United We Stand

Posted on by October 13, 2013

October 13th, 2013

John 17:20-21 — Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me..

I sometimes surprise friends by what they see as a kind if doctrinal flexibility. I’m pretty much willing to accept as a brother anyone who admits their own sin nature, believes Jesus is the Son of God and claims Him as Lord and Savior. To me, anything else is not such a big deal.

I saw a statistic that made my eyes pop. Did you know that there are more than 20,000 “Christian” denominations. That doesn’t stack up well in the light of Jesus’s desire that “they all may be one”!
Maybe it seems like no big deal … But to me it’s a fault at the heart of our faith. Our Father hates fractured relationships. Satan is set on seeding separation.

Let’s start with Genesis. The first thing we see Satan do is to undermine trust in God’s truth (… And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?). Next, he sows distrust about God’s motives (For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.). Sadly, Adam and Eve “bite” and the result is a broken relationship (Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.)
God hates to see broken relationships. In fact one way of looking at the Gospel story, from Genesis to Revelation is as God’s work to rebuild the relationship between Him and us. Look at just a few examples …

  • God hates divorce. See what is written in Malachi 2:15-16, “And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away:”
  • God longs to heal the relationships in broken families. From the Book of Malachi again, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord : And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:5-6)
  • We are told in Isaiah 2:4 that God will heal breaches between nations, “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

    • I could have chosen so many other examples to illustrate our Father’s passion for relationships.That passion is one of the unique things about Christianity, and it is the reason for my inclusive love for fellow Christians. It is why Jesus prays as He does in that great “High Priestly prayer”. It is why He died for us. It is why the for beasts and four and twenty elders of the Revelation sing a new song:

    Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

    Unity is critical. Let’s stand together.

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