John 17.22-23
“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17.22-23)
When God’s people come together in unity to achieve a common goal, their aligned effort brings divine power and transforming impact to the world. If the people of God were to operate with the unity to which the Lord calls us, we would become the single greatest force for productive change in history.
For some, unity is a vague, dream-like wish for a day when Christians sweetly smile at each other and sing in harmony; disagreements are resolved and eliminated; and we all say, think, and do the same identical things. But this is a false concept of unity. It’s a fantasy that will never be reached on this earth.
So what is unity? Unity occurs when people are united in action and energy for the common cause of the kingdom of God. The shared goal is so strong that it removes hostilities, eliminates egos, puts away non-essential disagreements, and gives previously divided people a reason to take their place alongside each other.
When this occurs, different gifts, talents, and blessings become connected and integrated, and the result is an amazing release of divine power that achieves and accomplishes the impossible.
Unity empowers the Christian community to operate at full capacity. And as Jesus tells us in John 17, unity is also a distinguishing mark of the presence and power of Jesus in the Christian community. When we fail to display unity to a watching world, our witness and testimony is severely damaged.
It is simply a fact that extraordinary results are accomplished when concentrated attention is given to building elite teamwork. When this kind of chemistry and alignment is at work on your team or in your organization or church, great things will happen.
But when it is missing … well, just look around.
“And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4.12)
Coram Deo
