This is the fifth prayer in the prayer acrostic, F.O.L.L.O.W. C.H.R.I.S.T.
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O: Make us One!
- Jesus prayed for the disciples, "20 Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me" (John 17:20-21).
Prayerful Observations:
Before Passover, just before Jesus was arrested and crucified, Jesus had a long conversation with His disciples in what is called The Upper Room Discourse (John 13-17). The above quote is from chapter seventeen. The entire chapter is a prayer of Jesus to the Father about the disciples.
In His time on the earth, Jesus trained twelve men in the spiritual work of making disciples. In this prayer, Jesus refers to them forty times. He even prayed for you. Observe the words "Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word" in verse 20. The words of the Father have been passed from person to person for two thousand years, until they came to you. You have believed "through their word".
The prayer is for unity among believers... "that they may all be one" (v 21). One purpose of this unity is "that the world may believe that you sent me" (v 21). When the world sees the miracle of true unity, it will be a sign to them. It will be a sign that Jesus was sent by God the Father. So, the prayer for unity among believers is a prayer of evangelism!
In John 13:35 Jesus said, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
I have seen the miraculous unity among Christians that crosses racial, cultural and economic boundaries. In my church I regularly see the homeless and the surgeon worship together. In the small Bible Study / Prayer group that I lead, we will have the wealthy and the poor, young and old, different races... sharing our life struggles, praying, encouraging, reading scripture together. The same spirit is within each of us.