A Prayer For Community

A few months ago I was in a bible study of John which enlightened and humbled my heart.  This morning as I opened my bible to study, my thoughts went back to several verses in John where Jesus prayed for the believers.  As I read those verses again, I was in awe of His prayer and desire for us as believers to have a “spiritual oneness.” Though sometimes I am not able to express what I feel in my heart, I have tried to put into words a summary of my thoughts from my time in His word this morning.   

Scripture: (ESV)

John 17:20-23

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ 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.

Community is a journey towards unity and intimacy with God and with each other. We are instructed to immerse ourselves into His holy kingdom and unite with and into the lives of those around us.  We must trust that every experience and situation is a gift and we must use the knowledge that we gain from each small journey to help us grow and become the servant and community that God desires us to be.  It’s also about supporting, encouraging and enabling others as we move toward our ultimate destination of a life following Jesus and loving others.  Together we can become a community committed to sharing the journey and the adventures that God entrusts to us.Cross references:

1. John 17:20 : John 17:9
2. John 17:20 : [John 4:39; Rom. 10:14; 1 Cor. 3:5]
3. John 17:21 : See John 17:11; [1 Cor. 6:17]
4. John 17:21 : 1 John 1:3; 3:24; 5:20
5. John 17:21 : John 14:23
6. John 17:21 : See John 17:8
7. John 17:22 : John 17:24; [John 1:14; Luke 9:26]
8. John 17:22 : Rom. 8:30
9. John 17:22 : [See John 17:21 above]; See John 17:11; [1 Cor. 6:17]
10. John 17:23 : John 17:26; John 14:20; Rom. 8:10; 2 Cor. 13:5
11. John 17:23 : 1 John 2:5; [Col. 3:14; 1 John 4:12, 17]
12. John 17:23 : John 17:21; John 14:31
13. John 17:23 : John 16:27
14. John 17:23 : John 17:24, 26; See John 5:20

Listening together, struggling together and praying together. Not just unity but the “oneness” that reaches deep into our Father’s heart and finds its source in the relationship with the trinity as a community.  No wonder Jesus spent more time developing His community of followers than he did preaching to them.  Together we can shine by the light of Jesus and model His love in such a way that the Father is seen in and through us.  As we listen together, struggle together and pray together we can grow into that transformed community of “love giving souls” that reflect the image of the “One” who holds all in his hands.