Why does the Church need unity?

It’s the night Jesus was arrested and there was a lot on His mind.

Pain. Rejection. Betrayal.

So much is headed His way, and He knew it.

But in the middle of knowing all that was to come, Jesus prayed for us.

Here’s what He said:

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.”

Jesus was asking God the Father not only for the disciples who were with Him in the Olive Garden,but for all who would follow Christ because of the sharing of the Good News—that includes us! We are believers because those original disciples shared the Good News and started a chain of faithfulness that extends the Good News 2,000 years through history to you.

Of all the things Jesus could ask that the believers would have, this is Jesus’ prayer for us:

“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

Jesus asks that we be unified.

At first thought, that sounds silly. Why not pray we be bold? Or persuasive? Or holy? Or safe? Or blessed?

Nope, none of that.

Jesus wants us to be unified.

(And that’s something we see over and over in the New Testament: Romans 12:16, Romans 14:19, Romans 15:5-6, 1 Corinthians 1:10-12, 1 Corinthians 12:12, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Ephesians 2:19-22, Ephesians 4:1-6, Philippians 2:1-3, Colossians 3:13, 1 Peter 3:8–just to name a few.)

Unity isn’t blind following, it’s prayerfully aligning oneself with the mission and vision God has given the church.

Unity isn’t blind following, it’s prayerfully aligning oneself with the mission and vision God has given the church. Click To Tweet

When we all move in the same direction, we can make significant things happen.

It’s like Rick Warren once said, “Each of us is like a snowflake. On our own, we can’t make a big difference. However, when one fragile snowflake sticks with a lot of other snowflakes, they can stop traffic.”

Let’s be united. Let’s be one. Let’s all chase the mission in step with each other!