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by Sandy Shaw
We remain, and almost linger, in John Chapter 17. Jesus is in the Garden. His earthly life is almost over. He is in the final words stage, and many of His final words are words of prayer. Jesus is praying. Only Jesus could have prayed these words and we now come to verses 18 to 26.
“Father as You sent Me into the world, that is how I am going to send them into the world.” We need to hear this time and time again. Jesus was born of the Spirit and some 30 years later, as He emerges from the River Jordan, Jesus is anointed or baptised with the Holy Spirit and He prays to the Father, that is how I am going to send them into the world.
From the beginning Jesus Christ sends His disciples into the world in the same way as He was sent into the world – born of the Spirit and baptised in the Spirit. Do not miss this vital point.
Our mission is the same as His, and as Jesus was equipped by the Father, so the risen ascended Jesus equips us to minister as He ministered, and to serve as He served.
Verse 19 – For the disciples, Jesus consecrates Himself. Jesus commits Himself and dedicates Himself, so that as His disciples saw Him doing this, they too would commit and dedicate their lives, for the work that lay before them.
Do we see what makes a man committed and dedicated? It is the truth of God and following Him Who is the way, the truth, and the life.
The more we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the more we will be filled with the love of God, and the more we are filled with the love of God, the more we will hunger for Jesus and His Word. And, the more we are filled with Jesus and His Word the more committed and dedicated we become and that will always be growing and deepening.
It is as this point that Jesus prays for the universal Church that it may be one.
Verse 20 – Jesus is praying for us who have come to know Him through one of His disciples. Jesus Christ is praying for us who have come to know Him as Saviour, and Lord, through the ministry of one of His disciples.
Jesus never wondered if these 11 men would be successful. He just prayed for their converts!
Verse 21 – As I am one with You, may they be one – with hearts and minds and will agreeing, and working and serving together in harmony.
One holy catholic apostolic church – that is what is was at the beginning. Will we ever see that day again? According to Paul, as it was at the beginning, so it will be just before Jesus returns.
We make sure we are part of that one united harmonious Church of the risen and living Lord Jesus Christ, because if we are not part of that one Church, there is no other Church of which we can be part. Is that not deeply challenging for us all?
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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