, religious and nonreligious, uneducated, homeless, working class and executive, but Christ is all, and in all.


The one thing that every Christian denomination agrees on is that Christ died for us and rose from the dead. This is the gospel in a nutshell and if we all could focus on this we would see all the other things fall into place.

You can't repair a tree by changing its fruit. You change the fruit by repairing the tree.

Jesus said in John15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Again we come to the age old mystery, Christ in us.
In a flock of sheep there are some that are white and some that are brown, some have patches and some have spots. Some sheep have horns and some don't, some bleat and some baaa....

But they are all SHEEP and when they reproduce, they give birth to baby sheep.

Even though they are very different, they are in absolute unity, they all agree that they are sheep.

In the same way a Christian is a Christian, it doesn't matter what label is on him.

A Christian is a person who has accepted that Jesus died for their sins and was raised from death.


 Romans 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Where do we go from here?